I have been raiding the pawn shops, Audio Advisor blowouts, and used gear at my local hi-fi stores for decades now. I have helped friends and neighbors get into good systems for good prices. I have direct experience with integrated amps from Creek and Cambridge Audio (put them into friends' and neighbors' systems), and Musical Fidelity. I currently use or have recently used the Parasound ZAmp, Adcom GFA 535 II, the Adcom 50channel GFA 7500, and a Carver 175 wpc pro audio amp. I have extensively used the highly touted '80s power amps, the Amber Series 70 and VSP Labs TransMOS 150, plus I bought and auditioned an Outlaw RR2150 receiver at home for a month before sending it back.
After all that, I have found that one very affordable integrated amp trumps them all--the Onkyo A-9555. Although it lists at $799 and is competitive at that price point, it can still be found online for under $500. It absolutely walks away from all the above named amps (except, perhaps, the wide bandwidth Adcom multichannel) in every way--speed, bandwidth, current delivery, frequency extension, low level detail, microdynamics, smoothness--everything you want an amp to do. It sounds more powerful than it is; rated at 85/170 wpc into 8/4 ohms, it also delivers up to 80 amp peaks of current. The noise floor is subterranean.
Furthermore, it's a particularly good match with ported Canadian speakers such as your Paradigms. I play mine into a pair of mirage OMD-15s and it's a superb match.
Make no mistake, I can say from direct experience that this Onkyo destroys the Outlaw and betters all but the most expensive Cambridge in smoothness and musicality. I haven't heard the NADs from the BEE series, but I'll venture that the Onkyo matches their overall gestalt and one-ups them in power and current delivery.
The line stage of this unit is nothing to sniff at, either. Although I primarily got it for my turntable (the built-in MM phono stage is also excellent), I found that its lower noise floor and speed delivered more ambience and detail from digital sources than I'd ever heard at home before.
Onkyo also makes a compatible iPod base that comes with its own remote, but which also works with the one that comes with the A-9555.
For a disc player to stay in budget with this amp, it's the Oppo DV-980H at $169. Smooth and organic on its own, it also plays DVD-A and SACD, and is well-regarded as a transport. You can upgrade later with an outboard V-DAC or DacMagic, but the Oppo sounds pretty good as-is.
After all that, I have found that one very affordable integrated amp trumps them all--the Onkyo A-9555. Although it lists at $799 and is competitive at that price point, it can still be found online for under $500. It absolutely walks away from all the above named amps (except, perhaps, the wide bandwidth Adcom multichannel) in every way--speed, bandwidth, current delivery, frequency extension, low level detail, microdynamics, smoothness--everything you want an amp to do. It sounds more powerful than it is; rated at 85/170 wpc into 8/4 ohms, it also delivers up to 80 amp peaks of current. The noise floor is subterranean.
Furthermore, it's a particularly good match with ported Canadian speakers such as your Paradigms. I play mine into a pair of mirage OMD-15s and it's a superb match.
Make no mistake, I can say from direct experience that this Onkyo destroys the Outlaw and betters all but the most expensive Cambridge in smoothness and musicality. I haven't heard the NADs from the BEE series, but I'll venture that the Onkyo matches their overall gestalt and one-ups them in power and current delivery.
The line stage of this unit is nothing to sniff at, either. Although I primarily got it for my turntable (the built-in MM phono stage is also excellent), I found that its lower noise floor and speed delivered more ambience and detail from digital sources than I'd ever heard at home before.
Onkyo also makes a compatible iPod base that comes with its own remote, but which also works with the one that comes with the A-9555.
For a disc player to stay in budget with this amp, it's the Oppo DV-980H at $169. Smooth and organic on its own, it also plays DVD-A and SACD, and is well-regarded as a transport. You can upgrade later with an outboard V-DAC or DacMagic, but the Oppo sounds pretty good as-is.