Greeting all. First time poster but loooong time lurker since the RR2150s debut. I'm replacing a Panasonic XR55 and I've been reading endless reviews on all sorts of integrateds, from Music Hall, Rotel, and Simaudio's Moon i-1 among others-- to the point of inducing vertigo. Plus, H/K's 3490 sounds like a decent buy but I can't imagine that it would stand up to an RR2150 long-term.

So, did anyone else have the same dilemma? To me, the tuner is a bonus, even if I only listen to FM occasionally, hence the desire for an integrated amp. Thing is, I see no reason to spend more on any piece (receiver or integrated) if the RR2150 does it all.

Been there, done that, even had the RR2150 for a spin, during my search, but decided to return it within the 30 days trial.
RR2150 is a very nice receiver at its price point. It is smooth, but lacks in detail and clarity, true, when compared with equipment costing more and doing less, feature-wise.
And I couldn't stand the bugs with the source selector and volume control, albeit other outlaws put up with them with a smile on their faces.
If you're after a feature-rich unit with decent sound quality, I'd say that the RR2150 is hard to beat at its price point.
If you're after sound quality alone, then you should, maybe, aim at a higher price point or look into the second hand market where $700 might bring you a better sounding integrated amp, but no tuner, phono stage or USB...

Many thanks for the reponse. The RR2150 gets great reviews for "guts" but I am looking for as much purity of sound as I can get for that price, and beyond; I figure under $1500. Tuner, phono stage and USB are not needed by me so a straight integrated might be the direction I should head then.

If I shake loose the last few pennies from my piggy bank, the Naim Nait 5i is the direction I'd head in at thins point.

Good luck with your search for purity. Is there a way you can audition it in your home? The amp does get some great reviews for its sound but what speakers will you use? Overall the ultimate end game for sound is with the electro-mechanical device which actually makes the sound. You need to be able to drive those devices to levels which the Naim might be overloaded.

If you intend to use your integrated in your home theater as well, paired with a surround processor, like 990, 970 or 997, and driving your mains for both movies and music, then "home theater pass through" might be an interesting feature to consider for your new acquisition.

A pass through for home theater does not have to be anything formal. Simply plug the left and right outputs of your HT preamp into any line or aux input of the integrated amp. You will have to mark a position on the volume control to return to for movies, which was used for HT calibration, but that's no big deal. This setup is essentially what I have in my own system; a HT preamp feeding a tubed preamp which accepts analog inputs from a CD player, open reel tape, turntable, tuner, the stereo outputs of my DAW, and the input from a patch bay.

I have one of these on the way, the initial reviews on these products have been stellar and the owner is great to deal with:
http://store.virtueaudio.com/product-p/vrtu-ia-ap21-pbf-1.htm

dvenardos, extrenmely interesting! After my experience with the XR55 I'm not eager to head down the road once again of traditional amps. This might be it for me! Thanks...

WestEgg,

No one can tell you what's good for you. Asking people and sharing experiences has it's limited place, but the only way to know what you like is to experience it for yourself.

Buy it and try it. Seeking perfection in audio is futile!! This doesn't mean settle for junk, but it also doesn't mean more money necessarily buy you better sound.

Personally, I am very happy with the 2150. It's a good balance of very satisfying sound, cost, and features I wanted ...... A&B speakers, bass/treble/balance, and silver color! It's nice to have something worth looking at...... I'm a child of the 70's when components were silver and elegant. Black has made it's way.... and it doesn't surprise me, as these are dark times in our world.

-cheers

Just ran acoss an excellent review on Enjoy the music.com based on the RR2150