To Jeff Fritz,
I have zeroed-in on the Sonus Faber Venere 3.0 and was glad to read I have chosen well. Your review was most helpful to me.
If you could help me further I'd be much appreciative. I am finally able to buy a system that is not boxed together like my previous stuff. In the future, I do not want to mess around with surround sound. I would like the SF Veneres to be my speakers, but do not know what to run them with.
I do like the option of radio. So I think I want a receiver. It would not matter if I had to add that later. I also want to listen to CDs and iPods and watch movies.
If you would be so kind as to recommend the components that would maximize the SF speakers I would really appreciate it. I would rather buy used but will buy new. Thanks for your considerations.
Tom
I've been super impressed as of late with the Cambridge Audio gear. Looking at their website, I would audition the Azur 651A integrated amplifier, which, at 75Wpc, has plenty of power for the Venere 3.0s. It is a stereo-only unit, and since you say you do not want surround sound, this choice will maximize your sound quality with just two loudspeakers. In addition, the 651A has a USB input so that you can feed it digital signals. This will open up a world of possibilities for you -- your iPod obviously being one. At $800, it seems a steal.
You could also look into NAD's products, which we know to be very good, particularly their integrated amplifiers. They also have models with digital inputs so that you can feed your iPod directly into your amplification component. If you have a spare laptop, you might want to consider ripping those CDs so that you can forgo buying a separate CD player. Lastly, there are some integrated amplifiers on the market that have tuners built-in. Mostly, though, tuners show up in receivers. If that is really something you want, do look into both NAD and Cambridge receivers -- both companies offer ample models to choose from. . . . Jeff Fritz
