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Recommendation for inexpensive integrated

I'm trying to help out a friend who is finally willing to put a toe into the audiophile world. He picked up a pair of NHT SB3s on sale at Audio Advisor on my recommendation. Now he needs a new integrated amp or receiver, but doesn't want to spend a bunch. I was thinking of the Cambridge Audio Azur 640, but I see that Sam Tellig gave it a mixed review in Stereophile. Do others like that amp? Any other recommendations in the $500 or below price category? (I own a Creek 5350SE myself, but that's too expensive for my friend.) Note that the NHTs are not very efficient so some wattage is needed.
Thanks a lot!
dbz
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,756 posts
 
I have the NAD C320BEE ($400 list) paired with the NHT SB2 and to my ears, it is a great combination ... very musical with an enjoyable sense of detail and I can listen to it for a long while at a time. The NAD plays much louder than its 50 wpc would normally lead you to believe. I posted a review of the NAD here in the Audiogon Reviews section that you may wish to reference.

FWIW, the Musical Hall MMF CD25 is a superb CD player to team up with the NAD & NHT. Absolutely magical.

Regards, Rich
cdc2
122 posts
 
For the money Cambridge Audio is a good value, but if you want an integrated that sounds more than twice as good and will really make your system come alive at the budget end of the spectrum, get a Jolida. I purchased a Jolida hybrid 1501 from Galen Audio www.gcaudio.com and Galen gave me a very reasonable price, should be close to your budget.
sufentanil's avatar
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sufentanil
782 posts
 
I second the Jolida hybrid ($350 NEW). You can also find one of my favorites, the Jolida 302b, in the $600's used if you're willing to up your limit slightly.

Michael
xiekitchen
821 posts
 
Rega Mira.. great integrated IMHO.
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