Good integrated match for B&W CDM 1 NT

Thanks for taking your time to respond!

First, I'm uncertain as to what a line stage is, passive or active. Is my Onkyo active? How can I tell? Also, is this something listed in the specs by most equipment manufacturers? Is passive a better match for my speakers and what should I be looking for as a minimum power rating.

My budget is about $1000.

I have those same speakers - I found a sweet match in the Musical Fidelity A5 Integrated. Really nice synergy.

I paid a bit more than your budget, but I would imagine that you could find a deal on an A3 that would be in your price range.

I had those speakers at one time. Unfortunate situation as to why. Had them hooked up to a NAD C370 which I do still have. It was a great match. Replaced them with some inexpensive Tannoy Reveal Studio Monitors which are nice but cannot compare to the finesse of the B&W's. Maybe you can find a used C370 here. I think it will beat the Onkyo in terms of sound. Very powerful and lot's of inputs. No phono however.

Tntate,with $1000.00 to spend & your current speakers you can put together a VERY musically satisfying system.Forget about getting TOO fancy at this level(re:seperates or passive pre amps etc...).Get your self a decent 50-60wpc.integrated amplifier from NAD-Marantz or Cambridge Audio(don't spend more than $500.00).Next(here's where you're gonna get a little fancy),get a "Tube Buffer"(search the Audiogon archives for info).I HIGHLY recommend the little Chinese made Yaqin "CD-1" with the single tube that can be "rolled"with a 6922 tube.You can get 1 from Ebay & add a better tube for around $150.00.Get 2 pair of entry level Audioquest interconnects(Evergreen's)from "hcmaudio.com" for around $75.00.Spend whatever you have left on a pair of Bi-Wire speaker cables or a pair of cables (Audioquest GBC's)with matching "jumpers"for the Bi-Wire terminals on your speakers(HCM Audio should be able to hook you up with these as well).Eventually you will need decent stands for the speakers & lastly an upgrade to your source component but you will have a great sounding system.Good luck!

Tntate,

"First, I'm uncertain as to what a line stage is, passive or active. Is my Onkyo active? How can I tell? Also, is this something listed in the specs by most equipment manufacturers? Is passive a better match for my speakers and what should I be looking for as a minimum power rating. "

Sorry it took so long to respond. I didn't see your response until now. A line stage is a preamp. The reason people use the term line stage instead of preamp is because a line stage only accepts line level inputs . CD players, Radio, Cassette etc, are all examples of line level components. A turntable needs a special type of input on a preamp, and is not considered a line level source. Unless, of course, you get an external phono preamp. The output on a phono preamp does qualify as line level so you can plug that into your line stage.

Simply put: A line stage is a preamp that does not have a phono input. Back when everyone was listening to records, just about every preamp was considered "fully featured", and had a phono input. Now that records are optional, no one wants to pay for something they will not use.

I see your question about active and passive. When I have more time a little later I will post again.