Products of Diminishing Returns
(updated 01.02.2008)
If we wish to remain (or become!) your trusted AV advisors we need to be able to
help you through the thick woods of AV gear. Anybody can open a business, throw a few
products on display and call themselves AV “experts.” This section of our site
will have sage advice- revealing products that offer conspicuously good value for the $.
Speakers
$300pr: Paradigm Atom
The Paradigm Atom is a wonderful value. It is small. It
sounds big. The Atom is the real deal. If you’re an audiophile with some big time
gear, the Atom will please you in a small, affordable speaker. Whether it’s for a
secondary room or recommendation for a friend, the Atom will not let you down!
The Atom has just been improved! For only a few bucks more
you now get a one inch Titanium tweeter and improved 5 ½” woofer. The best speaker
value out there just took a nice step up!
$440pr: Paradigm Mini Monitor
While the Atom above is an outstanding value, consider the
new Mini Monitor! The Mini is a little larger cabinet and uses a 6 ½” woofer. The
increase in bass is more than a little noticeable! If you’re going to use a sub
anyway, there isn’t as much need for a Mini over the Atom. But if you’re running
without a sub, it’s worth the extra $140.
$480pr: B&W 686
The 686 is the first noticeable step up from the Mini. The
686 uses a 5 1/2” Kevlar woof and 1” Aluminum Nautilus tweeter. The sound is
definitely on the British side- softer on top and without as much punch on the bottom.
$650pr: B&W 685
The 685 is one of the best values out there! It uses a 6
1/2” Kevlar woof and slightly larger cabinet thant 686. It sounds much bigger- but
not just in the bass. The midrange is large and full. The image it presents is spacious
and impressive. 685 sounds best on stands. When you stuff a speaker back in a cabinet it
resonates and delivers a boxier sound than it will when placed on its own stand. 685 has
plenty of bass for most folks, but when you add a sub for home theater in particular…
it’s awfully tough to beat. It’s a refined speaker with muscle at a great price!
$760pr: Paradigm Monitor 7, New!
The new Monitor 7 is blowing our customers away! Here we
have a truly diminutive, attractive tower that doesn’t sound like a flimsy lifestyle
speaker. These boys have some real fullness and warmth- and are only three feet tall and 6
½” wide. Since they’re available in black, cherry or rosenut, no longer do you
have to get some cheesy, tin, skinny tower that sounds wimpy! The 7s look and sound
beautiful- at a very fair price.
The
7 uses two 5 ½” woofs and the new MICP mid. SPL is 94dB!!
$1000pr: Paradigm Monitor 9, New!
The 9 is a 7 in a bigger cabinet with 6 ½” drivers
instead of 5 1/2s. If you’re running without a sub, the 9s are worth considering for
their stronger bass. If you are running a sub, most people will be delighted with a 7 and
not have to move up- unless of course you want even more SPL capability! SPL is 96dB!!
T
$1000pr: Paradigm Studio 20, New!
The old Studio 20 was warmly received but a bit thicker
than I would have liked. The new Studio 20 with the fancy GPAL tweet is a significant step
up. This 20 has much better articulation and my prediction is… it will be considered
the “reference mini” under a grand. It has real bass, not British mini bass. The
new 20 is a welcome addition!
$1100pr: B&W 684
The 684 is a brand new B&W 3 way, replacing the
famously successful 603. It is the first B&W speaker to use a Kevlar WOOFER.
Keep in mind what virtually everyone else is selling you
for a grand a pair is a pile of plastic speakers in a wimpy box. 684 uses a 1” thick
MDF cabinet, the new, 1” Alum Nautilus tweet, 6 ½” Kevlar mid and 6 ½”
Kevlar woof. This is not some generic thumper. As
a matter of fact, 684 is a speaker that really lends itself to substantial electronics-
even though it is 90dB efficient. Specifically, Rotel’s RB-1072 amp makes the 684
jump up and dance!
