Michael Green had an interesting post on the subject in tweaks & tips. We all talk about wanting to hear the music as the artist intended but it is really as the engineer produced it, not how the artist intended.

I just bought Black Sabbath's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath on vinyl. I love the songs but it is an awful recording. No bass. The whole album sounds flat. It is amazing how bad the recording is when Vol 4 and Sabotage were pretty good. My point is, if I had a tone control, it would be better because I could turn up the bass and turn down the treble. If what you listen to is mostly good recordings it is moot.

dbt1969 wrote:

I am tired of listening to all of my CD's on my computer and want to get back into hi fi. The room the equipment would be in is carpeted and size is about 17 feet long by 11 feet wide. Walls are painted wood paneling.

I have really narrowed it down to the NAD C 326BEE and the Music Hall 15.3 integrated amps. Both seem to get consistently good reviews as budget amps. I would buy either the NAD 516BEE CD player or the Music Hall 15.3 DAC - CD player.

Speakers I am looking at would be the PSB Imagine X1T or the PSB Imagine XB or the budget minded PSB Alpha B1. I realize both of the book shelf models I would need to invest in stands at some point a subwoofer.

The thing I like about the NAD amp is the tone controls. Would I really miss these on the Music Hall and how much can tone controls really affect the sound at this price point and the speakers I am considering?
I do like the simplicity in design of the Music Hall along with the built in phono pre - amp. I would like to invest in a turnable within 18 months of setting up my initial system.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Both the NAD and the Music Hall amp are very good. The NAD might be a little less accurate but mellower.

I recommend the Marantz CD5004 for your CD player; it is quite good, and only $349. (Stereophile did an article on it a while back).

The PSB Image T6 might be a better choice for speakers. Speakers that are too small and have no bass are a mistake IMO. The Image T6 is a wonderful speaker, and the dimensions are almost the same as the X1T. I had them for two years, and recommend them with no reservations. You can run these with no subwoofer, and the others will definitely make you want one.

Stands should be metal, rigid, and as massive as possible for good coupling to the floor. The SANUS Steel foundations are very good and under $200. Always fill the vertical column of the stands with lead or steel bird shot to add mass and damping; this is very important. You can get it at any sporting goods retailer or online.

Of course with the T6 speakers you don't have to spend money on stands...lol. Saturday Audio has a demo pair for only $799 right now.