Digging up an old thread. I figure, better to reply to one existing than create a new one. I have a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 9i speakers that are presently in my HT setup with some M&K surrounds. I am starting to seriously consider finishing out my HT in M&K and moving the Silver 9i's into a dedicated stereo setup. Is something like the 6500 going to be a good fit for my Monitor Audio 9i's? Would I be limiting myself in any way with a Mac integrated rather than a pre/amp setup? Or on the flip side, is a Mac integrated paired to my Monitors going to be silly? I think my MAs are really nice speakers, but I don't want to overdo it. If a Mac connected to them is like having a Ferrari engine in a stock '78 Rabbit (sure it would be more responsive than stock, but you could not take full advantage of that 4.3 V8) maybe I need to aim my sights lower. I personally doubt this, as I think they're pretty good speakers.
I figure, I can get into this integrated for probably less than comparable preamp/amp setups, but I could be wrong. What else should I look at? I have heard these speakers work *very* well with tubes, but my knowledge of tube systems is not great, and I really know nothing of where the price/performance of a tube exceeds its SS cousin. If I can get better sound out of a 2500 dollar tube pre/amp or integrated, it is certainly going to be investigated.
I don't know if this will help, but I mostly listen to CDs. At present I have no dedicated player, but I am looking at a modded Oppo or something from NAD. Am I providing a major weak link in this little chain so far? It should also be noted, I have a decent vinyl collection, but I have never had a phono stage. This would rectify that.
I figure, I can get into this integrated for probably less than comparable preamp/amp setups, but I could be wrong. What else should I look at? I have heard these speakers work *very* well with tubes, but my knowledge of tube systems is not great, and I really know nothing of where the price/performance of a tube exceeds its SS cousin. If I can get better sound out of a 2500 dollar tube pre/amp or integrated, it is certainly going to be investigated.
I don't know if this will help, but I mostly listen to CDs. At present I have no dedicated player, but I am looking at a modded Oppo or something from NAD. Am I providing a major weak link in this little chain so far? It should also be noted, I have a decent vinyl collection, but I have never had a phono stage. This would rectify that.