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Help a newbie on an entry two-channel system

Greetings! This is my first post and I very much appreciate any suggestions you can offer for assembling an entry level system for a budget of $2,000 - $2,500.

I listen exclusively to classical music (i.e. from J.S. Bach's cello suites to Scriabin's piano sonatas). Genres include piano, violin, chamber, and orchestral works, in that order of preference. I do not touch opera.

My music collection is mostly CD's, SACD's and DVD-A's, including quite a bit of mono/historical and/or live performances. Tape hiss and other backgroud noise do not bother me that much. I hope with this system I may have a chance to enjoy better reproduction of tone colors of piano/violin solo, and modest sound stage reproduction of chamber/orchestra works.

I currently have a 10-year old stereo system consisting of a Denon single disk CD player, a Denon receiver (40 wpc) and a pair of RA Labs bookself speakers (roughly $600 retail). I also listen to music on my desktop PC using a Sennheiser PX200 headset.

I intend to set up this systme in a room of about 14ft by 10ft, with an 8.5 ft ceiling and carpeted floor, and without much clutter.

I am thinking of three major components (all used of course): a. a single disc stereo CD player (forget about SACD source for the time being), b. a solid state integrated amplifier, and c. a pair of monitors on stands.

What do you say?
etalon0

Showing 2 responses by tobias

tobias
1,534 posts
 
Another two cents:

If you are set on a SS amp the Qinpu 1.0 integrated sounds remarkably good for its under-$700 price tag. That leaves lots left over for the best source you can afford--the Music Hall/Shanlings are my favourites, with the best (the Shanling CD-T80) being very nice indeed. Just those two components would represent a revolution in your system. I would continue listening with the old speakers while I looked for new ones, and cables.

Good luck and have fun!
tobias
1,534 posts
 
I agree strongly with what Gmood says about the source. If the high mids and the highs of your digital system hurt your ears, the first place to look for peace is the source. It makes more sense musically, in my experience, to spend a lot on the source and a little downstream than the other way 'round. Get an amp and speakers that don't do too much damage to a good signal, not an amp and speakers that reproduce a sad one faithfully.

That said, judicious (and inexpensive) tweaking--an isolation transformer, antivibration feet and chassis damping, for example--can help a source that is almost good enough.
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