Best 1,000 complete system for girlfriend ideas

There is a lot of good advice. Teac and Denon both have very nice systems (mini/compact) for under $1000 that sound good. Take a hard look. The girl friend factor is probably worse than the wife factor. Do not play around with used electronics. Used speakers are OK. Good luck. Contact me if you want to go over this in more detail. I used to be in the industry and have seen it all. Cheers!

Lance, i did something similar with a lady friend of mine in the past. She was looking for a system and had been looking at "rack systems". She was about ready to buy, but needed another week to come up with the rest of the money. Trying to steer her in the "right direction", we went to a local audio shop that carried very nice gear. I explained to the owner what she was looking for and how much she had to spend. He picked out components and assembled a system for her while we waited. It consisted of a cd player, integrated amp and small two ways that were sealed.

She sat down to listen. Not only did she think that it sounded VERY clean, clear and natural, she was amazed at how much sound came out of "those little speakers". After all, she was comparing them to big ported boxes with a large woofer. The owner of the shop suggested listening to a different amplifier, actually a receiver. That way she could decide if the trade off in sound quality would warrant the inclusion of a tuner. His thinking was that she would be better off with a a good basic system and she could always add a tuner in a short time. She replied, "i'll never be able to hear a difference in that stuff", but he hooked up the receiver anyhow. She instantly said "wow, it sounds like somebody put a sheet over the speakers". She COULD hear the difference and it was obvious. She was using audio terminology even though she didn't know it. The receiver sounded "veiled" in comparison to the integrated.

In the long run, she bought the rack system. Not only did it have an equalizer, more lights, looked fancier and had a remote, it came with "BIG" speakers and the rack too....

Bottom line. Work with her WHATEVER she gets. It may not be what you would like her to have, but it IS her money and decision. Besides, listening to her system will only help you to appreciate yours even more : ) Sean
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I wouldn't go overboard. Whatever you get you probably aren't going to be able to set the speakers/room up properly. The speakers will almost certainly end up flush against a wall and off axis from the listening position. This rules out anything rear ported like the B&W 303.

Source: Pioneer DVD player, ballpark $175
Amplification: JoLida 301A tube/mosfet hybrid, $350
Speakers: Maggie MMG's, $550
Cabling: Donate some of your old stuff

Okay this is a bit over your budget, but not much. The key component is the little Maggies. I think she'll like their openness and not miss the high volumes and deeper bass of a box. Of course if she doesn't like them, you have 60 days to return the mail-order-only MMG's for a full refund. Can't beat that!

Alternative amplification - used Arcam integrated. I like Arcam better than NAD, but the little JoLida unit with the tube front end is more musical.

My daughter has a system that works well for her needs. It has a tuner, multi disc cd player, and is relatively compact.

Denon DRA-295 (50wpc w/tuner 250$)
Yamaha CDC-685 (200$)
B&W 601 S3 (450$)

900$ retail, about 750$ new w/discounts. She was originally looking at all in one solutions, but for a little more money achieved better sound and flexibility w/the above setup. The 601s are front ported and come with a foam plug that can be used if there are placement restrictions.

I have a second system w/NAD C350, C521, and B&W 602.5 S3. This is about 1400 retail, but you can get the cost down by shopping for discounts and substituting w/less expensive speakers. I made my own ics (Cardas RCAs and Kimber PSB TCSS braided cable), and have Mapleshade Golden Helix speaker cable.