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I listen to more midrange music. I particularly like acoustic music - the likes of Amos Lee, Sarah Harmer... and classical - baroque or pieces that the cello is center stage.

For your preference tending toward the midrange-y acoustic music, sounds like you're the ideal candidate for a tube system. Even the more affordable tube amps can do the midrange-magic and soundstage better than most expensive solid state amplification.

So my recommendation among the 3 candidates you mention is the Rogue Audio Cronus. Should be awesome since the EL34s - the Cronus' output tubes - are KNOWN for their midrange quality (you should try the NOS Mullards when you can later!)

And frankly, if I were you, I'd spend a bit less on CDP and pick up a turntable as well... I'd pick up a mintish Sony Playstation SCPH-1001 for like 20 bucks or an Oppo DVD player and spend the rest on a Rega P3-24 or something.

If you are not married to the idea of a CDP, I'd recommend MHDT Paradisea USB DAC, which you can pick up used for about $450-500? Frankly, the Paradisea/Mac laptop sounds better to me than the Cambridge Audio 840C, which is the 740C's older brother. Or if you really like the Cambridge Audio sound, you can opt for the DACMagic, which has the latest, more advanced technological features than the 740C for less money.

The best ~$1000 CDP I heard was the Opera Consonance CD120 Linear, by far. I've heard that some had mechanical issues with this player, though, so take that recommendation with a grain of salt.

Have fun!

I'd also look at the Jolida JD801A for $1600 and Wharfedale Evolution 50 Version 2 loudspeakers for $1900/pair. Incredible midrange magic! Acoustic instruments and the human voice through this combo should be experienced before making a decision. For a tuner I'd look at a vintage 5-gang FM tuner after some research at http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/ I bought an AKAI AT-2600 for $150 that is hard to match with new tuners which cost 10 times as much. The Shanling spaceship CD players (CD-T100 for $900) are also very good and should be considered.

Hi, Wylie, thanks for the kind words for that post on how I set up as a newbie. It's actually a primer on how NOT to go about setting up a beginner's system, in a way.

jackfish gave excellent advices/recommendations when I was setting up, and his opinions are to be trusted. You should definitely check out Jolida units, which run more affordable than the better marketed brands, such as Prima Luna, Unison Research, etc. (I love the aesthetics of the Unison Research P40 EL-34 push/pull, though! The design of the component plays a big role for me, no matter how others may think.)

Lest you misunderstand, many EL-34 based tube amps do dynamic music very well. If you do need a bit more of an oomph or bass control, look into amps that can accommodate KT-88 tubes as well.

Good to know you're in NYC area! (What's your dissertation on, btw?) Yeah, Mike at SBS really helped me get into audio, just from one audition: good salespeople still exist! Devore 8s are world class. I still smack myself in the head for not having gone w/ the Devores, very good with both tube & solid state, so it won't hamper your amp upgrade decisions in the future, for example. I'm not an 'image' guy, but the 8s image like crazy with a proper set up.

As for Cambridge Audio vs. Arcam, I haven't auditioned any Arcam so I'll reserve any comment based on hearsay. Cambridge Audio 840, though, sounded artificially airy up top, which started to really bother me. Some call that "digital sheen"... the sound was smooth but weirdly arid & vacuous. Not a great quality when you want to play some Arvo Part or Stravinsky or The Kinks (although I kind of liked it with lieder material...)

I do understand your reservation about PCs. There are other alternatives, like getting the Squeezebox 3 which will stream all your music into the DAC, and that'll still cost you less than a CDP. I'm not saying CDPs sound inferior or anything; in fact, still to this day, I prefer the sound of a really well designed & calibrated CDP to that of a server, but again, my experience with hi-end servers is more limited than my experience with CDPs.

A knock-out CDP that I can recommend for certain is the Primare CD30, which can be had for ~$1500 used, I think? Fabulous build quality, probably much more reliable than the Opera Consonance one I mentioned, and its sonics are perfectly suited for the kind of music you like... one of the most musical CDPs I've heard, and it plays dynamic music with a lot of balls, too.