How do you determine how much to spend on speakers

With 5K you can buy a wonderful amp new.

With 5K you can buy a terrific source used.

With 5K you can buy, with a lot of patient searching, a magnificent speaker, used.

Having the one and only 1 ohm speaker demands the system be built around that. My monos did coincidentally cost 5K, the Source just 1K, and the wires .005K. I only payed 1.5K for the speakers. With my preamp costing 5K too, that would make my speakers just about 9%,

Even at that, it is still the speaker I would build a system around , there being none other that interests me.

Heard the Sjofn Guru system at the RMAF 2007. Pretty good sounding system for $3000. That's the amp,cd player and speakers in the package.
Extremely hard for an individual blend a system that is that balanced and synergistic sounding. It' very difficult to mix and match components as was exemplified in some rooms at the RMAF.

If your wife finds out. she'll divorce you.That's about right

Personally, ive found source components and speakers have 90% of the weight in your sound. So that being said i would spend the money there. If its for a 2ch system get a good CDP or SACDP ill never forget the difference i heard after buying my first rega planet. Also speakers respectavely have alot of weight as well. Theres more to it then just features but you really have to audition and test them yourself to get the best fit. sometime people are more happy with the 300 dollar bookshelfs sound then the 10000 dollar floorstanding imports [rare but it happens] so just make sure you dont rule any company out until youve tried them with your test music. that also being said make sure you have a specific selection of music you know well and would be able to tell differences as minor as possible in the recordings. some say make it your top 10 fav tracks but id be careful, if your like me and VERY picky you may kill the joy in those tracks from endless auditions ;) good luck in the hunt.

p.s. be careful not to be bitten by the upgradeitis bug whilst you audition :)

GREAT SYSTEM but would put you in the 5 to 6 grand range. B&W804N SPEAKERS, CONRAD JOHNSON PV14L PREAMP, MF2500 CONRAD AMP AND ANY DECENT CD PLAY USED FOR AROUND $800, bi-wire the speakers and use decent cables to connect equip but don't spend alot here. I have close to this only I have the mf2250 and it doesn't completely satisfy the 804's but I have since biamped and added another amp. wish I would've got the mf2500 to begin with. speaker placement is critical and my 804's sound great and have disappeared in the music and the sound stage and realness is great. I wouldn't even think about a tuner.

*$2000-$3000 speakers.(many great choices in that price)
*$650-$1000 source(CDP,Turntable or PC system with ext.DAC)
*$1000-$1500 amp,preap or integrated amp.
*$200-$500 room acoustics (absorbers, diffusers)
*NO MORE THEN $400-$500 on cables and tweaks.This can wait.

Start with your dream speakers first. Shop used market, better value.
Next amps or integrated. Source and acoustic treatment to fine tune your room and fix potential, existing room problems.

GOOD LUCK
M.S

Let me have a redo on this, I've just experienced a system that I've owned for 8 years which I thought sounded pretty good but always thought something was missing. I never realized what power cord upgrades, conditioners, interconnects, and speaker cables could do for a system. Oh and not to forget source components, I.E. cd, or tt. I still have the same amps and pre and speakers I've had. I got a new TT and a new cdp which was a major improvement. This wasn't all I also had the pleasure of experiencing power cords and i-connects. I didn't have any idea, I thought a cdp was a cdp and a cable was a cable. If you are looking to get into this hobby and want somewhere to start don't neglect the source components and power cords starting with the source component. Don't spend all your money on speakers as the signal starts at the source or the cord going to the source. It has been an amazing experience for me finally realizing my systems potential and I hope that others don't make the same mistake I made of listing to good amps, pre's, and speakers thru bad sources and cables. I now think that is the most important part of a system.

I'll largely concur down the line with Xxmalakeixx...and DON'T ignore the used gear market.
Modern electronics - even in the low priced mass produced category - are for the most part simply VERY good. In my 20s, it cost many thousands to achieve what is readily available today for a few hundred dollars.
Your source and your loudspeakers will be largely responsible for 80% plus of the sound that reaches your ears.
Don't waste a lot on fancy cables - but DO spend enough for decent quality - and here again, great used bargains out there.

