mgattone

Responses from mgattone

Looking to get into tubes?
I recently made the switch to tubes as well. It is a little bit more than you want to spend but if you can swing it - I have the Ming Da MC34AB. Lots of power, very VERY quiet. I'm driving a pair of Fritz's full-range single driver speakers, the o... 
Looking for amplifier kits.
Spud kit (a low-power, single-ended pentode): http://hawthorneaudio.com/spud_kit.htm 
Used/New Tube Integrated for $500.000
Before buying another, more powerful Chinese-made integrated amp, I had considered the SE34i ($449) from tec-on audio. I'm not familiar with the speakers that you've listed so I cannot say for sure that it will meet your needs as it is rated at 8 ... 
Need a good, general guide to turntable setup
Link 
Low-powered, class A, solid-state integrated amps
Sorry folks - the Alternate Audio CA35 is not an integrated (it requires a preamp). At 50 wpc, I'm not sure if it qualifies as "low-powered" but Music Hall makes a class-a integrated amp called the Mambo. Here is a link for more information. 
Low-powered, class A, solid-state integrated amps
Sorry, all - the Alternate Audio CA-35 that I mentioned in an earlier post is not an integrated amp (it requires a separate preamp, which they also manufacture). At 50 wpc I'm not sure if it qualifies as "low-powered", but Music Hall makes a class... 
Low-powered, class A, solid-state integrated amps
Have no experience with it myself, but there is the Alternate Audio CA35.Here is the manufacturer's homepage.Here is the link to the Audio Musings review. 
OPPO USB info
If you don't already have the Oppo, then another option might be a network media receiver. Netgear makes two that support USB disk drives and can decode (on the audio front) MP3, WAV, FLAC, WMA, and (non-DRM) AAC files. It seems that you can enjoy... 
Looking for a new CD player.
I am happy with the Pioneer PD-D6-J player I bought after reading a review in a recent Playback magazine. It plays SACDs in addition to regular CDs (no HDCD though). I think it retails for $499 but you can find it online for less. 
The disappearing $500 turntable
Just my $0.02 - I am very happy with the Audio Technica PL120 that I bought for $300 from NeedleDoctor.com.