Best beginner system about 5,000.00


Hello all,
Im new to this site but have been an avid "stereo" guys for years. I love all music ( except rap, hip hop etc ) but my main go to is ckassic rock. I currently have a Dennon x1000 for my jome system since i use this for both music and movies, tv etc.
I want to put together a dedicated music system soon. I really like the look and sound of some of the 70's amps and receivers but considering the price of most vintage units currently on the market, i am looking at going with maybe a tube amp, turntable and tuner separates along with speakers if course.
I would like to keep the cost around 5,000.00-6,000.00 for all. 
Can anyone recommend  a set up in that cost range. 
I prefer sq over volume but still like it a "little" loud ;-)
After all it is rock & roll.
Thanks for all of your considerations.

Chears
burkeys66
What I am using now in my office is really good for the price. KEF LS50 ($1000 new) + Peachtree Nova 150 integrated ($1300 new). I also have a tuner and SACD player hooked up to the Peachtree (not need by everyone). I stream music from my computer and also TIDAL via a Sonare microRendu ($600).

I also have $700 worth of GIK Acoustic sound panels to make the room sound great.

I think today you can get some serious high quality sound for low amount of money. I am not sure how much a record player would go for but I think there is a few thousand dollars to spare with what I have listed,
The system in my home office is my 2nd favorite (out of 4). 

Audio Research VSI55 (used, about $1800)
Klipsch Heresy I with Bob Crites crossovers, woofers, mids, and tweeters (Approx. $1300)
Onkyo T-9090 II tuner (these usually go for around $350+, I found one for $220)
Thorens TD 235 EV turntable ($700)
Jolida JD9 phone stage ($600)
Wyred 4 Sound Dac-2 ($600)
Rythmik F15 subwoofer ($675 used)

That's a little more equipment than you were looking at.

I might do a couple of things differently if I were starting today. I would probably look at a different turntable, maybe a Music Hall, Pro-ject, or Rega in that price range and a Parks Puffin phono stage. The wyred DAC is a little long in the tooth now. 

The main thing is that the Audio Research tube integrated and the Klipsch heresy speakers sound really nice together. You could look for some of the larger Klipsch speakers if you don't want to add a subwoofer. I listen to Classic Rock more than anything else.

Having said all that, I don't think anyone can recommend the perfect system for you. Everyone has different tastes.  You set your budget high enough that you could put together something pretty nice, and if you buy used, you can try different things out and flip things that don't work in your system.

Op there are many possible systems to recommend but without knowing critical data it is hard to advise you:

1: How big is your room?
2: Do you value clarity such as the ability to hear small details important or is smoothness  more of an issue? Most clear sounding systems may be a bit more fatiguing.
3: Is the size and look of the speakers important or not?
4: Would you prefer to purchase used which can save some money but due to the ever changing variability of the market may make getting a system very difficult as you can not actually hear anything.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ


My two cents:
The PS Audio Sprout 100 is a great little integrated amp and only about $600.  That leaves 90% of your budget for the other items.  You are going to get a million suggestions on speakers, but agree with those who will say you need to listen to them.