All-in-one CD-receiver vs. component receiver

Question

I am looking for a music system for my living room. I haven't been really listening to the music at home for years (only going to classical music concerts), and now want to bring it back into my life. In my childhood, I used to have a high-quality tape recorder, amplifier and stereo speakers. It was in the pre-CD era...

The goal is to: 1) Be able to listen to CDs (primarily classics); 2) Replace 2.1 computer speakers, which I now use to play films from my PC and TV/radio programs from the cable receiver (I use a big monitor as a screen). Not that I don't like them, but I'd like something stationary, with a remote, to stop (dis)connecting cables all the time. 3) (Ideally) I'd like to be able to stream music from my smartphone as well.

I do not care about the surround thingy for fancy movie effects: the films I like have been around for much longer than 5.1 :)

The question is: What should I buy? Letting the speakers aside (one needs them in any case, and they are a matter of taste to a large scale), I am trying to choose between an all-in-one Bluetooth-and-network-enabled CD-receiver-amplifier (so far my favourite is Onkyo CR-N755 + Onkyo UBT-1 Bluetooth dongle) and stand-alone receiver + CD player (then I still need to do market research).

The main differences between the two options are: 1) An amplifier does not have a CD-player, I will need a separate box, more expensive. 2) An all-in-one system is very much limited in terms of connectivity. The best I've found (CR-N755 mentioned above) has two input channels, which is just enough to cover my current needs (cable receiver and PC). A lot of them also do not have the subwoofer output (is it true that big speakers can play basses just as well? again, I am only talking about classics, so drums and double-basses).

Answer 1

If you are happy with the sound you get from a smartphone or PC , I would argue you'd be happy with an all-in-one.

I don't think the "22w" the Onkyo says it'll provide would be enough for a pair of speakers that would do the dynamic range and fidelity of classical music justice , especially as a subwoofer isn't a good-match for classical music so won't be there to help.

I would find the speakers you like first (if you have room I would suggest a good pair of floor standers), then find an amplifier or all-in-one that'll provide all the power they need by a large margin.

Good luck.