We see some manufacturers nowadays including Naim make an integrated with an av direct input that bypasses the internal volume, Some have abandoned power amps altogether
What does the forum think about this ?
Is an integrated going to also make a decent power amplifier ?
The AV bypass functionality allows easy integration between a 2 channel music system and an AV setup.
Whilst you can use this functionality to allow an integrated amp to act as a power amp (Naim Nait XS and Supernait integrated amps have a link plug to split pre and power sections in addition to AV bypass modes), it’s really a ‘get you going’ stepping stone before moving to a dedicated power amp.
Nothing wrong with using this method but a dedicated power amp is going to be the better long term option. It’s designed specifically for this function without needing to compromise to accommodate pre facilities to make it an integrated amp.
Not sure about AV, but with hifi there are fashions and a current trend is so-called lifestyle, minimising boxes, where integrateds with no external power supply may be more poplular than separate pre-power amps, and all-in-ones mire popular still. But in terms of sound quality it is easier to maximise sound quality with separates. My expectation is that manufacturers will be influenced by trends - financially it may be bad to ignore them - but where truly committed to the highest-fi separates will continue for as long as people buy them.
As for your specific question about whether an integrated will make a good power amp, the answer has to be that it depends on the individual design, and if designed as well as a separate one, then there is no reason why not as good: If the preamp section is not used then the compromises of pre and power amp in one box are effectively removed. But you are then paying for a preamp that is not used!
Is the integrated amp better or worse than the amp in the AV processor? And if better, is it voiced close enough to match the centre?
Ultimately the feature is about convenience rather than ultimate quality. Many people aren’t keen on a fully separate AV system and want/need to merge the two. That’s really the crux of it.
I am not an expert on this, so excuse me if I have failed to understand the question or if this answer sounds dumb.
I have one room in which I have the stereo system and the TV/AV system. When I play a DVD on the AV system, that decodes the video and the separate channels of soundtrack. With my AV system, I have 5 channels of sound:- Front left, Centre, Front right, and then rear, left and right, and the AV system has amplification to drive all of them. BUT, it may be that I want to use the stereo speakers and its amplifier to drive the front left and right speaker, so, the AV system will be the pre-amp, necessary to maintain the relationship between the sounds coming out of the front with respect to everywhere else, and the preamplifier in the stereo simply gets by-passed by the incoming AV signals, and the only part of the stereo amplifier being used is the power amplifier. The centre, and the two rear speakers are still driven by the AV amplification.
With most AV systems, and mine is pretty old so I think I am correct in this statement, when you set up the AV system, they supply a little microphone, and a set-up process, and it puts out some tones, and adjusts the sound balance between each channel to compensate for the position of the speakers, and the room.
So, if you like to sound of your speakers being driven by the stereo power amplifier, that is what you use during set-up, with the by-pass of the stereo pre-amp, to get what you want: all five (or more) channels being synchronised and driven simultaneously, and controlled by the volume control in the AV receiver, but with the amplification for the main front left and right signals being driven by the (possibly posher) stereo amplifier.
There are some excellent integrated amps out there including the Naim SN3. Some folk do not want a multiple-box solution even if that means compromising on something.
An SN3 sounds great in the company of other suitable kit but there are others out there such as Hegel and one of my personal favourites is Sugden amps.
Whilst an integrated may not get you a no-compromise ultimate system they can sound really very good.