Integration is Not a Dirty
Word
 I recently purchased an Apple
iMac. Anyone who has seen the latest iMac design knows that it is a paragon of
integration: everything but the keyboard and mouse is contained in a slim body that looks
less like a computer than a flat-screen TV. In fact, this was one of the reasons I decided
to get one -- I was sick of having to run cables here, there, and everywhere to connect my
monitor to my computer, which also had to be connected to my DVD burner, network router,
keyboard, and mouse. Every time I added a new device, I had to face the jungle of cables
under my desk -- yuck! And my old computer took up so much desk space that nothing else
fit on the desk. There’s a lot to be said in favor of such integration; not just in
terms of convenience and saving space, but also in terms of the fine engineering and
design that go into creating such a device.
For a long time, the world of high-end audio shunned this
ideal of integration. Integrated amplifiers, which combine a power amplifier with a
preamplifier in a single chassis, were long seen as second-class devices: If you wanted real
audiophile performance, you needed separate components. There is, of course, some truth to
that idea. Devices designed to perform a single function don’t suffer from the
compromises often required by having to perform multiple tasks. Freed from such
compromises, separates can outshine multitasking devices. A $500 power amplifier may be
better than a $500 integrated amplifier, but that doesn’t mean the integrated amp is
without purpose or "bad." The conveniences of an integrated can be quite a draw:
It saves space (one box instead of two), and it will save money in at least two ways:
integrateds usually cost less than the equivalent separates, and there’s no need for
the interconnects that connect a preamp to a power amp.
These benefits have gained respectability in recent years,
which have seen an increase in the number of integrated amplifiers being manufactured.
Many of these new integrateds are reasonably priced; some come from such familiar brands
as Rotel and NAD, while others are made by less-well-known firms, such as Dussun and
Cayin. (You can find reviews of all these products on GoodSound!) Many are designed
to be able to be used as preamplifiers should the buyer eventually want a separate power
amp, which makes them ideal for first-time system buyers; some are even designed to accept
an external preamplifier, if the user wants to first upgrade that end of the chain. But
given the fine performance possible with some of these integrateds, there’s not
always a need to upgrade anything at all.
It’s a mistake to think of the integrated amplifier as
merely a budget product. Many high-end manufacturers now produce them -- such as the Rogue
Audio Tempest II that I currently use every day, and Simaudio’s Moon i-5.3. The Rogue
and Simaudio models also suggest the breadth of designs available: The Tempest II uses
tubes in both its preamp and power-amp sections, while the Simaudio is entirely
solid-state. Other integrateds fall somewhere in between -- the DK Design Group VS.1
Reference Mk II, which Doug Schneider reviewed
for SoundStage!, uses tubes only in its preamp section.
The logical next step in integration would be the return of
the stereo receiver, which would add to an integrated amplifier an AM/FM radio tuner.
However, the poor state of American radio broadcasting makes this largely pointless.
Besides, yet another form of integration has recently arisen in audio circles: of
computers into stereo systems. This lets you stream music from tens of thousands of
Internet sources directly to your stereo. For example, HeadRoom’s headphone
amplifiers and DACs feature USB inputs so that you can connect your computer directly to
your music system. This is a smart move in the iPod era, not only for streaming Internet
radio, but also because people now store large libraries of music on their computers. The
ability to integrate those libraries into a stereo system will surely bring sales. The
Slim Devices Squeezebox, which
I recently reviewed, goes one step further by wirelessly integrating a computer and a
stereo system via a beautiful user interface.
These manufacturers have seen where the future lies; the
computer is no longer just a tool to increase productivity, but a central part of
contemporary homes. To increase their sales and profits, audio manufacturers need to find
a way to become part of that system, or their products will always remain on the
periphery.
If there was ever a poster product for integration, it
might be Outlaw Audio’s RR2150
receiver. It takes advantage of both kinds of integration, and includes a phono stage
as well. Will it give you the same performance as a multi-box system? Probably not, but
you won’t need a separate room for your stereo. For those turned on by gear, cables,
and system tweaking, integration may still seem a sin. Most people, though, want a system
that’s easy to use, gives them easy access to their music, and doesn’t take over
the room. For them, integration, via integrated amplifiers or computer interfaces, is a
virtue.
A few months ago I reviewed a compact, tubed integrated amp
that’s sold by AV123. I was impressed with the amp’s sound quality, but its
build quality seemed far higher than what was possible for the price. When I was asked to
review a new bookshelf-speaker-and-subwoofer combination from AV123, I heartily agreed. As
you’ll see in my review this month, AV123 continues to produce fine-sounding
components at very friendly prices.
…Eric D. Hetherington
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