Best combo - integrated amp/ speakers/$8,000

For what it is worth.

MF A308CR Integrated
B&W 803
With SR cabeling

Good Luck in your search.

Thanks for the thoughtful comments. I should have said something about my personal preferences. I listen almost exclusively to "classical" music. A lot of piano and guitar music. And a lot of opera. Once in a while some jazz, but increasingly less often. I don't care at all about hi-fi fireworks. I value accurate timbre reproduction above all else. And at this point, I don't want a system that's overly tweaky.

That is why I focused on a reliable integrated valve amp and a pair of good mini-monitors. Quicksilver has a reputation of making valve gear that will last forever. Is the same true for BAT and VAC (and others). Which of the many small monitors out there is really the best Quad substitute? The deCapo MM? Spendor? Harbeth?

Some of you have given me some nice insight into htis. Thank you again.

JM Reynaud Trentes with an Audio Note integrated or Audiomat. Excellent for your musical preerences. Or consider the Blue Circle CS integrated, also good with the Trentes.

Either a used BAT or Rowland and a pair of Tyler Acoustic Lynwood Monitors. Great for the type of music you listed.

Hi,

I have much the same preferences as you. VAC is a good choice in electronics if those are your goals, and there are certainly other great tube amps out there, but like VAC, most are pricey. There are some SS amps I like as well. Spendor, Harbeth, Ref. 3A are all good choices in box speakers for the type of sound you describe, and my personal favorites of the ones I've heard, but none of them are going to give you quite the same realistic mids, resolution and naturalness as Quads. I've also owned Living Voice Auditoriums, which had virtues as well but not for the sound you describe. There well may be other box speakers that are better for this sound, but I haven't heard them. A dilemma for me as well. I have a small listening room, and the Quad 57s I had were wonderful but just too large (actually too wide). I don't think any box speaker is going to give you the naturalness and resolution of a good ESL for vocals, piano, etc. if you can fit them in your room, although you will sacrifice some LF extension, and poorly recorded music will display their limited dynamics/unnaturalness. Also, reliability/repair is a big issue with older Quads. Good luck, and let us know what you do.

TLH