bullet-proof, great sounding Intrateds - used

a table radio with a cd player......i assume a vacation would allow for casual listening.

Jungson JA 88C. You could try and find a dealer/distributor closing them out-it appears Jungson has taken the 88C upmarket with a few more watts (120 vs. the 80 of the 88C) and a much higher price, or look for a used unit. Used ones are rare, but they do occasionally hit the market in the $350-$400 range. I've had mine for over a year now. A very, very high quality 29 pound integrated with remote and only 3 inputs, one of which is balanced, so you may require a pair of XLR to RCA adapters as well (I use those on my satellite receiver-the other single ended inputs I use for my CD/DVD player and my analog front end).

My previous integrated was an Audiolab 8000A and the Jungson is miles ahead of that in both sound and build quality. General concensus is that it is more comparable with integrateds in the $1500 range-if you check Audioasylum you see favorable comparisons with things like Creek 5350SE, Classe, Plinius, Bryston, Sim, etc.

thanks for the add'l thoughts . . . very helpful direction for my search.

Viridian, sadly I had no money on Bluegrass Cat. On the other hand, I keep a separate and well funded budget for drugs, sex, and gambling, so I think I'll be ok!

A new Denon Mini system sounds great for the money.
Even has a subwoofer output.

I'll make one other suggestion as to something to watch for on the used market. When I was once in the market for a small integrated, I auditioned the brands mentioned above: Arcam, NAD and Rotel. I also listened to a 50 watt Creek. To my ears, the Creek was much better than the others of comparable wattage. It was much more solid in bass. This may have been due to the fact that the Creek had good size caps and a higher current capacity than the others, so I might not be comparing apples to apples. But it was at the same price point so it seemed the better buy. I used it with small Linn speakers and it was a nice refined combo. I don't know what it would be like with Paradigms. I didn't mention the Creek as a possibility in my first post because I thought it would be beyond the price point wou're looking at. But I have seen some small used Creeks in the $300-$400 price range. Actually, I sold mine for $325.

thanks guys, I realize at this price level I can't expect much, but was hoping there might be an integrated that stands above the rest - though maybe a little aged.

I have a Sony STR-DA555es receiver I could use, but am wondering if there's a integrated with less feature, better sound. I've had NAD and Rotel gear and prefer Rotel. I also have my eye on Arcam - is it likely an Arcam will best Rotel? How about the Rega Brio or Mira integrated seem to be available used near this price range.

Let me know if any of these stand out, or should be avoided. Any others I should look into?

thanks again . . .

So I guess tubes are out :-)

I would pretty much concur with Viridian, although I'm not too sure you would have enough money left over for drugs, sex and gambling all together. You would probably have to leave one out.

At your price point, you could get a receiver or integrated from the mass market brand you prefer, even a new one with a warranty. If the drop in quality from your main rig is too much to bear, you could probably get a good deal on a used Arcam, NAD or Rotel. I think the Rotel is a little better built than the NAD. I would maybe lean towards the Rotel brand, but they all sound a little bit different. It's your own taste.