A'goN people, is there a thread with a longer life than this one? Thanks, whatjd

OK, going to place this in this thread and hope the answers make sense to me.

Wife and I have been looking and listening to speakers. She is trained vocal, teacher wanted her to go pro as a teenager. Her likes are classical and opera. Now mine are rock and Jazz. Same story again I know.

Went out to listen to speakers,she liked/loved the Sonus Faber auditor series, the flute player in one piece was a note late she said and like the placement of instruments from the recording. Ok high price here, I also like because of the rich sound and warmth of the speakers

Next set was the Definitive tech Mythos. These speakers are harsh to me. But the wife loved them for the placement of instruments, a major thing for her.

Martin logan, more transparent and warmer sounding to me. Wife could not find the placement of instrument. Could be room set up here as I gather they do need to be placed correctly.

B&W nicer than the Definitive tech Mythos but still harsh to me.

Maggies, both of us liked but how much amp do you need with these? Thinking of probaly 1.6's so you can help figure amp size.

Any help appricated.

hi inwanw:

i own 1.6s. there have been threads regarding this speaker. i will be brief. room size and spl will determine power requirement. i have a 30 watt amp and a 120 watt amp. i use both and have no problems. leave space between speaker and rear wall. at least 4 feet is advisable. ironically, i am looking to replace my 1.6s because of the tweeter. it's too hot, even with a tube amp.

this thread is relevant to me, as i am shopping for a speaker. i am considering only panel speakers.

they can be pricey, i.e., more than $7000, retail.
it makes no sense to have a budget constrain me from findinga speaker which i prefer over the magnepan. there are so few speakers i like, period.

i would say, out of the totality of current production speakers, i like or would own, no more than about 7.

thus, for me, i have an upper limit of $20,000, which shouldn't be a problem. if i were less fussy, it would be easier to find a speaker under $10,000. i have received several suggestions but invariably they are cone-based speakers, which, in general are annoying after some period of time.

What ever happened to Marakanetz, Sugarbrie, Swampwalker, Natalie, and Sean?

Mr Tennis - I just spoke to Soundlabs and tried to resurrect the Rennaisance - that was exactly what I wanted. They build-to-order, so they considered it, but in the end they didn't go for it. Part of it is because I wanted it for 5 or 6 or maybe 7 at most k. They are working on getting the new PX stuff into all their models, and the PX stuff is expensive and still relatively new, so there would have been design costs just for my one-off. In any case, their cheapest full range speaker is the Millenium-2PX and am not sure of price, but perhaps in the 9 - 11k range. They have a high-freq adjustment, so shouldn't be too hot. If your upper limit is 20k, you might be able to go a model or two up the line from M2PX.

I'm getting 3.6s right now, which is under your price range and I assume your very familiar with them, just to say they have option for tweeter resistor to calm it down a bit if desired. I was shocked when I heard how different 3.6 is to 1.6 fwiw.

And lastly I heard Martin Logan was coming out with another full range, could be wrong, but I heard that, so might be worth waiting for.

You are also in 20.1 range, but I assume you are super-familiar with those as well.

Hey - for real fun get a Tympanni IVa and have them reconditioned. Many say those are still the best Maggies, but I don't know how much of that is nostalgia. But there are many, many pairs still running and people swear by them!

Even crazier, some people are taking 3.6s and adding the woofer sections of a Tympani IVa... That should be awesome!

http://www.esnips.com/doc/13d4a7e4-f6f4-4a28-917d-320e04685ad3/June6-3-07-200

A chime in note on cables. If you haven't already broken the bank on speakers and amps, always ALWAYS get rid of the stock power and interconnect cables that may come with your equipment - especially where the analog signal path is concerned. You can get low-end hi-fi (still very decent) for $50-100 which gives you a good bang for the buck.

