Worth it to buy cheap, but no audition integrated


Hi all, I have a pathetic system but I have begun upgrading. I just bought a pair of Axiom M22Ti's that are awesome, and next on the list is an integrated amp. I'm looking in the 550$ range and want your opinion. Is it worth it to buy used but higher quality material, then to actually go audition new products?
The reason I ask is that there are many amps that I have found to like online, but only from reviews, etc... Specifically there are some great deals on the roksan Kandy integrated that I'm seriously considering. Anyone heard this integrated run?

I also need a CD player, but am not sure how much to spend in that area, would 300-400 be enough?
thanks!
mrhdream
Audio refinement complete integrated and cdp would be a terrific combo in your range.
I have, way more often than not, auditioned high price stuff, and found it not to work as well in my system because it wasn't a good match. You can waste a lot of meney buying blind. I'm not saying you will, but if you wanted to spend a lot of money and not like the way it sounds, that is the best formula. There are a lot of components out there, and evan VERY expensive ones, that sound terrible in the wrong context, and a lot that you just won't like, because of your preferences, and a respected reviewers preferences are no better than yours.
One of the things that makes what we call "high end" just that, is component matching and synergy between components. It is almost a guarrentee that a less expensive component working its best will outperform an expensive component working at its worst. Also, I would like to add that evan though I find reviews helpful in choosing which components I think I would like, more often than not (way more) the component would sound different than what I thought, evan as I might find the particular review accurate after listening for myself.
The one exception I would make is if you had a particular component with which there was a particular, well known match, a pair or group of components that had a reputation for working well together, but this is far more rare than not.
I think you would get far better value looking and auditioning amplifiers that cost 500$ than to buy something used for 500$ that cost 1000$ new, especially amp/speaker combos. there are a lot of good recomendations on this post as far as good amps for the money, and which work better than others, but guys, what are your experiences auditioning or buying blind?
this is a tough decision. One point to add, since I am quite new at this, I really don't know what exactly I want, in fact I bet I would be happy with just about anything, so I guess buying used won't be such a big deal. I love the power of the Kandy, since IMO it offers versatility for future speaker upgrades.
Now, for the CD player, I really don't think I can hear much of a difference between CD players. I compared a sony s500 dvd, a Playstation 2, and my JVC's built in CD player, and really no matter how hard I tried they just sounded the same. Though the PS2 seemed a little more edgy and rough on the highs.
So what is a good, used price point to spend on a CD player? I've heard postive things on the Rega Planet 2000. I just want something to last for a long time until the DVD-A and SACD war is over (7-9 years?).
thanks
Onix A60 is $399 at av123.com.
Here is a review:
http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/rise34.htm
Should be livlier than NAD.
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