First-time poster here. I've lurked and read and searched, but I still have some questions, so I thought I'd throw them out here.

I like listening to music and have a decent ear, but I'm definitely no audiophile. And since I'm a (poor) graduate student, I'm simply interested in good, solid, and reliable audio bang for my buck.

I gather that an audio system is only as good as its worst component, so I'll give my (rather simple) intended setup and see if anyone thinks I'm doing something terribly wrong. This stuff will all be in a 13' x 13' room. I listen to mostly chamber music, jazz (the earlier stuff), and some vocals.

  • Paradigm Atom (there's a Paradigm dealer near me)
  • NAD C320BEE
  • Decent computer sound card, such as the Audigy (playing CDs ripped with no compression)


Here are my concerns:

  • The C320BEE costs significantly more than the Atom. Is it "normal" to spend more on your integrated amplifier than on your speakers? 50%, 100% more? (There's a thread titled How would you spend your money? but everything discussed there seems a bit pricey.)
  • Do good sound cards like the Audigy compare to standalone CD players that are in my price range? Or will it be a limiting factor? Which CD player would you recommend? What if I used my Panasonic discman?


Things I need to consider: value and reliability. I want to be using this stuff for years (decades?). Things that I don't need to consider: extremely loud music, annoying computer whine (it's very quiet).

I know that the right thing to do is to go out there and listen to these setups, and I've done that (without the Audigy). But I just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing anything dumb, and to get any suggestions that may be out there. Thanks!

Peter