Onix XL-S speakers; $199
Stands; $49 36 inch high stands from Sanus
Jolida 1301Integrated Amplifier; $300
Rotel RCD 02; $420
Zu Cable “PIL” interconnect $29 0.5m
Ixos xhs706 13 awg wire $15.48 for a 6ft pair
I have to admit, the system I have come up with stretches past the budget by 5 – 10 bucks or so. Just the same, the system I put together is more suited for someone who is eclectic. They really enjoy all types of music, likes to keep the electronics slim with speakers that are pleasant to look at.
My choice in speakers would be the Onix XL-S bookshelf speakers. I was fortunate enough to be given an opportunity to demo the prototype xl-s and was blown away by what was being offered at the $199/pair price-point. Danny did a fantastic job with these speakers. They very well may become legends if the final production model sounds as good as the prototype.
Assuming the person has no make-shift stands to use, I will mark down $50 on a pair of 32 inch Sanus stands. Nothing fancy, just something somewhat solid and stable to get the job done.
The next piece would be an integrated amplifier. Since the Onix X-empower (the $99 50wpc chip integrated) may not be released until the second Quarter this year, I divert my attention towards the Jolida 1301 integrated hybrid amplifier. Using two 12ax tubes in the pre stage with 30wpc mosfet amps, this thing has a very full fleshed out sound from top to bottom and should be able to drive the XL-S speakers to pretty high volumes without distortion. This unit is very small, runs cool and allows someone flexibility towards placement. This unit can be had for around $300 (or maybe $315?) from an authorized dealer. Check
www.venushifi.com The next piece is where I really struggled to come up with a solid suggestion. No matter what I thought of, I just kept coming back to the Rotel RCD-02. This very slim and silent cd-player is just fantastic for the money (which you should be able to pick up for around $420 in store). I thought of the usual suspects, NAD, Cambridge, Marantz, the round of cheapo throw-away dvd/cd players.. but I keep coming back to this unit. My only other real consideration would be the Sheng Ya tube cd player that surfaces around E-bay for around $400 bucks. I have no experience with this unit.
At this point I have pretty much capped the entire budget – which doesn’t leave much room for cables. I would suggest Zu Cables wonderful budget interconnect, the “PIL”. $29 for a 0.5m pair should do the trick. For speaker wire, I would go with the IXOS 706 13 gauge wire. A 6ft pair will run you $15.48 from
www.ac4l.com This spikes just above the targeted $1000 mark, but falls close enough that I feel warranted enough to mention the components. The strength of this system would not only rest in its versatility to play in rooms big and small, but also in its ability to give a pleasant, truly “high tone” sound that knows no bias towards any particular music genre. The size of the speakers may be a turn off to some, but its beautiful white shadow maple veneer may help most to over-come the size issue – the rest of the components are very high quality and should last that said person quite some time. The Jolida will also give that person the option to ‘tube roll’ and alter the character of their sound within reasonable degree.
The biggest caveat with this system is that while the XL-S speakers sport a very good frequency range, this system will not be full range. Some people may desire a sub-woofer. If the x-empower will be as good as I hope it is, this will allow me to take out the Jolida, and put that $200 saved towards a sub (dayton or onix).
