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Audiophile beginner with a question...

Hello!

I have begun my venture into audio with my purchase last week of B&W DM601 S2s. Right now, I am using a Marantz 2215b, and a Fisher CD player. (Which by the way, I will be getting rid of since it is old, and I am doing things little by little on a college budget.)To get to the point of things, here is my question:
What would you guys recommend for me in terms of a good starter CD player, and amp and pre-amp. This receiver is not cutting it, and the static is bad! By the way, the music I listen to is pretty much classic rock, and jazz.
Thank you very much!!!
hi_watt

Showing 2 responses by sugarbrie

sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
I would also go with an integrated amp on your budget. Much more bang for your buck. Good ones are made by NAD (C320, C340, etc.), Cambridge Audio (A3i or A500), and Rotel(970 or 971, etc.). These companies also make decent CD players. The Cambridge D500 or D500SE would be my first choice; or the older CD4SE and CD6 used.


At the next higher price point, a great integrated is the Audio Refinement Complete made by YBA. CD players include some of the other ones mentioned above (Arcam or the Planet).

sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
If you want a single box receiver, one of the few decently priced receivers still made for quality audio and not for Home Theater is the NAD C740 which combines the C340 integrated amp with the C440 FM/AM Tuner. The C740 lists new for $499. For decent used receivers, look for NAD, Onkyo Integra (TX65 or TX870), or a Rotel (RX950 or RX975).


Whatever you get if you need a separate FM tuner; for less then $100 you can get a used NAD or an Onkyo Integra Tuner (T4015, T4017, T4057, T4087, T4150, T4500, T4700, T407, and the newest T4711 will be more). The Integra line is Onkyo's best and they are a good deal used and were built to last. The older NAD's sound nice, but are less reliable. The displays tend to go dead for some reason.

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