$1500pr: B&W 683
The 683 is also a brand new B&W offering. It use
B&W’s patented FST surroundless midrange driver, along with two 6 ½”
aluminum woofs and new 1” alum tweet.
The 683 has more weight in the bass than 684, but the real
reason to buy it is the detail of the FST mid- B&W’s least expensive tower to
incorporate this design. The detail, imaging and depth are remarkable for the price!
$1650pr: B&W 705
705 is the first “open air” tweeter mini. With
that comes imaging and space you don’t get below $1650pr. In 685 and other small
speakers, they’re good. They’re pleasant. They are a good deal. But in terms of
hearing the nuances of the music, 705 takes you to a new level- largely because of the non
parallel walls and open air tweeter. You’ll find 705 to be an ideal choice for
fiddling with various electronics- unlocking the colors of what you run into them.
$2400pr: B&W 704
The 704 is wonderful! It is a stunningly attractive tower
that she’ll like. Yet it has the sonics he’ll like. The 704 is the first tower
in the line to have an open air tweeter. The advantage is the size and spaciousness of the
image. This is a speaker that will reward you for all the audiophile putzing. Whether you’re
messing with fancy cables, connectors, spikes, port plugs- the 704 is revealing enough for
you to hear it all.
$2700pr: Paradigm S-100, New!
The Paradigm S-100 is a speaker that puts Paradigm at a
different level. The S-100 sounds big and powerful. With the SPAL mids and GPAL tweet, and
three ” MLP woofs, S-100 has the barbells to please those who demand big time muscle
with their music.
$2800pr: B&W 805s
805s represents the ultimate refinement of a reasonably
small speaker. Suppose you have a smallish room where you want great sound. Your wife has
banished you to the Den or Office. She doesn’t want you to mess up her living room,
but she’s fine with whatever you want to do in “your room.” Think 805s or
maybe 705. These are not teeny tiny speakers, but they’re small enough to work with.
If you want them to sound their best you put them on their
stands. The 805’s stands are beautifully stylish and run $600pr. The 705 stands are
almost as beautiful and run $350 per pair. If you have to put the speakers on shelves
because …. that’s the way it’s gotta be. OK. But, they’ll sound better
on their stands. Use some nice Kimber Kable with WBT bananas and some fine electronics in
front of them. The 805 has a distinctly warmer, rounder sound than the 705. It doesn’t
have the barbells on the floor of its bigger brothers, but it IS equal in all the music
from about 60Hz on up.
$3300pr: B&W 703
The 703 is the best true audiophile value out there! It is
the least expensive model in B&W’s line to use their renowned surroundless FST
midrange driver. It has two of the 6 ½” woofs and the wonderful open air tweet of
705 & 704.
The FST mid brings speed and clarity to the party that you
just can’t get south of $3k pr. When you hear female vocals in particular, the
speaker sounds open and uncluttered. It is also delightfully efficient. We have sold many
with Rotel RA-1062 and RCD-1072 at $700 ea. Great combo!
$6000pr: B&W 803s
This is B&W’s top speaker short of the diamond
series. It sounds big, robust, effortless, open… WOW!
$9000pr: B&W 803D
The 803D is the least expensive Diamond Tweet in the line.
Make no mistake, you’ve gone into the upper reaches with 803D. The feathery detail
and air around 803D is astonishing. The FST mid is legendary. Three new Rohacell woofs
round out the muscle. Can you beat 803D?
$14,000pr: B&W 802D
Well, 802D is my favorite speaker EVER. It is beautifully
blended- top to bottom better than anything I’ve ever heard. The FST mid in the
Marlan midrange head provides detail like nothing else available. The open air Diamond
tweet is truly innovative- the performance proves this is no hype- just the real deal. You
can buy speakers bigger than 802D, but there are none BETTER.
