Advice for a new hi-fi customer

Congratulations and welcome to the world of Hi Fi!! It's an EAR-opening experience!! I think you are on the right track in upgrading your speakers first. Speakers have the THE single-most audible effect on your system's sound. I suggest you listen - REALLY listen - to a LOT of speakers before making a buying decision. Make sure you visit more than one hi-end store too, because they probably carry different brands that you will want to audition. B&W and Paradigm make some great entry level audiophile speakers - be sure to check them out. Next should be an amplifier upgrade, hopefully one that you can audition with your new speakers to make sure they work well together. For value's sake, stick to solid state stuff for now. You may want to consider a standalone CD player. (check out California Audio Lab's new players around $1,000 or a used CAL Audio Icon MkII w/ Power Boss upgrade around $700) Even though you have a DVD player, I've found that my Icon MkII sounds WAY, WAY better on CDs than playing them on my Sony DVD player. DVD lasers are focused differently than a standard CD laser, which may account for the audible difference; or maybe it is in the electronics, I don't know - but my ears can HEAR a difference. And you can pick up a used Icon under your budget restraints! Remember, your amp and speakers can only reproduce what they are given by your CD player and preamp. Extract more info from the CD, pass it unchanged through the preamp and you get better sound at the end of the chain. Cables are dead last on the list, although you can use them to fine tune. Just don't go overboard on cables - I don't think it's worth it. Get yourself a subscription to Sensible Sound magazine ($29/yr, bimonthly, (800)695-8439). It's a great little mag that "helps audiophiles and music lovers to spend less & get more." It's right up your alley (and mine, too). It's real easy to get seduced by $15,000 speakers and $20,000 amps and $1,000 cables covered by the glossies like Stereophile. I know because I subscribe too and I have heard those $250,000 systems I'd die for. But, alas, we all can't afford such luxuries when we have things like car payments, mortgages, family, etc. So get Sensible Sound while you are waiting for the lottery winnings. And let your EARS tell you what you should buy, not the ad hype, salesperson, or anything else. This hobby should be about ENJOYING THE MUSIC, not becoming hyperanalytical, anal-retentive, compulsive tweakers. Don't fall into the trap - HAVE FUN AND ENJOY GREAT SOUND!!! Good Luck!!

Again welcome to HIFI, You will be glad that your Bank statement will never be this hi again. LOL. Personally I would go with technology before speakers. Take alook at the different HIFI MAgs and read read read. If your just entering in I would take a look at Adcom, B&K, Rotel Products, you can find excellent products and value here. Especially if you buy Dealer Demo's, the B&K AVR101 is an Excellent product that well get your Bose Singing like never before. The reason I like the B&K is it is up gradeable to different formats as they come out. So you won't out grow it. Secondly everything has a different sound so you need to build your system around 1 center piece, and I beleave that is your Pre/AMP/Processor. From there pick out your speakers, ect. And don't get caught up with cables and line Conditioners and stuff yet. They can and do make a difference but that will come later.

you should ignore electronics and replace your speakers first, simply because they are probably awful. You can make decent speakers sound pretty good, even with older electronics, but bad speakers will always make expensive electronics sound crappy. Go ahead and buy your maggies, then listen to them for a while. buy used electronics of high quality, and you will save A LOT of money.

Get the speakers first. They will provide the ultimate test of everything you buy afterward, because if some future component does not make the maggies sing, you know to look elsewhere. I have owned the predecessor to the 1.6's for years and I swear by them. Take one component at a time. Maggies like a lot of good, dynamic power. If possible, audition any new component at home, in your system (good dealers will let you do that). Make your decisions based on how components sound in YOUR stereo at YOUR home, not in the showroom. Enjoy! It's a great ride!

Start with speakers, BUT ALSO TREAT YOUR ROOM WITH ACOUSTIC TRAPS. THE ASC "FRESCOES" ARE THE BEST VALUE. E-mail me with specific questions, and I'm happy to help. Also, get some Sennheiser HD-600 headphones, so you can hear what your speakers/amp/room are doing wrong, and figure out how to fix it.