want great sound, but don't have a lot of $

[Rob Babcock]

I would also recommend this. I am using this as the amplification in my dedicated stereo and it's a great piece, killer deal if you can find it for $250! I moved up from an inexpensive stereo receiver for this and while I lost some features there are a lot of things I like about it.

Yes, a wonderful peice. Defeatable soft clipping, defeatable bass & treble and pream outs, as well as a remote that will control other NAD products. According to the designer it was created with the goal of delivering 80-90% of the performance you'd get by spending multiples more. I think it sounds nice and has lots of "slam"- the rate it at only 50 Wpc but that rating is very conservative, as has been borne out by several reviews. At the current used price it's a no-brainer if all you want is great 2CH stereo sound.

Just for kicks I've been wanting to hook it up to my Monitor Audio GR20s to see what it can do with better speakers.

BTW- a belated welcome to AH, Kashawn!

 

[emorphien]

Agreed, it's quite potent. It is very happy to drive my not entirely efficient (86db) 4 ohm speakers all day at considerable volume should I want to go deaf.

The Cambridge Azur 540A is in the same price ballpark and if you can find it used might be a good option as well. To be honest the NAD seems a bit "ballsier" to me in terms of power and sounded more dynamic to me. It seems to have more headroom to give you more "slam" when the music demands it. The looks are subjective, I won't call the NADs a good example of modern design but they're clean and minimalist and thankfully don't have blinding blue LEDs on them.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Yeah, I like the minimalist design/look. Very utilitarian. There's a place for flashy (eg the Onix SP3 or my Butler TDB-3150...love the blue tube glow! ) but the NAD is pure form following function.

Never listened to any Cambridge products. But I've heard nothing but good about them.

 

[davidtwotrees]

The only real knock on the SP3 is the lack of a remote.

I would never own a system with out a remote for the volume control!
True audio purists used to scoff at this......until you let them listen to their music with a remote in their hand.

As to used gear, my rig is all used except my amp and prepro and my server.
And at the beginning it was all used. This site just reviewed an Epson projector. The lead began, "almost anyone can afford this!" So I clicked on it and it is $2999, plus all the accessories???? That's not affordable in my house.
Some think it takes a leap of faith to buy gear without a warranty, and I suppose it does. But I have yet to have a problem. Most here seem anti Ebay. Agon certainly has better stuff....but the sheer volume on ebay allows me to get heavy items for local pickup. My TV weighs a ton and could never be shipped reasonably. Paid $400 for it. Same with my Mordaunt Short Fronts and center. $600 and I heard them at the fellows home before buying.

If the kid is reading this, I would go Ebay. My bedroom has a used Denon 1801 off Ebay for $125 delivered. Push yourself to spend as much as possible for your speaks. We hear it over and over on here- Speakers are 85%?of your sound quality. Watch ebay for local listings on Speakers. Be careful and use common sense. Buy from people with lots of feedback. When you go to pick up the speaks, ask for a listen. Check them out. $800 will buy you a lot of used speaker locally. Good luck and welcome to the best hobby I have found since Golf!

 

[highfihoney]

Yeah, I like the minimalist design/look. Very utilitarian. There's a place for flashy (eg the Onix SP3 or my Butler TDB-3150...love the blue tube glow! )

Hey Rob,how do you like your butler ?,i have some butler car amps that are awesome.The Tube Driver Blue stuff is fantastic.

 

[mazersteven]

Originally Posted by mazersteven
Who does this clown think he is?

So thats whom i am . Gonna flame my *** anymore .

Flame you??? Your the one that stated "This amp mightbe over alot ppls. heads here on this forum".

There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on this forum. And to make a statement like that was uncalled for.

 

[highfihoney]

Well here we go again with the tube vs solid state debate,i'll not get caught up in that one again

What i will say though,as a tube gear owner/user for many years that tubes are not for everybody,there are a few drawbacks for some people,biasing tubes is important & should be checked regularly for best performance & to guard against premature burn out,biasing is not hard but to some its scary stuff,replacing tubes can be a drag for some people also,quality amplifier tubes are not cheap but on the other hand quality preamp tubes are a dime a dozen & last for thousands of hours playing time.

The benifits of tubes are up to the individual,i wont go into discussing how they sound or how tube amps clip differently from SS amps but i will say there is nothing,NOTHING like listening to a kick a$$ looking tube amp with 8 kt-88 tubes the size of sausages glowin with the lights turned down low

 

[majorloser]

Just Take Your Time!!!!!!!!