The nice thing about cables is you can do it gradually over time as you feel the need. I suggest starting with your amp since it's the most power hungry component. Better the signal path with quality interconnects next and then the power cords to the rest of your components. Finally, add a conditioner if you can - even simple ones will do wonders for imaging.

Adding it up, I spent about 10% of my system cost (~$11,000) on cables (60% of that was speaker cable). $100 Transparent Audio power cables (3) and interconnects (1) have done a lot for me. I've tried some more expensive stuff, but found better use for the money in a power conditioner.

A really good 8 ohm speaker could dip down to 6-4 ohms. A good 4 ohm speaker can go down to 2-.2 ohms. If your amp doesn't "double down" when resistance is halved , you're losing music. See what your amp can do , and buy speakers appropriately . Or buy an amp that will handle anything you throw at it and pick up some Maggies.

"How do you determine how much to spend on speakers "
More than you want too :-)

Based on my experience, I would definitely start the development of a system with the speakers. It is the speaker that mostly characterizes the sonic signature of your system. That is, electronics can change how well a speaker sounds, but they don't change the speakers' basic sonic signature. So, i would first make sure that I get a speaker that has a sonic signature I like. I would then try to optimize the electronics based on the speaker I've chosen. I don't think power cables make a huge difference. Interconnects and speaker cables, on the other hand, can make an enormous difference. The above probably suggests that the speaker is the hub of the system, something that you don't want to change that frequently because the rest of the system needs to be optimized on the speaker. For this reason, I would over-invest on it. How much depends on the size of your room. Smaller rooms afford you a smaller investment. I just bought a pair of reference 3a Decapo i for my smaller room...I invested $1200, and I believe it's hard to find much better speakers for a very small environment. Of course medium and large rooms require more expensive equipment...but even here, you can reach pretty good results with a $3K investment. If you like the midrange, for instance, Piquet modified ESL 57 is very close to the best...and they cost $3K.

My logic would be,A SPEAKERS and B AMP are the most important starting point.The rest in time.

Good Luck and have fun!

If I were you I would look at a Madisound Kit or similar if you are DIY inclined as this will save a heap. Zaph Audio/ scanspeak collaboration with Madisound the ZRT is a good bet. I would look at amplifiers next ME, Pass Labs, Accuphase, ARC, VTL second hand are sometimes a bargain. I would run a decent pro PC sound card with XLR out. I use an entry level ASI5111 that EATS most CD players up to $5000. Your computer and its music library are your source. Just thinking aloud you could run a SERIOUS amp with a passive volume control if it has XLR input and out. That is what I run on my PC only I run XLR to RCA out to a flea powered hotted Rogers Cadet III [8w/rms]into ProAc super Tablette with twin 8in bass bins a side run with a custom class A Amp
Loud enough for computer near field monitoring but not a lounge room but I can use the Tannoys for that. $5000 could build you a Killer system as you only need 3-4 components assuming you have a computer. Hope this helps

In 1985,I bought my first hi-fi stereo system at a trustworthy high end local dealer. I was pretty much a novice at the time. I told the dealer my budget was $3000 and he brought me in at $2800 as follows:20% on speakers (Spica TC-50s w/custom stands);7% on Receiver(Rotel 2 x 50wpc);16% on source (Rotel CD player and a used Meridian DAC); 7% on used subwoofer system (10" passive woofer in seperate enclosure and 350w bass amp); 3.5% on speaker cables (a pr. of used MITs)and a whopping 57% on interconnects ($100 on analogs and $1400 on a Goldmund coax digital running between the CD player and the DAC). The dealer did a blind demo for me of the system with and w/o the Goldmund. There was a large improvemnt w/ the Goldmund. I have never again had a cable make such a big improvement.

In 1997 I went back to the same dealer for a new system with a $20,000 budget. This time I spent 50% on speakers (Wilson Audio Cubs w/ custom Sound Anchor stands); 37% on Sonic Frontiers tube preamp and matching 2 x 105wpc tube amp; 7.5% on source (top of the line Sony SACD/CD/DVD player); 10% on Sunfire True Subwoofer; 2% on surge protector/line conditioner and 5% on spkr cables (Audience AU/24), interconnects (Transparent and Wireworld)and XLO balanced cables between the pre and the amp.

