[ooheadsoo]

After reading that thread about the tripath, your idea is looking better and better!  Too bad I can't afford a second system.

[cjr888]

For those with potential interest in the cheap Toshiba, someone over at Head-Fi did a comparison against the DV-563A.  

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?s=20d191f1a18e7d91d06ad3c27566f587&threadid=64834

[rosconey]

i had bolth my self -still have the toshiba

[jackman]

Okay, I'll throw something in:

1.  Cheap Panny Receiver.  Best Buy was closing out the XR25's for $250, you may be able to find a 45 for $300.
2.  Cheap Toshiba DVD mentioned earlier in thread. I think they are $80.
3.  BR-1 kit from Partsexpress.  They are $139 delivered and sound very good for the $$$.  Another option are the Polk Audio speakers Dennis Murphy mentions on his site.  He has a cheap mod that puts these on par with much better speakers.  Figure to spend around $200 for a pair with mods.

$300 Receiver
$80   DVD
$139 Speakers

$489 Total.  You will have to DIY your wires but that would be a nice sysetem for under $500.  Spend a little more and get a foil cap on the tweeter of those BR1's or get the Polks used and mod them.  Even better!

PS-I never got the Usher speakers.  The guy had more offers than he had speakers and it didn't work out.  I was happy because I wanted other speakers anyway.

[doug s.]

i have a pair of the usher speakers; i got 'em for $150 shipped from hong-kong.  same guy sent me a korsun integrated, also for $150 shipped.  my stereo requires a tuna; i am amazed at the sonics of the technics st-8600, which i picked up for $75.  that leaves $125 for a cdp; more if i can get a few bucks from the technics su-7300 that came w/the tuna!    

and, tuna addict that i am, i couldn't resist this philips 185 i yust nabbed on ebay for $27 - could be a sleeper.  i believe the st-8600 may have surpassed one of my all-time faves, the onix bwd-1 w/soap-2 power supply...

doug s.

[ooheadsoo]

Would that be cattylink?  How do you like your korsun?  At $150, would you recommend a korsun integrated or preamp or the bottlehead foreplay?

[doug s.]

Would that be cattylink?  How do you like your korsun?  At $150, would you recommend a korsun integrated or preamp or the bottlehead foreplay?

who is cattylink?  not someone i know.  i cannot compare my korsun integrated to the korsun preamp, or the bottlehead, as i've never heard these.  all i can say is that for $150, it's a damn nice sounding integrated, & that red rose music sold more than a few identical units for $2k...

doug s.

[gary]

For speakers the Athenas would be a nice choice. I would have suggested my little Omage AV21's as another option, as I think they're a steal for $99. But somebody at avsforum might have found an even better deal:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=378257

ecost has these things for $139 with free shipping, the drivers cost $99/pair and they have ribbon tweeters. I'll certainly be buying a pair shortly to check them out, but it sure looks like they could be a winner.

-Gary

[Bwanagreg]

I received a pair of Bohlender A-1's late last week. They sounded very "brittle" (bright and plastic are adjectives that came to mind) out of the box, but now that they have a few hours on them they really are quite decent. Bass is not strong, but they have a nice clear sound. Soundstaging is better than I expected (not a lot of depth though), and they never sound nasty or bad in an obvious way at moderate to slightly loud volumes.

I'm using them with a little AMC tube integrated amp I bought several years ago ($300 reconditioned) and a PC as a source. It's a nice casual listening and game system. The speakers cables are Cardas - total overkill for this system but I had them lying around unused. I would try homemade twisted-pair magnet wire for a cheap but good set of cables.

I haven't yet tried the Powerwave with them (the Cardas spade lugs don't fit the cheesy Pwave breakout box, and I've had no time to make magnet wire cables yet), but I'm guessing it will be a good match.

Recommended for beer-budget systems!

[doug s.]

Would that be cattylink?  How do you like your korsun?  At $150, would you recommend a korsun integrated or preamp or the bottlehead foreplay?

stupid me - i yust realized what ya meant re: cattylink.  for others that don't know - here's the link to a site that adwertizes cheap chinese gear:

http://cattylink.com

doug s.

[ooheadsoo]

Hehe, just wondering because the prices you quoted were as good if not better than cattylink's

[BenF]

I just found it interesting since what you described is what I have, minus the Toshiba. I already had a Sony C555ES.

I am enjoying the XR45 (a refurb; less $  ) into the Polk speakers, which I will upgrade with the mod from Dennis Murphy when I get some time (will I get time ? I hope so). The XR45 really does change over time. It took a month for me to hear the imaging open up. I wish the analog inputs were better.

Interesting to hear the opinions in this thread. But I agree with jackman and put my money on it.

Ben