Tube amps are nice and have a "sound" all their own. I may someday have a nice tube setup in the future for stereo listening.

But for the most part, I wouldn't suggest a beginner to start off with tube equipment. I would suggest a QUALITY pair of bookshelf speakers (or towers) and a decent receiver. Neither item will go to waste as your system expands. I just think a beginner should make the choices as they move forward through this hobby which way they should go. Do a little reading and most of all......................TAKE YOUR BUTT OUT AND AUDITION STUFF!!!
This is a great hobby to meet people and listen to their equipment. Most of us are more than eager to voice our opinions on one thing or another. And more importantly, we like to get others into our addiction.....I mean hobby

If I may recommend for a couple of speaker deal:

Canton Ergo 200, 202 or 300 Bookshelves
http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-bin/item/CANTERGO200CHY
http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-bin/item/CANTERGO202BCH
http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-bin/item/CANTERGO300BCH

or Karat bookshelves
http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-bin/item/CANTKARATM10BCH

How about AV123's Rocket RS 250 MkII's
http://www.av123.com/products_product.php?section=speakers&product=2.1

or the new Onix X series x-mtm towers
http://www.av123.com/products_product.php?section=speakers&product=105.1\

Read some of these suggestions to help you along:
http://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/

PICK YOUR SPEAKERS FIRST!!!!!!!!
Everything else is all for the speakers.

EDIT: And YES, everything is over my head here

 

[Rob Babcock]

I would never own a system with out a remote for the volume control!
True audio purists used to scoff at this......until you let them listen to their music with a remote in their hand.

Yeah, part of why I sold my Onix was the lack of remote. You really get used to being able to adjust the volume at least. When I find another one I'll use it to replace my NAD in the PC rig- no need for remote with the amp 2 feet away.

As to used gear, my rig is all used except my amp and prepro and my server.
And at the beginning it was all used. This site just reviewed an Epson projector. The lead began, "almost anyone can afford this!" So I clicked on it and it is $2999, plus all the accessories???? That's not affordable in my house.

I agree that $3k isn't exactly a PJ for the masses. AH Staff must really rake in the bucks!

Some think it takes a leap of faith to buy gear without a warranty, and I suppose it does. But I have yet to have a problem. Most here seem anti Ebay. Agon certainly has better stuff....but the sheer volume on ebay allows me to get heavy items for local pickup. My TV weighs a ton and could never be shipped reasonably. Paid $400 for it. Same with my Mordaunt Short Fronts and center. $600 and I heard them at the fellows home before buying.

If the kid is reading this, I would go Ebay. My bedroom has a used Denon 1801 off Ebay for $125 delivered. Push yourself to spend as much as possible for your speaks. We hear it over and over on here- Speakers are 85%?of your sound quality. Watch ebay for local listings on Speakers. Be careful and use common sense. Buy from people with lots of feedback. When you go to pick up the speaks, ask for a listen. Check them out. $800 will buy you a lot of used speaker locally. Good luck and welcome to the best hobby I have found since Golf!

I'm not really anti-Ebay, per se. I've bought and sold a lot of gear there, and while I was probably simply lucky I've not had any problems. However I do think just due to its sheer size eBay has more flakes and bad apples than Agon. My philosophy on ebay & Agon is the same: go with my gut on inexpensive items and trust in the feedback for more expensive ones. Obviously that's not perfect, but so far I've never had a bad experience when dealing with someone with excellent feedback.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Hey Rob,how do you like your butler ?,i have some butler car amps that are awesome.The Tube Driver Blue stuff is fantastic.

Well, I'd better be careful what I say about it in case Mtrycrafts is around. I think it sounds wonderful! Eventually I'd like go get a TDB-2250, too.

 

[majorloser]

I would never own a system with out a remote for the volume control!
True audio purists used to scoff at this......until you let them listen to their music with a remote in their hand.

These are the same guy who can now use their walking canes to reach the volume knobs

 

[Davemcc]

Hi all. I'm a recent grad that just moved into his first tiny brooklyn apt and I would like to purchase the best possible stereo system for a room that's 10 ft by 17ft. For the most past I enjoyed the Bose acoustic wave, but found its bass lacking and did not like it's performance with rock. Oh I should mention that I would like to spend less than $1000. All I can afford right now.

There are three Era dealers near you.
http://www.signalpathint.com/index.php?option=com_locator

Try and listen to the Design 4 which retail about $500. I don't want to flog these too hard, but they are very nice and are worth taking the time to listen to, but seem to get no lovin'. Run these with any decent receiver and DVD player and you will have a sweet little stereo system. If you get a multi-channel AV receiver and you can add more components over time, like the center, surrounds and a sub.

