Hi all,

I currently have a Cambridge Audio D500SE CD player, a Marantz SR4120 stereo
receiver and a pair of JM Lab Chrous 706 bookshelfs.

I recently moved from Austin to San Francisco, and consequently my listening
room has shrunk somewhat. Perhaps it is the change in the room acoustics,
but I have sort of got weary of the sound and find myself switching off the
system after a fairly short span.

I think I would like to start upgrading my components one at a time. Number
one on my list is to replace the stereo receiver with an intergrated amp
(since I never use the tuner section) or perhaps a power/pre-amp combo.
However, I don't need a monster of a power amp, since my speakers are not
too demanding and I am a little wary of overdriving them.

I was wondering if you guys could give me some recommendations for either an
integrated unit, or a pre/power combo. Ideally I would not like to spend
more than $450-$500 on either option and I am completely open to buying.

Thanks,
Anuj

Correction to the last line - "I am completely open to buying used
equipment."

"Schizoid Man" wrote in message news:...
Hi all,

I currently have a Cambridge Audio D500SE CD player, a Marantz SR4120
stereo
receiver and a pair of JM Lab Chrous 706 bookshelfs.

I recently moved from Austin to San Francisco, and consequently my
listening
room has shrunk somewhat. Perhaps it is the change in the room acoustics,
but I have sort of got weary of the sound and find myself switching off
the
system after a fairly short span.

I think I would like to start upgrading my components one at a time.
Number
one on my list is to replace the stereo receiver with an intergrated amp
(since I never use the tuner section) or perhaps a power/pre-amp combo.
However, I don't need a monster of a power amp, since my speakers are not
too demanding and I am a little wary of overdriving them.

I was wondering if you guys could give me some recommendations for either
an
integrated unit, or a pre/power combo. Ideally I would not like to spend
more than $450-$500 on either option and I am completely open to buying.

Thanks,
Anuj

Schizoid Man wrote:
Hi all,

I currently have a Cambridge Audio D500SE CD player, a Marantz SR4120
stereo
receiver and a pair of JM Lab Chrous 706 bookshelfs.

I recently moved from Austin to San Francisco, and consequently my
listening
room has shrunk somewhat. Perhaps it is the change in the room
acoustics,
but I have sort of got weary of the sound and find myself switching
off the
system after a fairly short span.

I think I would like to start upgrading my components one at a time.
Number
one on my list is to replace the stereo receiver with an intergrated
amp
(since I never use the tuner section) or perhaps a power/pre-amp
combo.
However, I don't need a monster of a power amp, since my speakers are
not
too demanding and I am a little wary of overdriving them.

snip

I'm no expert, but if you have grown tired of the sound of your current
system, I would think that changing speakers would make the most sense.
Replacing the other components first would probably result in a very
minor, and probably imperceptible change in the sound. I'd change
speakers first, if you're looking for a different sound.

Jeff

I recommend sticking with your plan here and replacing only the
receiver with an integrated amplifier. You can get a small integrated
vacuum ytube amp for your budget. Jolida makes about the most
affordable little tube amps and they sound very nice. They even have a
small hybrid that is only $350 new. It only has about 20wpc, but
sounds very sweet. You can listen to that system all night. The CD
player is actually quite sweet. The speakers can be, but need a really
good or rather warm amp to sound best as they are very revealing. The
combination of this warm little amp and those revealing speakers will
reward you with very good sound.
-Bill
www.uptownaudio.com
Roanoke VA
(540) 343-1250

"Schizoid Man" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I currently have a Cambridge Audio D500SE CD player, a Marantz
SR4120 stereo
receiver and a pair of JM Lab Chrous 706 bookshelfs.

I recently moved from Austin to San Francisco, and consequently my
listening
room has shrunk somewhat. Perhaps it is the change in the room
acoustics,
but I have sort of got weary of the sound and find myself switching
off the
system after a fairly short span.

I think I would like to start upgrading my components one at a time.
Number
one on my list is to replace the stereo receiver with an intergrated
amp
(since I never use the tuner section) or perhaps a power/pre-amp
combo.
However, I don't need a monster of a power amp, since my speakers
are not
too demanding and I am a little wary of overdriving them.

I was wondering if you guys could give me some recommendations for
either an
integrated unit, or a pre/power combo. Ideally I would not like to
spend
more than $450-$500 on either option and I am completely open to
buying.

Thanks,
Anuj

I've got the agree with Mike and Jeff here. The first thing you should
be thinking about is chaning the location of the speakers, you'd be
surprised what a difference it can make. If moving them isn't giving
you the desired result, think about replacing the speakers before
anything else. The debates will never die, but the truth of the matter
is that the human ear isn't sensitive enough to notice the usually
*very* tiny differences between amps and processors or between varying
CD players. The speakers, however, make a MASSIVE difference. Think
about exactly what it is you aren't liking about the system. Is it to
bright or to dull? Is there to much mid or not enough? Etc...Once you
can idnetify what it is you feel is lacking, you can probably find a
speaker that will suitably correct the problem. I wanted a realitively
inexpensive speaker for my bedroom and bought a pair of $1,200 Klipsch.
They're not even Klipsch's top of the loine speaker, and in many ways
won't compare to Klipsch's own Reference line, let alone something like
a Dynaudio or other high-end tower. But they're perfect for the room
they're in with perfectly deifned highs and strong mid and low end
performance without being overwhelming. Not much money into a set of
speakers can still get you a very enjoyable sound.

Schizoid Man wrote:
I currently have a Cambridge Audio D500SE CD player, a Marantz SR4120 stereo
receiver and a pair of JM Lab Chrous 706 bookshelfs.

The JMlab Chorus 706 Loudspeakers are reviewed he
http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/jmlab_chorus706.htm

and measured he
http://www.soundstagemagazine.com/me...lab_chorus706/

They seem to be good speakers, but lack a bit of low bass (which is
normal, considering their sizes), so adding a subwoofer is probably
the best upgrade.

Most subwoofers can be connected between the amplifier and the speakers,
so you don't need any extra gear to use it.

I recently moved from Austin to San Francisco, and consequently my listening
room has shrunk somewhat. Perhaps it is the change in the room acoustics,
but I have sort of got weary of the sound and find myself switching off the
system after a fairly short span.

You might want to try different speakers. I would suggest something from
B&W, Wharfedale, Kef, Infinity...

I think I would like to start upgrading my components one at a time.

Next step could be an universal player (DVD-Audio, SACD). For instance
the Pioneer DV-578A, which costs less than $150 on-line.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pn...222663,00.html

Or, when/if available in the USA, the Yamaha DVD-S657:

http://yamaha-hifi.de/products.php?lang=e&idprod=1225

Number one on my list is to replace the stereo receiver

You could buy a multichannel receiver like the Yamaha RX-V757:
http://www.yamaha-online.de/products...=e&idprod=1223

Ideally I would not like to spend more than $450-$500 on either option

The Yamaha RX-V757 is sold on-line at that price range.

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