Helping a friend build a new system


A good family friend has recently retired and is looking to build a system for his home office. He used to own a nice sound system some 25 years ago but hasn't been actively pursuing the hobby. He was visiting my home a few weeks ago and I guess listening to my system must have inspired him to finally build a new one. He asked me to help set up a new system (new to him, he's willing to buy used). I asked him a bunch of questions to find out what he wants and how much he is willing to spend. His responses are summarized below:

1. Budget -- since he's retired he wants to keep the total system budget to around $7-8K (including cables)
2. Components Needed -- bookshelf speakers, integrated amp, cables. He already has a CD player which would do for now, but he might get into streaming later on. He owns a few hundred CDs.
3. Room size -- around 10x12 with 10 foot ceilings. Fully carpeted with some furniture.  
4. Music genres -- jazz, blues, vocals (he's a big fan of Frank Sinatra, Chet Baker, Billy Holiday, etc.), and R&B
5. Listening preferences -- he is looking for an 'intimate' and cozy experience and wants to try tube amps with high sensitivity bookshelf speakers. He mostly listens at a moderate volume and can be sensitive to high frequencies.

He also mentioned that he has some hearing loss since he's in his early 60s and suffers from a mild case of tinnitus. I'm not sure if this plays a role in the choice of components but I thought it's worth mentioning just in case.

I will really appreciate it if you guys can provide some pointers. Please remember that he is retired so $8k is absolutely the max he can do. System synergy is important. And, please no Tekton or class D recommendations. He really wants to try some affordable tube gear as a starting point.

128x128arafiq

Oftentimes small rooms can be problematic to tune for frequency modes and other anomalies. In this situation, Dirac Live room correction can be a game changer. A wonderful product that is both an integrated amplifier and a Dirac Live processor is the miniDSP SHD Power: https://deercreekaudio.com/products/minidsp-shd-power

You also can load your CD collection onto a laptop or NAS and access it directly with the SHD Power, or over your network using the included Volumio streamer. Deer Creek Audio is an authorized miniDSP Dirac Series dealer.



For the amp, try a Dyna 70. Still great little amps, simple uncomplicated design.  A refurbished, souped up one can be had for $1,500 or less and will hold their own against units costing multiple times more.
Now I see, “ no class D,” and he’s locked into tubes.  Bob Carver has the best bang for the buck in tube amps an
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