Regarding another earlier post, I have the Hsu Ventriloquist and I am not recommending them at this time, especially for use in stereo.

 

[artspasm]

Try GLOW tube amp

I would consider the GLOW AUDIO Amp One. It is a tube amp with a USB input, you can use it as a regular stereo or with your computer or ipod. It sounds fantastic. I've heard it and IMHO it may be the best amp under $500 you're gonna find, and it looks cool. There is a pretty good review at 6Moons.com. It should be perfect for your small room.

 

[gus6464]

Here is a used pair of Totem Model 1's for less than $700. Pair it with a $300 NAD integrated and you will be in heaven.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1217824669

No new speaker at that price can touch those speakers.

 

[Pyrrho]

Hi all. I'm a recent grad that just moved into his first tiny brooklyn apt and I would like to purchase the best possible stereo system for a room that's 10 ft by 17ft. For the most past I enjoyed the Bose acoustic wave, but found its bass lacking and did not like it's performance with rock. Oh I should mention that I would like to spend less than $1000. All I can afford right now.

At that price point, I would probably consider Magnepan MMG:

http://www.magnepan.com/model_MMG

I see that they have raised the price again, and they are now $599/pair. You may or not be satisfied with their bass output, however. As they are 4 ohms, one would need appropriate amplification:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=248-749

A preamp:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=302-606

Add your favorite budget CD player, and inexpensive speaker wire and interconnects, and you have a rather good approximately $1000 system.

If you are willing to buy used, and are not in a hurry, I would consider a good vintage receiver (e.g., Pioneer SX-1250, etc.) in place of the amplifier and preamp, and Aurum Cantus Leisure 2SE speakers (preferably U.S. version, but at your price level, I might settle for the international/"generic" version):

http://www.kellsieavdesign.com/products/Leisure2SE.htm

Sometimes they go for surprisingly little on eBay, though occasionally someone misrepresents the version they are selling; here you can see how to tell them apart:

http://www.kellsieavdesign.com/products/US_vs_CH.htm

If there is ANY red Chinese lettering on the back plate, it is NOT a U.S. version. It should mention Kellsie Audio & Video design on the back plate if it is a U.S. version.

Whatever you do, make sure you focus on getting quality speakers first, as they will impact the sound more than anything else (unless the something else is defective).

I also recommend staying away from tubes (and yes, I have owned tubes, and still have something that uses tubes). If you are interested in tubes, you should do a lot of research on the tubes vs. solid state debate BEFORE YOU BUY, making sure you read things written by both tube lovers and tube haters.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

My system consists of a Cambridge Audio 340C CD player, 340A integrated amp, and Alesis Monitor One speakers. I absolutely love it, and there is a real chance it is the last I will ever buy (which is saying a lot coming from a guy who has changed systems as often as I have.) Total cost was just under $900, not including cables and stands. (I also love the sound with Cambridges's own S30 speakers, at around the same price, except for deep bass which the Alesis' do much better.)

 

[Midcow2]

Look at this $1000 system I proposed for another Audioholic user

Hi all. I'm a recent grad that just moved into his first tiny brooklyn apt and I would like to purchase the best possible stereo system for a room that's 10 ft by 17ft. For the most past I enjoyed the Bose acoustic wave, but found its bass lacking and did not like it's performance with rock. Oh I should mention that I would like to spend less than $1000. All I can afford right now.

Look at this $1000 system I proposed for another Audioholic user

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?p=422488#post422488

However, You will have to add a DVD system if you don't already have one, sorry.

Good luck

 

[abefroeman]

The OP is probably long gone and we are recommending $1000 2-channel setups to each other. That said, I’ll throw in my 2 cents. I think a beginner or anyone with just one setup in their place should keep as many options open as possible. Their intended use of the gear is constantly changing and may end up going in a number of different directions such as full blown HT or vinyl only or TV/music only. You never really know what you’re going to be into once you start down this path, so you don't want to close any doors. You’re best bet with one system is a pair of good bookshelfs, a 5.1 receiver and a universal DVD player. From there, you can get a good sub.

If it were me, I would get an OPPO DVD player, a Yamaha 659 on closeout somewhere, and Paradigm Studio 20s. You would have some change left over to put towards a sub like an SVS PB10NSD. That would be a killer system that could do almost everything well and could grow in any direction you wanted.