bobinsb
01-08-2010, 10:38 AM
Hello,
It's been a long time since I did research and invested in my stereo system. My HK PM665 (int. amp) has finally died, after almost 25 years. My Polk Audio SDA2A speakers of the same era are still going strong, and I really like them. I've updated the tuner to a Sony digital version and after several bad experiences with Denon players, my CD player is now a Marantz CD5001. I play a lot of different kinds of music in a large living room/dining room area (17' X 40') that has mostly hardwood floors.
So, I'm looking to replace the integrated amp and am having a hard time finding what I need. I'd ideally like to spend less than $500, but if I had to I could go up to about $800. I would like to power 2 sets of speakers, either one at a time or both simultaneously on rare occasions (the Polks mentioned before would be for 95% of the music playing alone, and a crappy set of wall-mounts in the kitchen would occasionally be for radio listening when making dinner). I would also like to use my iPod as an input, either through a front plug or with a Y-cable as an "auxiliary" device. I don't know much about doing so, but ideally I may want someday to run the computer music through the amp to my home speakers as well, so that's a possible feature I'd like.
I've not yet found any one integrated amp that fits all of these needs, but I've been looking at a few models: Marantz pm5003, NAD C326BEE, and NAD C355BEE. The Marantz accommodates 2 sets of speakers (though I'm not sure if it lets both play at the same time), but the NADs do not. The NADs allow for MP3 player front input. None seem to accommodate a computer input. I also saw a NAD C352 (new, and actually cheaper than the others), which appears to be an older model, but I don't know much about it. I'm by no means set on any of these and would love to hear others' opinions about better options.
Thanks in advance for indulging my question and for letting me benefit from your greater knowledge and experience.
It's been a long time since I did research and invested in my stereo system. My HK PM665 (int. amp) has finally died, after almost 25 years. My Polk Audio SDA2A speakers of the same era are still going strong, and I really like them. I've updated the tuner to a Sony digital version and after several bad experiences with Denon players, my CD player is now a Marantz CD5001. I play a lot of different kinds of music in a large living room/dining room area (17' X 40') that has mostly hardwood floors.
So, I'm looking to replace the integrated amp and am having a hard time finding what I need. I'd ideally like to spend less than $500, but if I had to I could go up to about $800. I would like to power 2 sets of speakers, either one at a time or both simultaneously on rare occasions (the Polks mentioned before would be for 95% of the music playing alone, and a crappy set of wall-mounts in the kitchen would occasionally be for radio listening when making dinner). I would also like to use my iPod as an input, either through a front plug or with a Y-cable as an "auxiliary" device. I don't know much about doing so, but ideally I may want someday to run the computer music through the amp to my home speakers as well, so that's a possible feature I'd like.
I've not yet found any one integrated amp that fits all of these needs, but I've been looking at a few models: Marantz pm5003, NAD C326BEE, and NAD C355BEE. The Marantz accommodates 2 sets of speakers (though I'm not sure if it lets both play at the same time), but the NADs do not. The NADs allow for MP3 player front input. None seem to accommodate a computer input. I also saw a NAD C352 (new, and actually cheaper than the others), which appears to be an older model, but I don't know much about it. I'm by no means set on any of these and would love to hear others' opinions about better options.
Thanks in advance for indulging my question and for letting me benefit from your greater knowledge and experience.