Depends on what source you want. Assuming you are going with a cd only - spend no more than $500 there, between $1000 and $1500 on the amp (stay integrated) and between $2000 and $2500 on the speakers. Keep only enough left for speaker wire (#12 or #14, 2 conductor cable - copper - decent quality, i.e. Belden or any other major manufacturer) and decent connectors (i.e. banannas or spade connectors)- you should be able to keep this cost to much less than $100 assuming you don't have 100 feet between your amp and speakers. Do not waste $$ on expensive cable power cords or power conditioners (although a decent surge protector is not a bad idea). Pick your speakers first and get enough clean power to drive them. If you are happy without high volumes and deep low end you can do very well with your budget - particularly if you go with bookshelves. Audition your options and listen for more than a few minutes - if you can't hear the difference between two options without the salesman telling you the difference, then go with the lower cost and reapportion your budget as you go

Well recently I just bought my first system. It consists of the latest Olive Opus 4,
Bel Canto DAC3 and ATC Active 20s with PsAudio's Power plant premier. So you can tell that I've spent like almost 60-70% of my budget on my speakers but then again they are active so I ended up saving quite a bit. My original choices was an Icepower amps from Acoustic Reality and Wilson Benesch's trinity or Discovery. Buying active speakers saved me a sizeable chunk of money so maybe you should go active too with that budget. Consider getting a class leading DAC like Benchmark's or BelCanto's and pair it with a basic transport, and maybe active loudspeakers from AVI, ATC or Dynaudio and you will have a great value for money simple set up.

Don't use price or allocation formulas to build a system. The key is balance, synergy, and value.

You won't know where to allocate your funds until you are actually auditioning units. A good dealer should have units at a number of different price points. This is about listening and about developing good instincts. You should have CD player X and Y, amp X and Y, preamp X and Y, and speakers X and Y in mind and then it is up to you to organize them into an arrangement that sounds good and meets your budget. Also, think about how often you are likely to upgrade and what kinds of compromises you are willing to make. Do you need a lot of bass or would you rather have a more refined but smaller speaker? Ect.

That said, I think in a system like this the speakers should actually wind up being the least expensive component. I would spend $600-$1,200. You would be better off getting a capable but inexpensive speaker now and laying the foundation for a future speaker upgrade with a solid amp and preamp. Build around a really good preamp and amplifier. Split what is left between your digital source and your speakers.

The reason is that, I know for a fact that there are $650 monitor speakers that have the detail, refinement, and imaging to keep up with a much better amp and preamp, but the reverse is almost never true. Pairing insufficient amps and preamps with higher end speakers usually results in an unpleasant system because you wind up just hearing more of the mediocre source components and the purpose of having the better speakers is defeated. Especially if your source is digital, you are going to want to have a really good digital source before thinking about your dream speakers.

For example, I have about $7k of amp/preamp in front of my B&W N804s that cost me around $4k. When I got those speakers I was using an old integrated amplifier (Audiolab) for my preamp and the system was just harsh and unpleasant. It wasn't until I parked about $5k of preamp in front of those speakers that they sounded spectacular. Until that point, they were like having a microscope on my mediocre integrated. This is the type of situation that creates upgrade fever and it can be avoided.

Slapping really great speakers on a system that can't keep up is sort of like that Woody Allen joke: "boy, the food here is really terrible, and the portions are too small." Why would you want more of something that is terrible? Do the front end stuff first and just find some speakers that sound good to you to start.

If you are just beginning, the ‘hi fi’ highway is wide open… as just about everything you buy now will likely be replaced anyways later on.

I’ve not run across anyone personally, though there may well be a few out there, that haven’t at some point made changes to their stereo systems.

