Definately go with a Sonographe SA-250, Stereophile class B amp. Can be had for around $550 used and sounds spectacular! Match it with relatively inexpensive Conrad Johnson preamp. Can't go wrong matching Conrad Johnson products, as they offer tremendous synergy together.
Help me put a system together for under $1k.
I am trying to come up with a system for around $1k for my son's room. He is of the age where music is really starting to interest him and he loves to discover different types of music. My goals are to put together a system that would sound on the warm side with none of the cheap stereo nasties like sizzling highs and muddy bass. Thin sounding system would be a turn off as well. I would rather sacrifice the bottom and top end response for a better balanced, relaxed and musical system that would play any kind of music and be enjoyable for hours on end of listening. Due to the budget restraint, it would have to be an integrated with bookshelf speakers. CD player and possibly an inexpensive turntable would be nice too as an alternative to using Ipod for playback. I have been eyeballing the Epos ELS3 and Cambridge Azur 640A, am I on the right track so far? Your input would be appreciated!