Newbie

I would recommend either the Cambridge 540 V2 or a Rega Brio 3. I own both and either one would be an excellent choice to use w/your Paradigm's. The Cambridge has a remote and a headphone socket. No phono. (Add a Rega phono for $145.) The Rega has a very nice phono stage but no remote nor headphone jack. The list for the Cambridge is I believe $449 and the Rega's list just went up to $695. The Rega IMO is slightly more musical but the Cambridge is very, very good. As far as CDP's, if you decide on the Cambridge, perhaps you could make a "package deal" on a Cambridge CDP. (The remote would operate both units. Nice.) What type of spk. cables are you planning on using? How are they terminated? The spk. binding posts are quite different on the Cambridge and Rega. The Rega will accept my bare wire Kimber 8VS. Both accept banana plugs, but the Cambridge will not accept a spade. Something to consider. Regards, Bill.

Thanks for all the suggestions, it's greatly appreceated!!

I'm really tempted with the Rega Brio 3, I went to a dealership nearby and their retail price was 800$.

A friend of mine suggested the Jolida JD 1501A (645$) hybrid tube amp with an Oppo 980 CD/DVD player (180$), which would fit right in my budget.

A tube amp would sound great but then again, I haven't heard a lot about that hybrid one?
Any ideas??

Thanks

If I had to choose between the Jolida and the other Int. amps mentioned, I personally would not choose the Jolida. (I owned the 1301 and 1501) The built quality on the Cambridge is superior. The Rega is very well built as well. It sounds musical. The list is $695. Ask to audition one in your system. Bill

There are also "gently" used items sometimes for sale on this site!