Other than a Bose, is there another decent CD System ?

[Doctor Jeff]

I used to be a pseudo-audiophile. I inherited a killer set with Watkins speakers and an Eagle 7A amp, but it didn't really fit with the small rooms in my house, so I traded it for guitar equipment.

My favorite system of all time was Harmon Kardon HK 340 amp, Infinity speakers, JVC DD turntable with B&O cartridge. That system kicked butt.

Just my .02--I like Bose stuff. Our keyboardist just got a Bose PA system that is absolutely killer for live performance. (I know nothing about PA, just know it sounds awesome.) I used to have 301 speakers and think they work well for a small space. You can quibble about this or that spec, but with my high-level hearing loss I'm not sure I would appreciate the differences anyway. I would be extremely tempted to get a vintage (refurbished) amp like my old HK 340, the most awesome piece of stereo design from the 70's in my opinion and hook those speakers up to it.

As far as CD players go, I haven't bought one in years--had a Sony multiCD player that got the job done. I will defer to others in this regard.

Take what I say with a grain of salt since these days I listen to virtually all of my music streaming, 70% in the car (BMW sound system), 25% through Sony headphones, and 5% through my TV's Bose sound system.

[Doctor Jeff]

And BTW what's with the pointy things on the wood floors?? I would NEVER EVER treat wood floors that way, regardless of how much I loved my speakers.

[2bornot2bop]

I am finding a lot of my musician friends are using powered monitors these days, that are available from music store audio departments. I think they offer a good alternative to traditional stereo systems at a reasonable price. You might be able pick up a pair of these, and the rest of your needs for the cost of the Bose system. They also have balanced inputs that would be important for compatibility with any audio interface that you would buy at a music store audio department.

e.g. KRK Rokit 5 | Sweetwater.com

I use KRK Rokit 8's as a digital keyboard speaker

FWIW, 'pro' audio gear like Danley Sound Lab speakers or similar can be truly excellent (but you don't get the exotic wood veneer telling you that you've spent too much money). But they are not necessarily pretty. I am less enamoured of pro audio amplification. Too much attention paid to efficiency and not enough to linearity.

A 'cheap' way to get really nice-sounding good amplification/speakers might be 'pro' audio speakers with pentode-wired tube amps.

For powered speakers, I like ATCs, but haven't found anyone else who does it as well.

ATC is still the gold standard for powered speakers. Even used today they're still cost prohibitive. The Dynaudio BM15A is an affordable alternative in a legitimate "audiophile" quality self powered speaker. Generally found used in the $1500-$1800 a pair range...but because studios love them they're a very tough find used.

And BTW what's with the pointy things on the wood floors?? I would NEVER EVER treat wood floors that way, regardless of how much I loved my speakers.

That speaker placement is simply for a photo shot. The end speaker placement has a flat disc that the spike sets into, so the spike never makes contact with the floor. But for carpeted floors speaker spikes make a noticeable difference in tightening low frequencies. Besides, rooms that accommodate a true audiophile setup are 'man caves' and thus don't have to be compromised with the "waf" (wife approval) factor.

Regarding solid state amplification, I cut my audio teeth on Class A amplification. Krell, Levinson, Plinius, Pass Labs...Class A space heaters...but man we're talking great sound.

If I'm needing to drive a pair of Maggies, a simple used Sunfire amp will suffice. $900 used...200 watts 8ohms, 400 watts 4ohms, and will double down to a 1ohm load. It's not Class A amplication, but a huge improvement over any receiver.

The thing too about the great buys on all those Class A amps from the 90's, like Threshold, Krell, Levinson etc, is that they're beyond their time to have resistor and capacitor replacement...a hefty price tag to keep those amps running. Who remembers the Jeff Rowland 8Ti's...talk about amplification!

[m_d]

I've gone "full digital" but if I were to get a new CD player I would get probably the pro-quality one Tascam offers for about $200. I still buy CDs when cheaper than an equivalent hi-res download but the only CD reader they see now is my computer's. Use FLAC or equivalent/higher, MP3 is crap, I guess you know that already. I just checked the Audiogone site and the first thing that popped at me was a $1500 cable... how ridiculous can it get. The best deal in a computer-based system for no-compromise quality to my knowledge would be the HRT Stage Product ; not exactly pretty, but some pro reviews say it compares favorably with a $5000+ "audiophile" system.