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which - adcom, cambridge audio, outlaw, rotel

Hi. So, I'm in the odd position of having only speakers, having just sold my Marantz SR7000 A/V receiver two weeks after buying it off of CL because it didn't sound very good for rock and hip hop, but was great for jazz, pop, and classical. The plain vanilla JVC DVD player also went. The speakers are Paradigm Studio 20s on stands also from CL.

This is a two-channel music only system in my medium sized living room. Only sources will be CD and flac player (maybe through outboard DAC). i don't listen to radio.

I like clarity but not cold sound, and occasionally rock the house with hip hop or rock, mostly it is lighter stuff at low to moderate volumes.

Now, I've ordered a Cambridge Audio Azur 340A (only $200 from audio advisor), and am involved in auctions/trades for the following:

ADCOM GTP-400 preamp & ADCOM GFA-535 amp for $200 (both)
Pioneer Elite PD-M53 CD player (trade)
Rotel RCC-955 CD player (auction)
Cambridge Audio Azur 640C v2 (auction)
Outlaw Audio 1050 receiver (auction)

Based on the speakers and my listening habits, which should I pursue? Is there any new equipment that would put all of this in the shade at a total price of say $600 for integrated amp or amp/pre-amp and CD player.

I can afford considerably more, but cannot at this point justify small fortunes to listen to music. I am terminally cheap! :) See if you can convince me to spend more if there's a good price/quality balance involved.

Thanks.
vivaslb
vivaslb OP
34 posts
 
Listened to Suzanne Vega, Sarah Vaughn, and Madredeus today, and the Cambridge Audio is looking like a keeper so far. The defective Onkyo went to the UPS store today.

Now, I need a CD player that is twice the height of the slim consumer DVD/CD players. Any ideas? I know height isn't the best reason to choose a component, but we have a certain aesthetic goal in terms of filling the space, and I'd want one also about the same size as the Cambridge Audio. Not allowed to recommend Cambridge Audio, too obvious.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
I don't know if it's too slim for your aesthetic sensibilities, but I nominate the Oppo DV-980H and a Cambridge Audio V-DAC.
vivaslb OP
34 posts
 
Thanks Johnnyb53 for sticking with this adventure. For aesthetic reasons, chose the Onix CD-5 from av123. It has the size I was looking for, and is hefty enough to support the Cambridge Audio Azur 340A on top of it. It also seems to be well regarded. Looking forward to testing it. Of possible interest, is the JVC-XVN650 DVD player that I've been using as a source has been having occasional skips and breaks with some CDs that are pretty new. Looking forward to getting the Onix and hooking it up. I was pretty pleased that Mark, the guy I spoke to, and owner/founder of av123 and Audio Alchemy was complimentary about the Paradigm Studio 20 speakers I have. I'm pretty mid fi but good to see that my random lucky buy off of Craigslist is well regarded. My ears did not fail me. Hard for a long-time Klipsch fan to admit it, but the Paradigm Studio 20's are a lot better. I'd say better than the B&W 685 I auditioned at a hifi store.
vivaslb OP
34 posts
 
So, 6 months down the line, and I'm not really digging the Cambridge Audio for brash alternative rock (REM's latest album Accelerate, for example). I ordered a 15w/channel Sansui AU-101 from ebay just for fun and because I think it looks cool, and now have opportunities to get the Cambridge Audio 640 used for $265 or the Onkyo A-9555 (also used) for $360. Johnnyb53, I know you're all over the Onkyo, so wanted to check if that was still the case?
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