Being a piano and female singer lover- let me address the
midrange specifically. The piano is a percussive instrument. My favorite piano recordings
are NOT the new ones where they stuff a dozen mics under the hood and then diddle around
with the mixing in the studio. Some of the best piano sound out there is from masters in
the 60s/70s on DG. There is a percussive action you hear in these recordings that sounds
more like listening to a real piano. When the mics are too close you get a big, somewhat
blurred sound. 802D reveals these differences better than anything I’ve ever heard!
Fortunately there ARE modern recordings that sound great too!
OK, if you’re still reading maybe you’re
interested in all this. Buy Krystian Zimerman’s recording of Chopin’s Ballades
and some other goodies. DG 423-092-1. (We sell it.) The sound is marvelous. It features
great playing of works you’ll be happy to own, and the fidelity is very true to
listening to a real piano. My contention is listening to this music on 802D is as close as
you can get to being live.
Powered
Subwoofers
$399: Paradigm PDR-10
PDR-10 uses a 10” stamped frame woof and 100w hybrid
amp. To hear sound this solid for $399 is quite impressive. A nice entry sub!
$500: B&W ASW-608
The small subwoofer world has a new little guy slugger! At
roughly 10 ¼” cubed with a cast 8” woof and 200w ICEpower amp along with a pile
of audiophile settings, 608 is winning our customers over!
$650: B&W ASW-610
With 10” Kevlar Pulp Fibre woof and 200 w/ch
discrete, ICEpower amp, ASW-610 is a top notch value. It is front firing which helps its
transient response. You can choose whether you want the crossover in or out which allows
it to mate with any variety of systems easily. Has ABC levels of EQ. Excellent value!
$700: Paradigm DSP-3200
Brand new Herculean sub! With Prodigious 12” cast
frame woof, 2” voice coil, 300w discrete amp and heavy cabinet, DSP-3200 is a
Tyrannosaurus Rex! If your system is in the basement don’t settle for anything less!
$900: Paradigm UltraCube 10, New!
We have a new champ at the big sound, small footprint
category! With a 10” active (650w) and two 10” passives, this little guy (about
a 12” cube) can really go!
$900: Paradigm DSP-3400
Too much fun? DSP-3400 is a brand new Paradigm sub
with fresh 14” cast woof and 300w amp. At 22 ¼ tall, 15 3/4w and 21d, it isn’t
small. So what?!
$1100: Paradigm UltraCube 12, New!
UltraCube 12 is a little bigger UltraCube 10! With a 12”
active (650w) and two 10” passives, this 15” cube can fill big time
environments. We’re thrilled with these two new Paradigm UltraCubes!
$1400: B&W ASW-700
In a modest package ASW-700 delivers a big kick. Featuring
a 10” Cast Kev/Pulp fibre woof and 500w amp, ASW-700 is available in 5 different
colors. It is still a GREAT performer and our choice where you need a small sub with
serious audiophile performance.
$1750: B&W ASW-750
Here’s the goods. This 12” Kevlar Pulp Fibre
woof with 1000w amp can deliver thunder- tightly. If you have the room that needs
testosterone- ASW-750 is it!
$2700: Paradigm Servo 15
This 15” woof and 1200w amp set new standards for
accuracy and power at the price. The price doesn’t include a built in crossover. But
you don’t need one if you have a surround receiver or pre/pro.
$2750: B&W ASW-825
With 12” Rohacell woof, 1000 w amp and unique Matrix
construction, you get B&W control and
accuracy with a big kick.
$3500: B&W ASW-855
The 15” bigger brother also features the new Rohacell
woof material and Matrix control. Bigger is better when the quality is maintained as
B&W does here.
CD
Players
$350: NAD C525BEE
NAD’s entry level player is the least expensive BEE
designation in their line. That means Bjorn Erik Edvardsen, NAD’s senior designer for
30 years, felt strongly enough about this design to put his signature on it. You find that
the C525BEE sounds better than it has any right to. It isn’t built like the Rotel
RCD-1072, but it’s less than half the price!
$700: Rotel RCD-1072
In about 2000 Rotel came out with their RCD-1070. It was
an outstanding introduction. It was built well, sounded good- a nice step up from what
they had in the price range before. Over the next two years they worked on tweaks.
