I am building my son his 1st real stereo. He has a Sony home theatre with those little speakers. Well so far he has : Yagin Hybred amp I never used. An Onkyo cassette deck. Cerwin Vega D5 speakers just refoamed. I'm looking at a Denon 6 disc CDP. Any suggestions for someone just starting out?

doing exactly what you are doing and using what is on hand and/or readily available is a good start. if he shows an interest in developing the system then you build on that. basically i would be prowling craigslist and whatever other resources are available in your area for the used market.

here's a good way to start him out; a PIONEER VSX-D1S AV stereo receiver and a DENON DCD-1500 CDP. both can be had for cheap, are built to last, and sound superb. the D1S alone an EXCELLENT way to start out in hi-fi, your son would find himself hard pressed to find better amplification than the D1S, as it was clearly designed to go toe to toe with just about anything save for perhaps the best pre/power amp combos. trust my six years of personal experience with it; the D1S is a true underappreciated diamond...

Starting out in hi-fi is all about enjoying music and you have a good setup for start enjoying it, but kids today listen to a lot mp3, so you can also add a decent mp3 player.

WHOOPS!! i neglected to notice that you already had set your son up with the bare essentials. very sorry about that, Speakerman...

Thanks guys. I appreciate the suggestions. If I thought he could bias a tube amp I would give him one. If he comes for a visit I'm giving him the Norman Labs.

Can you please post a pic of the Norman Labs amp? I'm aware of Norman Labs Speakers but i think i never saw a Norman Labs amp....

I was talking about speakers. Sorry

Oh, i get it.

giving someone a high-grade system is only worth-while if that person has a real interest. meaning, you can take a donkey to the river but you cant make him drink....

i had a very basic sony boombox when i was 13 and since then i got hooked, kept saving and trying my best to get crazier and crazier components. same with cars (my other hobby), ive spent years and invested big bucks trying to perfect my configurations to the best of my ability.


when i have a kid in the future, i wouldnt give him or her anything unless they truly showed an interest in it.

My son is in Iraq. So it is a coming home gift.

It´s a well deserved gift, then. Since he is no longer a child, give him the best you can afford. If he knows, as I believe he must, how much you like your audio gear, he will cherish it, I´m sure.

You must be a proud father, and yours is a lucky son.

Jorge

I agree with jorge, I think it will be important to him, even if he isnt into music, but it will be very important to him, whether you know it or not. cool gift.

elroy

Good to hear that your son is coming home. That system is a nice welcome home gift.