I am moving into a small condo unit in a few months and starting to look at higher end audio stuff.  But keep in mind when I say higher end, I mean better than my current laptop to decent computer speakers setup.  I don't mean spending $5,000.

My current audio stuff (don't laugh, there is a reason why I want to upgrade) includes a NuForce uDAC2 and AudioEngine A2s.  I also use Grado SR-225i when I want to listen to music without disturbing others.

Because of the small space, I want to keep my setup relatively simple.  And owning my first home and paying it all by myself also means a small budget.  I was thinking the other day that the most simple system I can come up with is a CD player with powered speakers.  And if I want MP3 playback froma USB drive I can get a CD player that has that campability.

So I came up with this relatively simple setup:

Yamaha CD-S300 & AudioEngine A5+

My question is, am I getting even close to being in the high-end territory with this setup?  Or will I be better served with a slightly higher cost of:

Yamaha RS300 Stereo Receiver & Yamaha CD-S300 & PSB B5 Image speakers

I would appreciate any comments or suggestions.  I have looked hard at used but everything available are items that are not reviewed much on the internet.

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