Transformer, caps, DACs- just dotting the I’s and crossing the Ts. About 2003 they
introduced the RCD-1072. It refined everything the RCD-1070 already did well! I thought
the RCD-1070 didn’t get its proper credit. It was a fine player for $700. But
RCD-1072 was enough more refined that even the snooty audio magazines caught on and gave
Rotel the rave reviews it deserved. The detail and warmth are simply exceptional for the
price!
$1200: Rega Apollo
Hot off the presses- the Apollo has blown me away. I have
always enjoyed the Planet for its smooth delivery. But the Apollo has detail that the
Planet and Jupiter couldn’t get. Simply put, you’ll get more information and
breathy detail out of the Apollo than anything near this price tag!
The music comes from a black, silent background. The image
is large and CLEAR like nothing else in this range. It’s a treat to hear something
this good at this reasonable price point!
$2600: Rega Saturn
As good as the Apollo is, Saturn is new, and better yet.
Is there a better CD player than the Saturn? Not really.
Some of you may remember the Rega Jupiter. It was a 7
power supply, higher end offering than the Planet. It was a whisker better at twice the
price.
Saturn is more than a whisker better than Apollo at more
than twice the price. But, I would ask you not to compare this to Apollo. Compare it to
its higher end brethren. Its level of detail and transparency is, unsurpassed!
$6500: BAT VK-D5SE
The last word in a CD player! The BAT uses and enormous
oil cap power supply and four 6H30 Russian super tubes. It weighs about 50 pounds and is
built like a battleship.
Jack S, a customer who bought this player after using many
others over the years probably said it more succinctly than anybody. “This is the
most musical hifi component I’ve ever owned. It just made everything else sound
effortless and relaxed.” After going through a number of less expensive players,
diddling with transports and DACs, Jack heard what we have. This is the ultimate, warm hot
chocolate Red Book CD player!
Preamps
$500: Rotel RC-1070
The RC-1070 is a super value oriented, remote controlled
preamp! With clean sound and a nice array of features including phono and remote, 1070 is
a top notch preamp that can’t be beat until you hit about $2k!
$1200: Rotel RC-1082
Rotel’s new DISCRETE preamp is a wonderful addition
to the line. It combines audiophile grade performance with usable creature features. For
example, it has remote, phono, headphone amp/jack, IPOD input on faceplate and tone
controls. More importantly, the sound is rich and open. You won’t believe the bass
extension for the price!
$2350: Bryston BP-6
Bryston’s new BP-6 has remote and sounds very close
to their classic. It doesn’t have any XLR ins or outs, but the sound is the most
detailed in the $2k range- and has a 20 year warranty! If you’re not familiar with
what Bryston accomplishes, I’ll try to describe it. There is a clarity that is
uncanny. You hear less miscellaneous debris in the road. When you toss on solo guitar
music for example, you’ll shake your head in amazement because of the lack of “fuzz”
around the sound. Phono is optional.
$3000: BAT3ix
BAT’s entry level tube preamp is a sweetheart! The
warmth and majesty of tubes abound in this 40 pound beast of a preamp including remote.
Phono is optional.
I’m not that big a tube fan. Tubes certainly soften
hard edges. But when you soften edges many times the musical detail is compromised as
well. Not in the BAT! My judgment as a guy who has been an audio equipment and music
addict since about 1970 is that the BAT 3ix is the point at which the tube market becomes
a reality. The lower line tube stuff with small power supplies and cheapie tubes is often
unreliable and masks information while rounding off solid state edges. At VK3ix- the
technology really comes together so it’s worth talking tubes!
$3900: Bryston BP-26
When Bryston introduced the BP-26 it set new standards for
warmth and solidity in a solid state preamp. We’ve had many fine contenders over the
years including Bryston’s own BP-25. But BP-26 went to a full second chassis of power
supply components. In so doing the body was significantly beefed up. The XLR ins/outs and
typical Bryston noiseless background combine to make this one of the finest preamps
available – without the muss and fuss of ditzy, weirdo high end gear! Phono is
optional.
