The simple integrated amplifier seems to have gone away, but there's an opportunity here.

Power range of 100-125 watts/channel. Make both a stereo-only version, or a multi-channel version. NO RADIO. NO PHONO INPUTS. NO TAPE IN/OUT. Include an equalizer, maybe parametric but should have at least 5-7 bands to be really effective. Many in my baby-boomer generation are not hearing certain frequencies the way we used to. Would be nice to have some adjustability in order to compensate for that.

Also include stereo/mono switch, left/right channel swap. Lots of inputs for CD, DVD, FM tuner, external processors.

Full video switching might be good (HDMI/DVI/Component) up to 1080p.

These days, standard am/fm is being supplanted by digital satellite, 98% of folks no longer even know what a turntable is and even fewer can tell you what "tape" means.

And please make the labeling a bit larger and actually readable. This is a real failing of the audio/video industry. Just how small do the little knob/button labels have to be in order to completely be irrelevant?

Thanks! Do this, and I'm a customer.

That would be an interesting set of features. I think functionally, it bridges the gap between about three components that I have not seen rolled into one chassis before: An EQ, a purist-oriented audio preamp, and a pre-pro/video switching device.

It seems the Brits are keyed into the integrated market a bit more than Americans are. I believe Cambridge Audio, Exposure and Naim make quality integrateds, but they tend to be in the range of 50-60WPC, as the Brits are also more on board with high efficiency speakers.

With regard to the stereo/mono and left/right switches, they are something I just don't see anymore. My Conrad Johnson PV-8 had both of those swtiches, and even as far back as the 80s, they sort of stood out in terms of including the left/right function.

Lastly, the on-board EQ is going to be the sticky wicket. Nearly all of the audio enthusiast-oriented preamps eschew EQs and try to keep the signal path as unadulterated as possible. Depending upon the scope of the equalizer, that could really jack the price up (I'm thinking EQ done right, such as Meridian or Cello Audio Palette).

Anyway, I think the product you envision would be very cool, but I wonder if it would be priced outside the realm of your average Outlaw customer???

It is an interesting feature set, but I suspect the market for it is prohibitively small for anybody to pursue development. Once you include HD video switching, you enter the realm of home theater. Most people who have multiple HD sources and separate speakers are going to pursue at least some basic surround system, which is probably why we don't see stereo integrated amps with any sort of video switching. And once you go to multichannel, you introduce so much digital processing that we find ourselves far removed from the domain of the classic integrated amp.

I see your point here. My desired solution is more than what is considered the classic integrated amp. But why put a number of how many channels an integrated amp can have? Yes, it's in the realm of home theatre, but I think it would be a consumer-friendly product, function wise.

What I'm really after is a complete amplication solution that doesn't have the radio/phono/tape circuits which I consider unnecessary or redundant. Instead of spending money on those functions, throw that into the video switching. This would represent a unitary solution in one chassis, with one remote control. Maybe the best way to explain what I'm after is a Denon-quality A/V unit without the receiver. I'm sure Outlaw could make such a unit of equal quality and features. And I just gotta have the equalizer. Yep, you're right in saying it's going to make cost an issue (and the quality of most equalizers isn't good), but I really think it would be a unique and useful addition. Only Outlaw would have it! That's the secret of successful marketing; a unique selling proposition.

Thanks to all for your views!

You are so right. Just don't see these types of functions on new equipment. I know that EQ isn't "cool" in the purist community, but I used to have a SAE parametric equalizer that really sounded transparent during operation. It was relatively expensive back in the day, but it worked well. Obviously, the top-end solutions that you mention are cost-prohibitive for most.

Actually, I looked into the NAIM SUPERNAIT unit recently. The US distributor is only a few miles from me here in Illinois. It certainly fills the bill in terms of getting the purist-level one-chassis amplication handled. It will be $4500 or so when available in the US. Surely, Outlaw could come up with something that has the features I mention for something less, say somewhere in the $2000-$2500 range? Or under that, we hope?

Regards, SB

You could build a multichannel integrated amp, but if we're staying purist here we're talking about something with no DSP and no DAC's - so each input has to be a multichannel analog connection, and each source has to offer multichannel analog outputs. There was a device that offered multiple multichannel analog inputs and I think even had a volume control for at least one or two of those inputs - it was the Sony TA-E9000ES, and was developed as an add-on to the TA-P9000ES so that it could be used with multichannel SACD. You'd still need separate amplification and Sony discontinued it probably four years ago or more.



The possibly unfortunate truth is that it is only cost effective to build products that either fit defined market sectors (surround receiver, surround processor, stereo receiver, stereo integrated amp, ...) or are completely outside any such definitions (Outlaw's discontinued ICBM-1) because if you try to create something that is related to a standard product niche while also being off on a tangent (especially an expensive tangent) you end up with too small a target market to make any profit. The only way that anybody (including Outlaw) could pull a product like this off would be to have an existing platform with all of these features plus the normal features that the market expects (tuner, analog inputs, and so forth) and then make a version that stripped the extra stuff out - and it'd still be a hard sell.