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Small monitors for a dear aunt

i have a very kind aunt that loves classical music but is no longer satisfied with the cheap portable radio/cd she has now used for several years.
before i go on any further, mega buck gear need not apply for this situation. this will most likely be a combination bday/xmas present to her from several family members that do not share my taste in gear.
the system i have in mind for the woman that treated me like her own son would be

monitor speakers/stands (bookshelf size, nothing huge and pricey, placement may be issue so no rear ports)
an integrated amp (no huge tube beasts, prefer ss or hybrid)
a marantz cd600ose hand me down from me
an msb link iii d/a hand me down from me
kimber 4tc hand me down
hand me down ics from my assorted collection
gear can be new or used

i need some advice on matching monitor and amp so that an older non-audiophile woman can enjoy her free time and eventual retirement listening to mahler, wagner, rimsky-korsakov, brahms, and so on
her real interest and attention is captured by the soft and liquid moments within a composition, so accuracy/staging/imaging here would be priority
but i don't want sloppy reproduction of the ooommphh and pow in these compositions
roll-off is fine, but what does come through should be composed and firm, no bloat

budget i have in mind is about $700 to $800, though less would be nice and a stretch may be possible
the room is a guess at this point, i have not measured, but from memory i think we are talking about 8ft by 12ft
ideally i think a blue circle integrated with triangle titus monitors would be very nice, maybe im wrong, but it sounds nice in theory to me

please post your thoughts and suggestions so that i can begin my search, her bday is late november
fujindemon
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
Since she listens to classical, I cannot think of a better integrated for the money than the Blue Circle CS. Nice amp.

Maybe she would get a kick out of the Blue Circle Music Pumps and Music Purse !!
See them at: http://www.classicpumps.com/mpumps.htm

Not familiar with your speaker choice. The Epos M12 are very nice for around $700, or a used pair of the original B&W CDM-1 or maybe the CDM-1NT if you can't find the original (skip the CDM-1SE version).

Also get her a nice used vintage tuner for listening to classical on FM.

tacs
220 posts
 
If they still make them, the Castle Isis or Tay are absolutely wonderful sounding, with all the qualities you listed. They have a special sensitivity in the midrange, which gets tonality perfectly, and decent bass response, perhaps to 55Hz.
I have not heard the Titus but these are of course excellent as well I've read.
TomA Rocksan or Musical Fidelity amo are good, or NAD for less $$.
danheather
108 posts
 
The Blue Circle would be a GREAT choice. I've not heard the Titus, but if they're half as good as the hype, then you probably couldn't go wrong.

I would also recommend finding a pair of Spica TC-50s. It's a sealed enclosure, so no problem with bass bloat and NOTHING comes close for soundstage and imaging. One of the greatest experiences in my audiophile life was listening to Stravinsky's Firebird Suite played through TC-50s. Absolutely magical!!

Let us know what you end up with. Sounds like a fun project and a nice gift for a very special lady.

-Dan
rives
953 posts
 
I would recommend the Creek integrated and B&W 300s (they might be called 330 or something like that now). This is very inexpensive (even new) and nice sounding. A good match with the Marantz CD player.
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