Power
Amps
$700: Rotel RB-1070, 130 w/ch
The RB-1070 is just a great buy! Rotel is an English
company that owns its own manufacturing plant in
Keep in mind that virtually all the other upper/mid
audiophile companies SOURCE their designs from vendors we’ve never heard of. They
send off a schematic and a check- the products show up on a boat. This doesn’t ensure
careful or conscientious build quality! In fact, the gear coming from
RB-1070 has a speed and punch you won’t hear at less
than $700. There isn’t a $500 amp that sounds close to RB-1070!
$900: Rotel RB-1072. 100 w/ch
The new RB-1072 is a Class D model of unique quality. The
definition, control and image stability of RB-1072 are nothing short of ground breaking.
It has speed and life that even RB-1070 can’t match. I think we’ll look back
many years from now fondly at this great ICEpower $900 amp as a groundbreaking product!
Note in all of the Class D amps below- they have the same character of spectacular detail.
$1000: Rotel RB-1080, 200 w/ch
RB-1080 is RB-1070’s heavier brother. The sound is a
bit stronger in the bass, warmer and rounder. The difference isn’t night and day. But
we find a lot of folks feel that for only $300 more, what the heck! It isn’t as clean
as the RB-1072, but if you want the thicker bottom end…
$2650: Bryston 2B-SST, 100 w/ch
It takes close to $2k to get Bryston’s level of
DETAIL. The Bryston beats the Rotel in clarity and spaciousness. Brystons all spec out
about 40% higher than their wattage ratings by the way.
The 2B-SST is a great choice when you want top level
detail but don’t need barbells on the floor. It should be noted that for about $4k
you can get this Bryston 2B-SST and the new BP-6 preamp- both with TWENTY year warranties!
$3450: Bryston 3B-SST, 150 w/ch
The 3B-SST is Bryston’s classically famous amp. It’s
definitely deeper and fuller than 2B-SST. When you want the Bryston resolution with more
muscle, 3B-SST is the one to buy!
$4100: Bryston 4B-SST, 300 w/ch
When you want the big boy amp to kick your speakers in the
fanny, look no further than 4B-SST! It has the barbells, the clarity, the dynamics, the
thunder. It might sound silly to say a $3550 power amp offers the best value in
amplifier-land- but that’s exactly what I’m telling you!
Sometimes folks say, well, I don’t really need that
much power, do I? Well, not if you are trading off your next meal, no. But, if you have to
eat macaroni and cheese for a while to afford the 4B-SST, it’s worth it. The 4B-SST
will give virtually any speaker out there the level of push and control it needs- with
Bryston’s industry famous clarity! Oh, and yes, the warranty is twenty years!
Also, think about this. There have been many acclaimed amp
companies over the years. Think about what was around 19 years ago. Think about how many
of those companies are GONE. If you had bought a Bryston then, it would STILL be under
warranty!
$4000: BAT VK-55, 55 w/ch
If you read my comments about the VK3ix preamp, you can
just about plug them in here too. To make a tube power amp that is reliable and has enough
power to do the job- is a challenge. The VK-55 is a magnificent example of doing it right.
At 55 w/ch of push pull, the VK-55 will even drive the B&W 800 Series speakers to
ample SPLs for most of us. You can turn them into monoblocks.
$6500: BAT VK-250 BAT PAK, 150 w/ch
This 90 pound BAT amp is solid state. It is the most
transparent and effortless amp I’ve heard. What a great amp for driving top flight
speakers to the best of their ability!
Integrated
Amps
$450: C325BEE, 50w/ch
The C325BEE is Edvardsen’s latest thinking on his
classic, moderate power, high quality design. NAD is known equally for being muscular and
musical for the price. Includes remote & Phono.
