I should elaborate a bit on the Bel Canto c5i. This unit packs a lot of modern technology into a great sounding very compact unit smaller than a shoebox and can be had for very modest cost, similar to Rega.
I had a great listening session with mine yesterday and was honestly quite floored. Truly lovely, brings tears to your eyes stuff. Mine drives a pair of 8” Ohm Walsh speakers in a fairly large open area, a family room that opens up to kitchen and the entire first floor of the house. This is a dynamite combo that does it all and can compete in the big leagues against most any competition. C5i is 60 watts into 8 ohms but goes plenty loud and clear with room filling bass with the 8” Ohm Walsh speakers (on Auralex Subdude isolation pads). Includes both analog line and phono inputs as well as a slew of digital. It is a true digital amp with trickle down technology from the BC top of the line integrated that costs as much as a nice new car. All inputs are converted to digital and processed digitally internally. Sound is smooth as butter and very detailed with 20’ wall to wall dimensional soundstage despite speakers only about 6’ apart. That’s an Ohm Walsh thing. Out of this world amp and combo for not much money. Highly recommended. Waiting for BC to come out with a new comparable model just to see what else new might be done. I’ve used various speakers with the c5i. It never sounds bad or fatiguing unlike others I have used there in the past.
I had a great listening session with mine yesterday and was honestly quite floored. Truly lovely, brings tears to your eyes stuff. Mine drives a pair of 8” Ohm Walsh speakers in a fairly large open area, a family room that opens up to kitchen and the entire first floor of the house. This is a dynamite combo that does it all and can compete in the big leagues against most any competition. C5i is 60 watts into 8 ohms but goes plenty loud and clear with room filling bass with the 8” Ohm Walsh speakers (on Auralex Subdude isolation pads). Includes both analog line and phono inputs as well as a slew of digital. It is a true digital amp with trickle down technology from the BC top of the line integrated that costs as much as a nice new car. All inputs are converted to digital and processed digitally internally. Sound is smooth as butter and very detailed with 20’ wall to wall dimensional soundstage despite speakers only about 6’ apart. That’s an Ohm Walsh thing. Out of this world amp and combo for not much money. Highly recommended. Waiting for BC to come out with a new comparable model just to see what else new might be done. I’ve used various speakers with the c5i. It never sounds bad or fatiguing unlike others I have used there in the past.