Definitely looking for something new despite how great some vintage gear may be.
Seeing as it's not the 1970s, for me to hear them in person would require buying them myself, which isn't gonna happen. However, I figure its possible that someone on the forum might have tried one (or a similar earlier version ie 2150) and recently switched to another on the list...or perhaps has a friend with one and owns another him/herself. From that feedback, it seems like I can't really go wrong with Yamaha and that the Outlaw is a solid option as well. Onkyo and some others are also worth considering but probably not any better or different in SQ than what I had in mind already for these entry level products. No word yet about Cambridge except perhaps from those saying they're all the same.
@blindjim I hadn't considered a separate tuner, which might be a good idea. I have mostly been interested in speakers and integrated amps since its where I've started recently for my own setup as well as improvements to the SQ for my two HT setups...and even with that my experience has mostly been reading forums and reviews far more than listening to tons of gear. Frankly, I know nothing about separate tuners, but seems like a reasonable suggestion for an outside the box (pun intended) idea if she's amenable. I also had not considered the idea of using a multi-channel receiver to bi-amp the speakers and thus avoid having so many "wasted" channels. Obviously making sure her speakers are bi-amp capable would be critical.
Mostly, I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't be giving bad advice. If I suggest something she's happy with, hopefully I get to hear it. Down the road hopefully she recommends someone else asks, and I get to hear whatever we put together for that person too...only thing more fun than playing with new toys is doing it on someone else's dime and getting to share the fun. Thanks again for all the feedback.
Seeing as it's not the 1970s, for me to hear them in person would require buying them myself, which isn't gonna happen. However, I figure its possible that someone on the forum might have tried one (or a similar earlier version ie 2150) and recently switched to another on the list...or perhaps has a friend with one and owns another him/herself. From that feedback, it seems like I can't really go wrong with Yamaha and that the Outlaw is a solid option as well. Onkyo and some others are also worth considering but probably not any better or different in SQ than what I had in mind already for these entry level products. No word yet about Cambridge except perhaps from those saying they're all the same.
@blindjim I hadn't considered a separate tuner, which might be a good idea. I have mostly been interested in speakers and integrated amps since its where I've started recently for my own setup as well as improvements to the SQ for my two HT setups...and even with that my experience has mostly been reading forums and reviews far more than listening to tons of gear. Frankly, I know nothing about separate tuners, but seems like a reasonable suggestion for an outside the box (pun intended) idea if she's amenable. I also had not considered the idea of using a multi-channel receiver to bi-amp the speakers and thus avoid having so many "wasted" channels. Obviously making sure her speakers are bi-amp capable would be critical.
Mostly, I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't be giving bad advice. If I suggest something she's happy with, hopefully I get to hear it. Down the road hopefully she recommends someone else asks, and I get to hear whatever we put together for that person too...only thing more fun than playing with new toys is doing it on someone else's dime and getting to share the fun. Thanks again for all the feedback.