knows his fusion.

Hi all,

My marantz pm68 integrated amp's phono is now busted.  I bought this new back in 97or 8 with a set of B&W DM 602 speakers n monster cables.  When I bought the marantz, they told me it would sufficiently power my speakers for my budget but would not maximize the potential of the speakers.   Now I need to replace the amp. But I'm finding that all new amps r more expensive n fall way short of the speakers unless I spend mega bucks.  I can buy the same amp used for under 200$.  But I want something a bit better with a phono connection.  I like the styling of the 70s kenwood, pioneers n marantz but they don't produce enough power for the speakers plus i need more then one aux connections, Plus my speaker cables have banana plugs.  

Can anyone recommend a vintage system that will meet all of these requirements for under 400$?  

Thanks

wrong forum for this post.

try the entry level.

I think this r2d4 is one of the best in recent memory.  I say best because it has a better cross section of music types.  While I like classical music, having more jazz, rock, etc. that this year has.  Keep up the cross recommendations.

Just one quick question...in the recommendation for the Mercury Living Presence recommendation, there is a comment it could be found on Amazon for around $100.  Where do you see that?  Maybe when it first came out, but certainly nt now!

thank you for your kind words about this R2D4.

What I enjoyed the most about it was that it really encapsulated a lot of the music covered and discussed at Stereophile with the past few years as well as a few random gems.

I have forwared your question to BJR.

Damn. It looks like the US dealers have sold out of the boxed set. There are two European dealers selling it for $250 (still worth it at that price). How about a letter campaign to Mercury to do another production run?

Reminds me when my son's godfather (and the lead singer of my classic rock band, Assisted Living) turned 50 a few years back and I wanted to get him a copy of Moe Howard's autobiography (originally a paperback $20 coffee table book).  When I found used copies on Amazon for $300 I got him a Clearaudio cartridge instead.

Robert, 

just a brief note to say thanks for this recommendation. I ended up buying it through Amazon in Great Britian for a lot less than Amazon US.  Shipping was under $10 and I got it in 8 days.  What a wonderful collection of music.  

I read elsewhere that Mercury Living Presence Volume 2 will ship in April.  I pre ordered that as well.  I can only hope Volume 2 will be as good as Volume 1.

Thanks again for your recommendation.

Low feed back, 19th century needle, looks and runs cool. It has got all the bases covered!