Where to begin?

[The_Lecht_Rocks]

No, nowhere near as good as a Cambridge Evo, not even comparable. The Eversolo Play, like WiiM, has low-cost Ti based amplification that will reveal its limitations very quickly with demanding speakers or at higher volumes.

The Cambridge Evo is a substantial piece of kit that competes with the Naim Uniti Atom.

Apologies as I didn’t mean in sound terms but in a low clutter all in one solution it was comparable……..comparable…….
I have an EVO150 and can attest to its superb value for money and abilities……

 

[jjbomber]

Eversolo Play Streaming Amplifier, CD edition at £699. It has a built in phono stage as well. Future proof if you ever get into streaming. Just add speakers. Dali Oberon 5 in dark walnut for me, but there are a load of choices.

As if by magic:

6 things I learned testing a CD-playing, music-streaming amplifier from this modern hi-fi brand

These features make an enticing first impression

www.whathifi.com

 

[Shrek]

As if by magic:

6 things I learned testing a CD-playing, music-streaming amplifier from this modern hi-fi brand

These features make an enticing first impression

www.whathifi.com

nice bit of kit

 

[matthewpianist]

I can very confidently recommend the Mission 778X amplifier. £549 buys you a flexible amp, with built-in DAC, phono stage and headphone amp that are all excellent, and it's all nicely screwed together as well. At present, if you want to keep things compact, the Pro-ject CD Box E can be found for £199. It's tiny, and best suited if you tend to play a CD all the way through rather than skipping between tracks, but it sounds excellent.

Less quirky in operation is the Audiolab 6000CDT, but that's a lot more money and a transport only - no hassle seeing as it could be connected to either the optical or coaxial input of the Mission. You could get the CDT paired with the Audiolab 6000A amp (either one of the last of the outgoing model, or the new MkII), and that is also an excellent combination. If you fancy a bit of retro, the Leak Stereo 130 and CDT are also excellent, and share a lot of parts in common with the Mission and Audiolab components (all are made by IAG). In short, it's hard to go wrong with any of the IAG products around this price.

Any of these options leaves you with ample to choose some speakers. I've kept coming back to Dali over the years, and can warmly recommend any of the current Oberon range. With either the Mission or Audiolab amp, there is enough neutrality and sufficient grip to work with a good range of different speakers, so it's worth doing lots of research on this part of the system. I'd be cautious with KEF (I've listened to the Q3 Meta and the Q Concerto Meta and was very disappointed), and ELAC (I had the Debut 3.0 DB6.3 and could best describe them as a bit of a wet fish), but there's loads to consider from the likes of Fyne Audio, Monitor Audio, Mission, Wharfedale, Dynaudio...

If you fancy adding streaming, you could go as simple as a WiiM Mini, find a middle path with a WiiM Pro Plus or Ultra, or go for something like the Eversolo DMP-A6gen2 or Bluesound Node Icon. To be frank, I have the Eversolo and a WiiM Ultra here, and although it has some advantages (principally a better screen), the former doesn't justify being more than twice the price of the WiiM.

 

[SteveH72]

I think we’d all like to know which path the OP took

 

[record_spot]

The OP mentioned previously she's on holiday in September and not looking to get into any buying till October at least.

 

[gasolin]

Active speakers like edifier

 

[Entrigo]

Welcome to the forum!

Lots of great advice already.

I would also recommend, as record_spot suggested, to consider what type of sound you want.

I recognise it is not something a first time Hi-Fi buyer normally thinks about, but as I learned on my own skin, can make a big difference to the level of enjoyment you get out of it.

Do you like a warm and smooth, musical sound? In which case the Marantz units which have been widely recommended are a great option. However if you want something more incisive or crisp and detailed, I would look perhaps at something like Audiolab or Cambridge Audio.

In terms of units, I personally would go down the separates route if you have the space. Easier to upgrade bit by bit if you fancy a change down the road, and arguably you get better sound from dedicated amp and CD player (based on my own research and loads of advice received when looking at a Naim Uniti Star amp/CD player combo earlier in the year - short story, everyone suggested separates.)


Always in terms of sound, also consider the speaker /amp pairing. I see Q Acoustics were recommended alongside Marantz - again from personal experience when I was looking for new speakers for my Marantz set up a few years ago - I was advised by a few people to be careful of that pairing as it can produce a sound which is possibly too warm and soft, as both have the same sound signature.

Once you have decided on what you want out of your system, draw up a shortlist and go to a store to listen to a few options.

I know you said you'd rather buy new, but I would strongly recommend to look at ex-demo or customer trade-ins in stores. You can get much more hifi for your money that way. As someone who has gotten the upgrade bug, I stopped buying new and only look at used or ex-demo. I appreciate buying used from private sellers is not for everyone, but buying ex-demo /used from a reliable retailer is a great and safe option.

Enjoy the journey and keep us updated!

 

[Entrigo]

P.s. I had the AT LP120 15 years ago or so,, my first "adult" turntable when I went back to Hi-Fi. It's a decent first deck which also has a built-in phono, so you don't need to buy an amp with a phono input. Most amps do have that, but it could give you an extra option or two.