Front Ends

          Audiophiles stay up till 2am (or later!) posting about how You’re full of it! because you don’t agree with my point of view.

          What typically happens is the writer is obsessed to the point of tunnel vision over a particular product, usually a speaker, which has somehow become “his baby.” It is downright humorous that one poster after another espouses the virtue of this speaker or that in particular.

          They go on for pages about the physics of speakers and how this one will make your life more complete due to XYZ. They do this without having any idea of what kind of room you have, what kind of music you like, or what gear might be in front of the speaker! Further, the magic of this speaker is derived from parts you and I can buy from all kinds of do-it-yourself (DIY) warehouses.

          I’m not against a guy having fun with a home brew speaker project. If that’s what you’re into, go nuts! But if you’re after a musical experience that is special, this isn’t the road to follow. Fact is, there are real speaker companies (B&W/Paradigm/Magnepan) out there making better parts than these guys sell. Such parts are not available to you and me to work with. Then there is the issue of education and experience. B&W has 20 PHDs on staff. Sorry but, a couple of well meaning hobbyists working out of a garage or shop space doesn’t cut it.

          Quality in = Quality out. It’s undeniable. Of course you want to have good speakers and cables. But what this section is about is GETTING THE FRONT END RIGHT. Cuz if your front end isn’t outstanding, nothing after it will be either!

          With an infinite number of options available, I want to point out a few that are worth the trouble to build your system around. We are at a great time to start building (or improving) an audio system because we have affordable front ends that downright SMOKE what we had just a few years ago. While speakers keep improving, the stuff ahead of the speakers is equally or even more important!

Badging

          Here’s the reality folks. Almost everything sub $2k is sourced out of job houses that we have never heard of. We can’t even pronounce their names!

          What that means is, the amp that the snooty audio magazine just raved, is often built in a facility that makes cell phones and PDAs 99% of the time. Or… the place makes radar detectors on Monday, MP-3 players on Tuesday, camera circuit boards on Wed and “audiophile” equipment on Thursday. You get the drift…

          It is marketed as brand XYZ but is built by heaven knows who. TAS did a review (Issue 182, June/July 2008, p57) of a handful of such companies a couple summers back. It was illuminating to learn the extent these suppliers went to- to save money. Despite being contracted by company XYZ to supply a given product- cheating was rampant. Oft times the products landed in the US with cheaper and sometimes defective parts. TAS discovered that some suppliers flat out counterfeited parts- literally potting parts in sheep’s clothing to get them to pass!

          They found that the hand built product that went to the magazine for review- was NOT the production product that landed at your house! In production there were errors galore, sometimes accidentally on purpose! Then there was the issue of workmanship. Who cares about quality and who doesn’t- when you are paid by the piece?!

          With this in mind, we’re not going to recommend badged products. We’re recommending products that are built with pride by the people whose name is on them. This is the best way to get quality sound and products that will LAST.

$800 Combo

          Marantz PM-5004 Integrated Amp ($450, 40x2) & Marantz CD-5004 ($350)

          To say these two products were warmly welcomed in our store is a huge understatement! Up until these guys, the best sound we could provide for this price came from badged products that weren’t even close! In fact, the seller sourced the amp from one vendor and the CD player from another. The pilot lights didn’t even match. In Walter Brennan, “Dagnabit, can’t you do better than that?”

          PM-5004 provides 40 w/ch of solid audiophile quality. You have to more than double the price to beat it. It is built by Marantz in Marantz’s own factory! It has enough power to handle almost any speaker we sell south of $1500pr. It is ideal with speakers like the B&W 685 and Paradigm Monitor 7.

          CD-5004 is the best budget CD player going! If you’re running a DVD player now as a CD player, or cheapie brand X CD player, you owe it to yourself to run CD-5004 instead. You won’t believe how big a difference improving your source can make! CD-5004 has the fit and finish you can’t find until the Rotel RCD-06se ($600) or Rotel RCD-1520 for a grand.

          This combo is the best thing to happen to inexpensive hifi in many years!

$2000 Combo

          Rotel RA-1520 Integrated Amp ($1k, 60x2) & Rotel RCD-1520 ($1k)

          This Rotel combo is the first step above the Marantz package worth doing. The refinement at $2k is a nice notch above $800. But that’s what it takes to get “here.”

          RA-1520 has a refinement with top speakers like the B&W CMs and Paradigm Studios, that the little Marantz guy can’t quite hit. The definition is better and the highs get smoother. The sound is gutsier, but the main reason to move up is that sound starts and stops faster. Speed. Control.

          RCD-1520 is an even better value than its companion integrated. If this was made in North American with a more prestigious name plate, it could easily sell for double the price. RCD-1520 is a fantastic source that wins its price category easily. It has the best detail of its price class and a bottom end that is solid, not saggy.

$1800 Peach Tree iNova