Hi-Fi Quality At A Great Price: Three Fantastic Systems At Under £2,000 (Part 2 of 3)
/It’s Tiago from Audio T Southampton here! Last month, I wrote a blog detailing the perfect units for your first record-playing system. As promised, this month we’ll be taking a look at the next big source: CD players. So, without further ado, let’s jump in…
The Digital Age
As with last month's blog, we’ll begin with the source component. Let’s take a look at a couple of CD players that will have you nodding along to your favourite tracks:
First up is the fantastic Marantz CD6007, priced at £349*. This player offers an excellent soundstage and plenty of detail in the top end, all without compromising on bass.
Next, we have the impressive Audiolab 6000CDT at £399.95*. This player delivers a neutral sound signature with plenty of detail, but it lacks a built-in DAC. This means you’d need an amplifier with a built-in DAC, though it’s still a phenomenal unit overall.
The Control Centre
The second piece of this Hi-Fi puzzle is the amplifier, which lets you do everything from driving your speakers to selecting your input.
For the first amplifier, I recommend the Marantz PM6007, priced at a very reasonable £359*. This amp offers great connectivity, both analogue and digital, and delivers 45wpc of power—more than enough to drive small to medium-sized speakers. Not to mention, it is the perfect counterpart to the Marantz CD6007.
Alternatively, consider the Rotel A10 Integrated Amplifier at £549*. While it has less connectivity and lacks a DAC, it compensates with its lovely warm sound and ability to drive small-to-medium speakers with ease.
Box O' Sound
To round off this simple yet impressive CD-playing system, let’s look at speakers that will bring your music to life:
The first set I’d recommend are the astounding Dynaudio Emit 10 Stand mounted Speakers, coming in at £630*. These speakers are a prime example that you don’t need big boxes to recreate a big sound. Capable of reproducing all types of music with ease, they are certainly some of the best speakers available on the market at this pricepoint.
the Dynaudio emit 10 may be small, but theY play like big speakers
Alternatively, the stellar Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 stand mounted speakers at £689* offer a bit more size but still deliver fantastic musicality with plenty of bass. They certainly punch above their weight.
Transferring Your Tunes
The final element of this blog is the cabling. For this, I’d refer to our previous blog for my recommendation. As discussed before, the Chord Company C-ScreenX speaker cable is perfect for the job, providing excellent shielding to prevent unwanted noise from interfering with your listening experience.
With an average length of 2.5m* and termination available at any Audio-T store, this speaker cable costs £95* for the pair.
Chord Company C-ScreenX speaker cable: magnificent value for money
Time to Modify
Let’s look at a couple of upgrades that will improve sound quality, starting with new interconnects for your CD player.
The matching C-Line 2RCA to 2RCA cables are a great choice, starting at £57.50* for a 0.5m pair. These will transfer the signal from your CD player to your amp, ensuring minimal distortion or noise.
Alternatively, consider introducing isolation with the IsoAcoustics zaZen I Isolation Platform, priced at £199* each. This platform absorbs vibrations before they reach your CD player, which can result in better sound quality.
If I had to make any significant changes to the lineup, I’d suggest opting for a more powerful amplifier. While both of my original recommendations are excellent, sometimes a little extra power goes a long way.
The Advance Paris X-i75 Integrated Amplifier (£750) is a fantastic choice, delivering 75W per channel into 8 ohms (or 110W into 4 ohms). With plenty of grunt, exceptional detail, and a spacious soundstage, it handles even the most demanding tracks with precision and authority.
The amazing Advance Paris X-i75
Conclusion
And that’s the end of part two of my three-part blog. All the units I’ve mentioned are fantastic pieces of kit that stand out at their respective price points. However, there are plenty of other options to consider. By showcasing these units, I hope it gives you a better idea of what to look for when building your first system.
If you have any questions or would like advice on starting your Hi-Fi journey with a CD player-based system, don’t hesitate to pop into your local Audio T or get in touch with any of our branches.
Thank you for reading:
Tiago - Audio T Southampton
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*All prices, credit terms and interest rates quoted are correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to change. E&OE