$700: Rotel RA-1062, 60 w/ch
This Rotel is more refined than the NAD. It’s built
like a tank and has superior detail. When you combine the RA-1062 with the Rotel RCD-1072
CD player you have a $1400 start to audiophile Nirvana. As you budget, you might start
with this reasonably priced front end that will allow you to spend the bulk of your money
where you can hear great differences- on the speakers! Includes remote, not phono. RA-1062
competes nicely with heavy hitters like Bryston & Ayre for a fraction of the price.
$3000: Bryston B-60R, 60 w/ch
Bryston’s B-60R is quite the classic. The preamp
section is very close to the BP-6. Then you get a Bryston quality 60 w/ch amp, capable of
driving all but the hungriest of speakers well. With its pre out/main in jacks B-60R is an
ideal piece to start with- and the move up stream to a more powerful amp if you feel the
need- keeping the B-60R as your preamp. Includes remote.
Stereo
Receivers
$600: NAD C720BEE, 50 w/ch
NAD’s new C720BEE is essentially the classic C320BEE
integrated amp with a built in tuner, all on one chassis. You save $100 as opposed to
buying the two units. Includes remote, no phono.
$900: Rotel RX-1052, 100 w/ch
Our favorite stereo receiver is the RX-1052! How many
companies really give a hoot about STEREO any more? How many care enough to make a
superlative stereo receiver? Not many, of course. The RX-1052 has the kind of detail you
would expect from Rotel, with a nice array of switching. The RB-1070 power amp is gutsier
to be sure, but RX-1052 is a top notch value.
Surround
Sound Preamp-Processors
$2200: Rotel RSP-1069
This new pre-pro is one of the best deals in the surround
world! It gets you into a legit separate preamp with NO tuner on board. It has sonic
purity above the level of any receiver. Just connect up the multi-channel amp (or
individual amps) of your choice and away you go. The open sound of this piece puts
receivers in the weeds.
$5000: Classe SSP-300
This stunningly gorgeous pre/pro takes you into the big
leagues of top flight performance. It also switches the Component signals at HD for you.
Marvelous resolution!
$6300: Bryston SP-2
The SP-2, an upgrade over the venerable SP-1.7. While this
surround preamp doesn’t switch any video, it’s sound is state of the art. If you’re
willing to run video from source to panel, and run audio through the pre/pro- this guy is
tops!
Multi-Channel
Power Amps
$1200: Rotel RMB-1085, 100w x5, NEW!
RMB-1085 is too cheap! It’s a great amp from Rotel’s
new Class D family and is suspiciously under priced! Rotel’s RB-1072 is 100 w/ch for
$900. How do you put 5ch of this in one box for a measly $1200?! Buy it before Rotel comes
to its senses and raises the price to $1500, where it ought to be!
$1600: Rotel RMB-1076, 100w x6, NEW!
This 100x6 amp is appropriate for home theater OR house
distribution. It runs exceedingly, clean, quite and COOL. It is a 6ch version of RMB-1085
above.
$2500: Rotel RMB-1077, 100w x7
Rotel’s new ICEpower, Class D amp is getting rave
reviews throughout our industry. It is lightning clean and fast. Most folks feel it has
better detail than Rotel’s 100 pounds RMB-1095 (same price). With small chassis and
cool operation you can’t beat it for the typical system installations we encounter.
Especially considering that these are always used in theater applications where subs pick
up a lot of the work load, RMB-1077 is the best choice!
$6500: Bryston 9B-SST, 120w x5
The Nine sounds virtually the same as 5ch of 3B-SST in one
box. That’s pretty impressive! Bryston level precision and lack of distortion for
$5600! And of course, it has a twenty year warranty. This is a big deal in a multi-channel
amp- where you’re making real demands of the power supply.
$9000: Classe CA-5200, 200w x5
At about 130lbs this Classe amp is a stunning
multi-channel amp! You get huge power with no loss of sparkle and silk!
