Offensive, I know, but I'm about to rave about a product to a point where it may seem that I'm suggesting it has no rivals. But such is hi-fi. Every once in a while a berserker rears its head, wreaking havoc in its market sector. But what is the YBA Integre's market sector?

Think about it. £999 integrated amplifiers aren't all that common, and for a very good reason: you can buy decent separate pre/power combinations for under £500. And there ain't an audiophile on the planet who'll tell you that an integrated amplifier is a wise choice when you can afford separates. At the very least, separates offer better upgrade capability. And they provide dedicated power supplies for pre and power amp duties.

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But the YBA is something else. First, it addresses a real need that many audiophiles choose to ignore regarding their less fortunate colleagues: the Integre is tiny, so music lovers short on space (or mains outlets) can add it to their shopping list. Not all of us have the space or even the inclination to house lots of boxes. The Integre is a 1U, 430mm-ish box the size of most high-end pre-amps. And yet it houses a superb 50W/channel stereo power amplifier as well as a pre-amp.

Secondly, it reeks of high-end touches. Those of you who have examined YBA products will know that the build quality is superb, the component selection of gourmet standard and the styling elegant in a way that only the French can achieve (when they're not being Citroenishly bizarre). So, for under a grand, YBA is offering you a ticket to heaven. And you need only one mains outlet.

As with most modern, intellisgently 'balanced' specialist products, the YBA is minimalist without being ridiculous. Its beautifully finished fascia contains but three knobs. To the left of centre is the record selector accommodating five sources (including phono) and an 'off' position. Next is the power-on LED. Then there's a second rotary control to select the five sources plus tape. Lastly is the volume control.

The on/off toggle is situated underneath the left hand corner of the panel, almost willing you to leave it on all the time. This isn't bad advice because the Integre takes a good half-hour from ice-cold to reach optimum operating conditions. At the back, it's all nicely finished with YBA's own proprietary socketry, the hardware well-spaced and solidly fitted. There's an extra pair of speaker terminals to facilitate bi-wiring.

Under the lid, yu can't help noticing the hefty 'double C' transformer for improved mains filtering and compression-free behaviour under adverse conditions; it's situated as far as possible from the main circuitry. The seeming surfeit of space is deliberate, by the way, as YBA's design philosophy includes strong feelings about the relative positioning of components and the breathing space allowed for each section. Still, the signal paths are short, with wiring kept to a minimum and with the components mounted to the double-thickness circuit board with special, high-silver-content solder.

The use of the words 'special' or 'proprietary' may start to sound boring, but YBA does manufacture an inordinate amount of the innards, or the company sources components unique to its own applications. Among the ground rules for YBA products, shared by the Integre, are star earthing, extensive use of non-magnetic materials, custom-made YBA metal film resistors and YBA polypropylene and copper capacitors, YBA's own OFHC long-crystal copper cabling for all internal wiring, the aforementioned special solder, custom-made transistors, 'triple' potentiometers and on and on. Which makes you wonder how the company can produce such a relatively inexpensive unit with minimal use of off-the-shelf (and therefore money-saving) ingredients.

Actually, it shouldn't be too surprising, as YBA's track record as a manufacturer is half-based on whole units and half-based on cables, components and accessories. In a sense, YBA-branded hardware acts as an advert for the company's sockets, wires, resistors and so on, while demonstrating the company's faith in its own products.

The Integre is a no-mystery product, requiring little in the way of tweakery. There is an optional 'MC Module' available for phono cartridges needing more gain than the standard 47k ohm input provides, but that aside, you can plug in and go. One unusual touch is that the Integre rests of three rather than four feet, so leaning on the top will tip the unit, but that and the underslung on/off switch are all that's there to remind you of its Gallic origins.