Rooms do play a big part, so does life. Decorating. Redecorating. Kids. Changing houses or apartments. So there is probably no one fool proof way to select the ‘first’ pair of speakers apart from a nice pair of monitors. Two ways…. Or just not large pricey floor standers. A good trickle down plan here will help out immensely, as the ‘first’ ones can be applied some where else, at some later date without them becoming a total loss.

A real nice pair of two ways and one or two subs can do an awful lot of music. Movies. Etc… They pack quickly and move easily too.

Without a gob of money, I’ve always gone the receiver route, decent source, and middle of the road speakers, using entry level wires. Then begin adding when and where it’s needed. I went always with an amp addition then.

With a gob of duckets I’d still stick pretty close to that plan depending on my decision to go 2ch or multi as the end result. If the idea was multi ch sound, I’d not get too crazy there and could live with monitors all around, though my past says one pair should be as full range as I can afford. In multi ch, the speaker costs can be hefty and half the budget isn’t uncommon.

In two ch as attractive as the speaker buying aspect seems to be, the front end does mean more in the final analysis. From scratch, I’d get a really decent integrated amp. As nice a source as I could find two good power cords, Decent ICs & speaker cables. The balance of the funds would go towards speakers.

Great loudspeakers don’t sound so great with mediocre front ends as a rule. Midlevel loudspeakers can sound fantastic with great front ends though.

Quite naturally, and it stands to reason, where ever you can add more performance/money to the now system later you will be well served. Be it at the front end, along the way, or at the rear, into the speakers.

As esthetically appealing as are loudspeakers, and certainly as necessary as they are, they need not be seen as the prize piece of ones system. I would also caution anyone whose intention it is to go get brand new loudspeakers, it isn’t a prerequisite they be new for fine results to be had. Pre-owned do very well indeed.

Lastly, if the decision is more set into the esthetic end of the scale, meaning their color or wood coverings HAVE to be one way or another, I WOULD STRONGLY recommend some reconsideration of that note from a fiduciary stand point alone. There’s not a large market for resale of white, purple, green, or zebra striped speakers. They may be stunning at first to look at, but that visual appeal may fade soon thereafter, and oh, what if you’re moving or redecorating in a couple years or so? Specially adorned cabinetry is an elite or niche pick entirely. They diminish later changes and choices.

I know I’ll not be going that way ever again. Classic semi, or piano gloss black, or better yet, a nice warm actual wood veneer well finished will be my choice henceforth. Dark for the most part too.

My current speakers comprise about 25% or so of my system, not counting accessories or cabling… less than 20% I believe if they are added in too. My speakers retail for about $7K at last look. I love ‘em. They sound super. But following the remodeling, their color, to me, is all wrong now.

Plans change. Things one has no idea what so ever to do later on may yet materialize. Going whole hog up front on some pricey speakers without some dedicated plan and lots of resolve can wind up being an expensive move. Or at least, a very regrettable one.

Factor in also if there are limitations of the signal’s purity prior to it’s introduction to the loudspeaker itself, you have undermined the performance of your transducers. Speakers can not make up for signal loss or degradation. This detraction of the signal is the only way to decrease a loudspeakers ability to recreate. Consequently, it doesn’t seem sensible to place the larger portion of the budget there.to do so will cost you music and money. Always.

You will consume the majority of your budget in speakers and will not have enough money for the supporting electronics.

The Speaker / Amplifier interface is critical to extracting the best performance out of your speakers. You need to ensure that everything is balanced within your budget or you will have expensive gear in your system that is under performing.

The room you place your stuff in is just as critical.

So what size room are you listening in?
Is it a bright room or somewhat damped?
Where do you intend to place your speakers in relation to the room dimensions?
How far will you be seated?
Is your back to a wall?
Any sliding glass doors around?
Is there equipment (TV for example) going between the speakers?
How loud do you listen to music?
What types?

Without this information, all the advice you are getting is basically a shot in the dark.

If you want the most value out of your system, then you need to address the questions above first before even considering actual speakers.

