Denon D-M41.  My brother has three of them.  They come with decent speakers.  He uses small Elacs on one — amazing for $.

Else, I’d look at Naim Atom.

Nick

NickSeattle posted:

Denon D-M41.  My brother has three of them.  They come with decent speakers.  He uses small Elacs on one — amazing for $.

Else, I’d look at Naim Atom.

Nick

 

Hmm interesting...the Atom is perfect, but WAY too expensive.  I found an old Nait 3R that I'm considering since it has phono, but would still need a DAC and speakers.  I'm going to read up on the Denon

How about something like the NAD D 3020 V2. A decent little amp with a built in DAC and phono stage. Add some speakers from Q acoustics and you've got a fine little system for not a lot of money. 

SNAIC, is there a need for switchable voltage?  If not, how about looking at a secondhand Unitiqute?  It's got a very capable DAC on board (24/96 on the first examples, 24/192 on later ones) with optical as well as coaxial inputs, and it performs like Naim.  As for speakers, there are loads of really great small standmounts from the last couple of decades that perform brilliantly and cost peanuts. Not so long ago, I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of a pair of KEF Coda 7SEs that cost £30 the pair.  Admittedly they were on decent stands, but you get my point.  Nice looking and well made too...

Richard Dane posted:

SNAIC, is there a need for switchable voltage?  If not, how about looking at a secondhand Unitiqute?  It's got a very capable DAC on board (24/96 on the first examples, 24/192 on later ones) with optical as well as coaxial inputs, and it performs like Naim.  As for speakers, there are loads of really great small standmounts from the last couple of decades that perform brilliantly and cost peanuts. Not so long ago, I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of a pair of KEF Coda 7SEs that cost £30 the pair.  Admittedly they were on decent stands, but you get my point.  Nice looking and well made too...

I thought of the qute too, if I can find one.  Used Naim stuff is quite rare in the states for the newer stuff.  I see several pre/power combos for sale, but literally nothing new.  My system is Naim and I'd like to get him Naim but of course its pricier than most.

If you can't find a Unitiqute, some of the Nait integrated amps can be found for reasonable prices, at least in the UK, especially the 3 and 5. Maybe add a Chord Mojo, which is a portable DAC with optical, coax and USB inputs. It also makes a great portable headphone amp.

Rega P1+ is a turntable with built in phono stage. There are others too.

Another vote for Qute if funds allow or Denon DM41 if not.

Richard is right about recent small bookshelf speakers: about 15 - 20 years ago there was an absolute revolution in the sound quality of these small inexpensive speakers; the likes of Wharfedale, Elac, Q Acoustics, KEF etc, produce a number of excellent little boxes.  I'm not in touch with which of the American manufacturers have kept pace with developments here.

In another house, we are using a DM40 (£150 s/h) with Wharfedale Diamond 9.1s (£50 s/h) on Atacama Nexus 5 stands (£35 s/h) and Audioquest speaker cable (previously owned by me), and it sounds way better than it ever should for the price.

So I'm pretty impatient and this kid is a submariner (not an easy thing), who just got his dolphins and came off WESTPAC deployment...moved up several ranks about as fast as humanly possible.  Newly married and I'm so proud of this boy.  He's gonna like what ever I get since he has *NOTHING* and lives in  a crappy apartment. 

So I went with this setup:

NAD Electronics NAD - D 3020 v2

Klipsch RP-160M

I probably would have gone with the D-M41 but its out of stock everywhere I looked until late August.

I really wanted to pull the trigger, and the price is very reasonable for new gear, and I know he'll like it and I bet it will sound good compared to...the speaker coming out of his TV.

SITG

He'll be delighted, it'll make the TV speaker sound like rattling a cloth bag full of nails!

And that leaves a Uniti Atom as something to which he can aspire, as an upgrade in due course! 

Wow, this forum's odd...  It's a Naim forum but you got almost as many recommendations of other brands as for Naim!

(Because those recommendations were appropriate on grounds of cost, as even entry level Naim stuff is still quite pricey!)

*grin*

Odd indeed...I know you and you've been around here for years...so have I and I know everyone here isn't just a Naim fanboy and will give honest feedback.   These forums are real and people give good advice.  

It's obvious my price range (and haste) probably didn't support Naim for my son's system...but I have a full Naim system I built based on forum recommendations down to the speaker wire--I built a an end-to-end Naim system to hear what one really sounds like, not a Frankenstein mix of different components with a few Naim pieces mixed in.  I'll raise from the dead those old Hugo fanatic discussions from a couple years ago!

I've been so happy with my system I haven't changed it for 2 years now.  NAIT XS with HiCap, and Stageline N, RP6 Exact, Credo and NACA5...it still sounds as sweet as a nightingale.

He's just starting out so maybe I'll give him my Naim system and upgrade when/if he delivers some grandkids.

SITG

I'm familiar with the amp and speakers, your son will be pleased with your selections. Good picks imho.

???? SNAIC in the Grass,...Oops,..it was "quick snatch" ????.You started the thread 10 hours ago,and have already decided.

Hope he will be satisfied......

/Peder ????

Peder posted:

???? SNAIC in the Grass,...Oops,..it was "quick snatch" ????.You started the thread 10 hours ago,and have already decided.

Hope he will be satisfied......

/Peder ????

Even though I only had the thread for 10 hours, remember Amazon takes two full days to ship so you must add this to the time!

Haven't you heard hi-fi does this people?   I had been hemming and hawing for a week or so, and was ready to strike once I got a few suggestions, price checked, and read some reviews.

SITG

SNAIC in the Grass posted:

Peder posted:

???? SNAIC in the Grass,...Oops,..it was "quick snatch" ????.You started the thread 10 hours ago,and have already decided.

Hope he will be satisfied......

/Peder ????

Even though I only had the thread for 10 hours, remember Amazon takes two full days to ship so you must add this to the time!

Haven't you heard hi-fi does this people?   I had been hemming and hawing for a week or so, and was ready to strike once I got a few suggestions, price checked, and read some reviews.

SITG

????????????

/Peder???? 

How cheap? How compact?  A tivoli radio is my go to for small rooms and clear sound.  They can be connected to external sources via headphone output or rca, the newer ones via bluetooth.   I have a cd player and a turntable hooked up to one in a bedroom.  Not much punch but loud enough to fill a room.  And somehow they sound very good.

Another vote for UQ. A cheap alternative among others could be a Teac CR-H700. A great mini integrated with a very very good CDP section. ????

Chag -