Greetings. I'm interested in assembling a system that I will use only for listening to music (mostly jazz). I would like to have either an integrated tube amp or separate tube pre-amp and tube amp, and a turntable. I have a budget of approximately $3,000 - $4,000, and I already have speakers picked out (which will not come out of my $3,000 budget). So, I have $3,000 - $4,000 to spend on amplification and a turntable.

I would appreciate any recommendations you may have for makes and models that might be suitable for my situation.

I finally purchased my NAD components and Monitor Audio speakers. Now the salesman says I really need a Line Conditioner due to rf interference in my house and lines. Are line conditioners effective at cleaning up the power to my amp? Will there be a noticeable sound quality gain?

Thanks,
Derek

It happened, really, because I was comparing the Exposure 2010S combo to the Musical Fidelity A3.5 combo. I found myself struggling with some audio-related things. In a blog entry titled, The Pursuit of Hi-Fi Happyness, I wondered:

FYI: Jason Ressler at Music Direct was right. After a few hundred hours of break in for the DVD-A and SACD circuits, the top end glare is gone and the mids are sweet and clean. The Marantz is capable of retrieving and transmitting lots of detail. I am listening to my CD and multi-channel collection with renewed enthusiasm.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Announcing the end of the music CD.

Olive unveils new OPUS No5 - the only networked audio system that delivers digital convenience and HD audio quality better than vinyl.