5K can make you really happy.
- pick the speakers you love and are comparable with your listening room
- amp or integrated that complements the speakers.
- read about proper speaker setup and room acoustics. Apply that knowledge.
- spend rest on source.

Mariusz

That's easy, $5K for a pair of Maggie 3.6R's. Save yourself a lifetime of desperate searching and ungodly amounts of money like myself and get a pair today...you will be home when you listen. If you know music, there is no other speaker for you:O )

Awesome $5k system:

http://www.bluebirdmusic.com/Ultimate%20Budget.htm

I spent about 45% on my speakers. Then again, its a surround system and they're more speakers to go round. The issue of balance is a very important point because you certainly don't want any more power than is needed for the speakers, nor do you want insufficient power going to your speakers. I had B&W N804 powered by McIntosh MC205 and was more amplifier than the speakers needed, so I upgraded to 803s (the best I can afford). Still the power indicator needles don't move very far.

The fellow that bought my N804 was going to power them with NAD 50 watts per channel, and I told him "gahhhhh nonononononoo" Can you get at least 100 oer side? He was moving to Korea and shipping the speakers back. Apparently its costs less than buying them there.

Much depends upon the speakers you choose in terms of the needed amplification. As a Maggie owner (3.6s) I need more current and watts than someone who prefers horns.

That said, I have McIntosh 501s driving them and a matching McIntosh tube preamp. I bought the electronics used and the speakers new so my balance is about 2 : 1 in terms of preamp, amp and source versus speaker cost. I am not counting the music server I just added as that is an "extra" that not everyone would chose to own.

make up a budget, then only spend $1000 more than you budgeted on the speakers.

that's a plan

If your goal is the best possible sound today, splurge on components and then add reasonable capable speakers. Don't cap a mediocre system off with great speakers unless you are committed to upgrading those components down the road. Great speakers just let you hear more of the source.

What ever the wife says.

Alas it is my bank-account,not I that 'makes' the decision.
Otherwise I would directly order the biggest from Nuddel.
Regards,

Don't worry what your're spending...worry about what you're getting. For example, if you find a pair of used speakers (by being extremely patient) for $250 that were $1800 new then you will have a lot more money for the other stuff. Just have the discipline to use what you have until you find a bargain too good to pass up and build like that. Only buy the best bargains and don't be afraid to use sources in addition to Audiogon, where the sellers may not be so sure of the going rates for their stuff. You can buy a $10,000 system for peanuts if you take your time.

Have to agree with Ddd1,buy used your 5 k budget,can turn into a 15 k system by buying used,just pay close attention to how old the cd player is,and if its been serviced or upgraded.I just spent 700 dollars serviceing my cd player.

The harsh reality is that you can put $5000 speakers in a room next to $500 speakers and the $500 may actually sound better. The room itself plays a critical part in the sound. You don't hear specs and the sound you hear will not be flat due to room acoustics. What you hear in the store will sound nothing like what the speaker sounds like in your home.

I strongly recommend buying a receiver/processor with Audyssey eq built in. It will improve your sound more than spending twice on your speakers, especially if you have a separate subwoofer.

Ignore all the hype on special cables and power filters...don't even think about buying monster cables. Unless you have exceptional ears (and a far larger budget), you will hear absolutely no difference. Just buy cables from MonoPrice and maybe a surge suppressor from home depot.

Finally, since you are sort of new to all this, keep your eyes open for used equipment...especially speakers because they are often hard or a pain to box and ship. Check your local craigslist or do ebay searches for speakers based on distance to your home. Of course, you have to be careful..some of that stuff is way overpriced, but you can absolutely find real bargains if you are patient.

As a general rule..if something is sold in any of the big box stores (e.g. best buy, Walmart,...), don't buy it. They just don't carry any of the good gear. Don't buy all the Bose hype and I've already commented on Monster Cables, etc.

First time poster pondering the same questions as we prepare to replace our 15 year old components and 25 year old speakers. In discussing building with the intent/expectation of future upgrades the one thing I haven't seen discussed is advancements in technology.

