Best duo ?

[Cabshiraz]

Good morning everyone,

Here's a little trivia for you. I want to buy for my bedroom the best duo Integrated Amp and CD player.

I will ONLY listen to CD music. I do not need a tuner or anything else. They will play on Boston Acoustics CR85 speakers.

My budget is around $ 1500 CAD (About $1200 USD).

It's for my bedroom. I need something as musical as possible. I am waiting for your suggestions.

Thanks for your time

CabShiraz

 

[Nick250]

IMO you are way over budget for driving small inexpensive bookshelf speakers. Any $100 USD CD/DVD player from Sony, Denon, Yamaha, Panasonic etc Pioneer will suffice. Here is one example:

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?sHist=12-53&menu=true&Page=-1&id=31700

Add a $250 receiver like this Onkyo:

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?sHist=12-125,4-2008$3592&menu=true&id=3587

And you are good to go. I don't think spending more on a more expensive receiver/integrated amp or CD/DVD player will yield better sound. To improve sound a speaker upgrade would be in order before spending any more money on electronics.

Nick

 

[jcPanny]

CD, Amp, Speaker combo

If you are considering a speaker upgrade, you can get a killer tube integrated amp and Onix Refrence 1 speakers for $1200 from av123.com. The regular price on the speakers is $1200 and $1000 for the amp. For a couple hundred more, add their high end CD transport.
I have the Refrence 1 bookshelf speakers (without the tub amp) and would recommend them.

 

[Cabshiraz]

IMO you are way over budget for driving small inexpensive bookshelf speakers.

I did not think CR85 were considered inexpensive bookshelf speakers. They are the biggest bookshelf built by Boston.

However, you may be right. I was looking at the Cambridge duo receiver & CD player, or NAD.

I may have to consider buying floorstanding speakers then....

Cabshiraz

 

[Duffman-OOHYEAH]

Go for the xcd99 paired with the a120/60 from www.av123.com or if you dig tubes, try work a little negotiating magic on Sean or John for the sp3 so you can still maintain your budget. Great guys, great service, great equipment.


JR

 

[Josuah]

I took a quick look at Boston Acoustic's web site and the CR85 bookshelf speakers are $200/pr? They may be the largest and highest performing Boston Acoustic bookshelf speakers, but that doesn't mean they're as high quality as what would might want if you're going to spend $1200 to $1500 on your source and amp.

In other words, the speaker-to-gear ratio seems a little out of whack. At $200/pr, it is unlikely that those speakers can deliver performance that would let you fully appreciate spending $1200 on your gear.

 

[Cabshiraz]

Best duo

Hi Josuah,

The CR85 are $400 for the pair. Boston show the prices per speaker. (Ask me why !!!)

In any case. I will start with them and then next year will go with floorstanding spakers...

Cabshiraz

 

[Nick250]

Hi Josuah,

The CR85 are $400 for the pair. Boston show the prices per speaker. (Ask me why !!!)

In any case. I will start with them and then next year will go with floorstanding spakers...

Cabshiraz

CR85 $229 a pair at OneCall

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?sHist=12-110&menu=true&Sort=lowBrand&Page=5&id=32125

 

[Cabshiraz]

Best duo

OK, ther on clearance... Boston don't produce them anymore...


But you are not helping me here.... I will use the Boston for a year or two only....

Now can we get back to the essence of the thread please.... This is getting nowhere...

Cabshiraz

 

[Nick250]

You have gotten great advice and your questions have been answered here on Audioholics. It just seems you don't like what you have heard. No need to be snippy. Let me say this clearly. The receiver and CD player have practically nothing to do with the sound. It almost all speaker choice, room acoustics and room treatments. If you want to hear from folks who don't know this and make uninformed expensive recommendations on amps/prepros/integratedAmps go to the AVS amps forum linked below. They would just love to hear from you.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=90

 

[Cabshiraz]

Best duo

Dear Nick250,

I think you got it all wrong, or I did not express myself clearly enough. I agree that the bookshelf will not follow; however, I will replace them later on. If I change the speakers now (May 2006) with what will I run them ?

My idea was to take the CR85 which I use as rear speakers on my HT, buy a combo CD & Integrated amp and have something immediately in my bedroom.

Later on (hopefully bt XMas) I could buy a pair of decent speakers to go along with what I bought earlier.

However, you gave me another idea. I could just buy the CD player for now and also buy a headphone amplifier.... This way I could leave the bookshelf right where they are and have decent music immediately....

What's your idea on that ?

Cabshiraz

 

[AVRat]

Cab,
You sound like a person who knows where he’s going, and is willing to take a different route to get there. I put my first system together in a similar fashion 25 years ago. I started with source w/headphones, then added pre/eq, amp, and speakers as money allowed. It may take a while to get there, but eventually you reach your destination.

 

[Nick250]

The headphone plan seems like a reasonable alternative if the HP amp is not too pricey. If not, I still suggest you reconsider the equipment (or something similar) I suggested in post #2 of this thread.

However, as we all know, the bottom line is what gives you the most pleasure and and only you can a price on that.