To Al Griffin,
I recently went shopping for a replacement for my Peachtree Audio Nova 125SE integrated amp. I’m still searching and will not have a chance to demo in-person. I’m driving a pair of Tannoy Revolution XT 8F speakers. Do you have any recommendations? I noticed your review of the Hegel Röst [on SoundStage! Simplifi]. Do you think that would be an upgrade over the Peachtree? Are there other products I should consider that would provide a significant sound quality upgrade?
Thanks,
Gerald G.
United States
SoundStage! hasn’t reviewed the Nova 125SE on any site, and I haven’t listened to it personally, so I can’t comment on the performance of Peachtree Audio’s integrated amp. But the fact you’re replacing it clearly means you’re on the lookout for something different and/or better. The specs for your speakers (nominal 8-ohm impedance, 91dB sensitivity) indicate that they’d be compatible with a wide range of integrated amps. My experience with the Röst has been that it makes any speaker sound great. The Röst costs $3000, however -- a big price jump over your Peachtree. If you’re looking for a basic, good-sounding integrated amp that doesn’t provide network/streaming features, I’d suggest the $899 Rotel A12 I recently reviewed on this site. It only puts out 60Wpc, but that should be enough to drive your Tannoy towers. If you do require network/streaming capability and are willing to pony up $3000, then also consider the Röst, since it really does sound great. . . . Al Griffin
