A honey of an integrated

marvda1

Looking for a great integrated amp that is within reach of a lot more audiophiles than this super high priced stuff, take a read.
https://www.thesoundadvocate.com/2020/08/norma-revo-ipa-140b-integrated-amplifier-critique/

maxward

Very good review, Marv.

tonyb

Excellent review Marv. Though I dunno about being in reach at 7 grand. Especially in today's job market. Glad your diggin' it though. Have you had a chance to mix in any other dacs with it yet ?

Gardenstater

I think it sounds awesome and made me drool. I'll have to wait until it goes on sale at a 90% discount

jdjohn

Well-done, Marv. Curious...have you ever tried a Cary SI-300.2d? I have the Cary, so any comparisons would be helpful between these two integrateds.

marvda1

tonyb wrote: »

Excellent review Marv. Though I dunno about being in reach at 7 grand. Especially in today's job market. Glad your diggin' it though. Have you had a chance to mix in any other dacs with it yet ?

Not yet, but I'll try it with the musical paradise to see how it sounds introducing tubes.

Joey_V

Good review Marvin
A little up there in cost though, reading your initial post, I did not expect 7K retail.

marvda1

jdjohn wrote: »

Well-done, Marv. Curious...have you ever tried a Cary SI-300.2d? I have the Cary, so any comparisons would be helpful between these two integrateds.

the only integrated amps I have had recently is the mastersound and kinki.

marvda1

Joey_V wrote: »

Good review Marvin
A little up there in cost though, reading your initial post, I did not expect 7K retail.

take a look at the pass labs or ayre integrateds.

marvda1

for more affordable norma integrated amps they have a 75 watt for $3k and a 70 watt for $4500.
https://www.audiothesis.com/norma
as a point of reference the pass labs int-25 at 25 watts per channel is $7250

jdjohn

marvda1 wrote: »

jdjohn wrote: »

Well-done, Marv. Curious...have you ever tried a Cary SI-300.2d? I have the Cary, so any comparisons would be helpful between these two integrateds.

the only integrated amps I have had recently is the mastersound and kinki.

The Cary is a beast with 300WPC into 8ohms, and 450WPC into 4ohms. It has XLR inputs and incorporated DAC.

jumpindick

Good review, Marvin.

tonyb

jdjohn wrote: »

marvda1 wrote: »

jdjohn wrote: »

Well-done, Marv. Curious...have you ever tried a Cary SI-300.2d? I have the Cary, so any comparisons would be helpful between these two integrateds.

the only integrated amps I have had recently is the mastersound and kinki.

The Cary is a beast with 300WPC into 8ohms, and 450WPC into 4ohms. It has XLR inputs and incorporated DAC.

How's that dac sound in the Cary ?

jdjohn

It's pretty darn sweet, Tony. I've tried a few CD players, Logitech SBT, even a Nativ Vita into the various digital inputs, and all is muy bueno. With both Wi-Fi and BlueTooth capabilities, the Cary has not only power galore, but features galore.

But no headphone output!!!

displayname

After talking with Marvin about the Norma, the review just reinforced everything I’ve heard Marvin say about that amp, and everything I’ve heard from it myself. Very clearly laid out and right on the money.

I also love Marvin’s mixed taste in music. I was not expecting to see The Weeknd referenced in his music selection, but so glad that one made it in there.

On the price point, I’ll add that it’s Norma’s top of the line integrated. There are more affordable options in the same line. Under $10K is considered pretty reasonable for a lot of people. Not everyone (not most) obviously, but in the audiophile world I’ve seen the words “reasonable” and “affordable” attached to much more expensive gear.

tophatjohnny

Great review!

mhardy6647

marvda1 wrote: »

for more affordable norma integrated amps they have a 75 watt for $3k and a 70 watt for $4500.
https://www.audiothesis.com/norma
as a point of reference the pass labs int-25 at 25 watts per channel is $7250

Sounds like the tag line for an ad campaign.

Yes! You can afforda Norma

My mother-in-law's name was Norma -- woulda been cool to have a namesake amp, were she still around.

gyosa

Great review !

7k ??

One could buy an awfully nice amp / preamp combo for that .....

Bk

marvda1

Then you have an extra pair of interconnects and a power cable to purchase.

marvda1

Plus you lose a space in your rack.

marvda1

What amp/pre combo at $7k did you have in mind?

erniejade

Very nice review Marvin. The few Norma units I have heard in the past couple of years all sounded very good.

gyosa

Nothing in particular.....

Lots of goodies in that price range ....
I’m sure it’s fantastic ....

Not ‘dissin it ...
Just sayin ....

Bk

marvda1 wrote: »

What amp/pre combo at $7k did you have in mind?

displayname

Agree, lots of options in the range. Another reason why anyone dropping cash should be ready to put in some time listening. I think quite a few integrated in that price point might surprise you vs separates of the same price, not just the Norma we're talking about here.

Joey_V

marvda1 wrote: »

Joey_V wrote: »

Good review Marvin
A little up there in cost though, reading your initial post, I did not expect 7K retail.

take a look at the pass labs or ayre integrateds.

Oh I know there are more expensive ones.

I just didn't know $7K was considered affordable, or atleast that's what I got from your initial post.

I was thinking more along the lines of the cost of a Parasound Halo 6 INT.

marvda1

Joey_V wrote: »

marvda1 wrote: »

Joey_V wrote: »

Good review Marvin
A little up there in cost though, reading your initial post, I did not expect 7K retail.

take a look at the pass labs or ayre integrateds.

Oh I know there are more expensive ones.

I just didn't know $7K was considered affordable, or atleast that's what I got from your initial post.

I was thinking more along the lines of the cost of a Parasound Halo 6 INT.

I didn't use the term affordable, this is what I said in the op.
" Looking for a great integrated amp that is within reach of a lot more audiophiles than this super high priced stuff, take a read."

displayname

Seems like a lot of people are hung up on the wording here, and took "within reach" the same as "layman's," "budget," or "every man's" ...which is not what Marvin said.

I don't think it was intended to imply this was budget by any means. More so that is really is a competitor to some of the "big boy" brands without quite the same price tag you might expect at that level. It can be a good value, while still holding it's current price tag.

Sure, next to something like Marantaz and Parasound this might seems like a stretch. And those are "every man" brands that you can impulse buy from a range of retailers online. But Norma isn't really in that category. It's decidedly more niche, and flows through the way of dealers and distributors, much like many of the "big boys."

These pieces of gear are investments, and should be discussed with professionals you trust and hopefully listened to before purchased. If you put the Norma in with others in that niche category; Pass Labs, Pathos, Mark Levinson, T+A, Ayre, D'Agostino, CH Precision, Nagra, Vinnie Rossi, etc... well then it might start to stand out as a real bargain. And I think Marvin's wording much more implied that the Norma SHOULD be in that grouping. It's more obtainable than many (not all) on that list.

mrbiron

She’s a beaut Clark!
Nice read.