My current system would fit the bill: Conrad Johnson Premier 11a amplifier Conrad Johnson PV10L preamp Micromega Stage 2 CDplayer Totem Forrest speakers I'd suggest selecting a different CD player. The Micromega and its parts are no longer available. It also has a pretty bad reputation with respect to reliability (even though mine has been trouble free). You could easily improve over the preamp given your budget, but you probably can't do much better than the PV10 at that price leve.
