Audiophile newbie


I'm a mid-twenties yuppie. I love good sound, but I'm also not reckless with money. What are some basics I should know about when in comes to audio set-up (pre-amps, amps, speakers). I actually don't understand what purpose a pre-amp serves.

Here are a couple straight-up questions:
What does a pre-amp do?
What are the concerns to consider when choosing cables?
What are the best "bang-for-your-buck" brands? (ifi, Arcam, Vanatoo?)
jwilsco

Showing 1 response by b_limo

Blue Jeans cables, some sort of music server so you have the option of streaming music (I wouldn't buy a cd player, and not a turntable either), look at used gear (NAD, if you have a little more $ look at McCormack amps, Conrad Johnson, Classe,).

ZU Speakers, Tekton Speakers (very efficient so these play loud with less watts; 80 watts should be plenty.

You'll get sound advice here. If you want the easy road, give us your budget, room size and decore (wood, glass, etc), type of music you're after and whats most important to you... Tone, imaging, dynamics..??