Surround
Sound Receivers
$600: Marantz SR-4002, 80 w/ch x7
SR-4002 is the first receiver we’re happy to plug
into a high quality surround system. It has all discrete output transistors, no fans! It
has Component Uplink which is valuable with all the HDMI hassles going on out there these
days! It has HDMI pass through. It is like SR-5002 above with tad less power!
$800: Marantz SR-5002, 90 w/ch x7
SR-5002 is has all discrete output transistors, no fans,
Component Uplink, HDMI and will do the 90w7 that it advertises. It has zone 2 out to feed
another amp to drive the rest of your house.
$1500: Marantz SR-7002, 110 w/ch x7
SR-7002 is a nice step above SR-5002 and worth it if you
can swing it. SR-7002 comes with a much superior remote (RC-1400) which is worth $200
alone. It has more punch, control and has Component & HDMI Uplink!
$2100: Marantz SR-8002, 125 w/ch x7
SR-8002 is a gem! It has a custom toroidal transformer and
sonic characteristics competitive with separates for twice the price. Has great RC-1400
remote, HDMI Uplink and built in HD tuner! In today’s HD world and bag of tricks,
this new receiver with copper chassis and Current Feedback amp is second to none!
DVD
Players
$330: Marantz DV-4001
The new DV-4001 is much heavier duty than preceding
models. It’s built like a tank and has upsampling through its HDMI output.
$550: Marantz DV-6001
This new Universal player upsamples to 1080p, plays SACDs,
DVD-As, MP-3s etc. It has proven to be reliable and represents a very good value vs the
competition. Most lower end universal players are $199 wonders with a different chip set.
DV-6001 is an affordable, well built 1080p machine with a three year warranty!
$900: Marantz DV-7001
This guy is the audiophile grade piece. It features
Marantz’s HDAM design. That’s where little mumetal copper boxes isolate various
sections from each other to eliminate RFI spewing all over the board. It has 14bit 1080p
scaling. It plays SACDs and DVDas also- great performer that weighs about 25 lbs!
$2100: Marantz DV-9600
Marantz new, top of the line DVD player has the battleship
weight and solidity you can’t get for $850. It features the copper chassis design,
HDAMs and a myriad of other features that make it the best value in a top end 1080p DVD
player.
Turntables/Cartridges
$400 Rega P1 with Ortofon Cartridge
Brand new is Rega’s P1 table- packed with Ortofon
cart. Never has Rega been so affordable! You CAN put a fancier cartridge in P1 when the
Ortofon wears out. Their goal was to get you into serious analog land for not much more
than Technics’ money!
$900: Rega P3 with Elys 2 $300 cartridge
The P3 is THE best buy in a turntable! Despite its modest
price it is within spitting distance of some of the priciest tables in the world.
Featuring Rega’s new RB-301 tonearm and heavier duty build, P3 is a bargain. The new
Elys 2 cart has 3 screw mounting system, 7.2mV output and is a great tracker.
The cool thing about the high output of Elys 2 is… it
is very forgiving of your phono section. Let’s say your phono section isn’t as
quiet as a died in the wool audiophile would like. With over 7.0 output Elys 2 is very
forgiving!
$2700: Rega P7 with Exact $600 cartridge
The P7 is a beauty! It uses Rega’s unique ceramic
platter design with two belts for superior isolation. The power supply is outboard.
The arm is Rega’s RB-700. It’s a very high end table at mid level money.
The Exact cart has 3 screw mounting, 7.2mV output, and line contact stylus to
extract maximum info from the grooves.
Stacks of Distinction
Classe
Classe offers an array of beautiful components. Each product stands on its own but we realize they will virtually always be purchased in a package.
Theater Combo
Classe offers a state of the art DVD Player, Preamp-Processor, and 5x200w amp for $21,000. With unparalleled cosmetics and build quality if you want the last word in home theater, here it is.
Stereo Combo
Classe offers a state of the art CD Player, Stereo Preamp and 200w/ch stereo amp for $12,000. With industrial quality build and stunning cosmetics, Classe offers performance second to none.