Is speaker technology more mature than all the electronics driving them? Technology has left our Pro Logic receiver and tube TV behind but I'm not so sure the same can be said for the Infinity RS7s.

We'll be upgrading speakers to a matched set of surround speakers. So all things being equal, will money spent on good speakers today be compatible/adaptable to advances in the components driving them or will today's speakers be tomorrow's Pro Logic dinosaurs?

No one can afford the perfect speaker; therefore you must determine which is the best speaker for you. You can do this be selecting 5 of your favorite CD's and audition as many different speakers as you can. This will narrow the kind of sound you like best. While the best amps sound similar, the best speakers sound as different as night and day.

The proper question should be, "Which speaker do you spend anything on?". The very best speakers are as different as night and day. Choose five of your favorite CD's and audition as many speakers as you can. Once you determine wich sound you like best you can began to spend money. Top amps sound quite similar; the big question is solid state or tube. Audition, audition, audition.

Oh well, this thread started exactly 8 years ago !

Dollar value have changed... $5K in today's value would be almost $10K

I think the most difficult part is STICKING to your original budget plan :O)

Yes, I have failed on this, too.

I plan to spend 40% on speaker, 30% on solid amp (with most power I can get), and all the others for 30%.

But my speaker department is demanding more budget.
(Every time I listen to new speakers, budget goes up)

I kept the amps and other components under control,(thanks to AudiogoN) but the speaker budget has gone up 50%..Alas...

Is one has good woodworking skills you can take the DIY speaker approach and save thousands and put the money saves towards the front end equipment.

There is a math formula I use,that has worked well for me.take the amount your wife approves,times 4 and lie like hell!

Check your bank account SPEND HALF on speakers the rest on the rest of system!!

Just because it's pertinent and works, I'll interject this once again... and from time to time for the newbies and other's.

A great front end makes even decent speakers better.

Determining your goals in advance will make your speaker choices fewer and to some degree easier.

Easy impedance loads and good to very good efficiency ratings will also afford one far greater flexibility as one tries this and that with regard to system components (amps) along the way.

Middle of the pack $4K to $6K speakers can sound like greatest speakers on earth when the front end attached to them is up to snuff.

Great speakers do not make great front ends... but fine electronics do make very good speakers great. true too there are some very good quite forgiving loudspeakers on the market and even so so gear will make them sing pretty well. Apart from those units however, refined well heeld and resolute speakers require the same in the signal being fed to them.

The keys will always be the same... room size... room acoustics... and the amp feeding the transducers being mated properly to their particular needs.

Systems that are balanced will yeild results beyond the sum of their parts.

So spend what you wish on squeakers but do remember, it's a symbiotic relationship and not a parasitic relationship. Speakers which remain at one third to one half of the total enterprise should be sane enough choices.

The short answer IMO seems to be to spend what you can when you can with the notion in mind that speakers do play a significant role, but not THE role in an excellent sounding system... as everything matters... and I do mean everything.

1/3 to 1/2 of your budget on speakers

It's funny to go back and look at my old post and now with all the changes I've been through with my system and what I viewed as important then and now, ha... I think my speakers are right up there in importance now with everything. Here is how my $$$ was spent on the new system and it is pure magic IMO.
Preamp-14.5%
Source-11%
amps-19%
speakers-19%
Racks-12.5%
Conditioners and power cords-14.5%
interconnects and speaker cables-9.5%

The above for me is all important. If I had to determine what goes last in the event of a down size, it would be very difficult. I would say the last things to change in my system would be the speaker and or racks. I would rather downsize my components if I had to and get the max out of it by placing it on my racks. That said the rack maybe would go before the speakers. That said I think its important not to leave anything undone and make sure you get stuff that works well together.

AT least $20k be a sport!!

Let your ears decide, I figure by the time it's all over I'll have at least 20K in electronics feeding my Thiel CS2.4's. They really are that good of a speaker! Or at least I think so

There is no formula, period. Figure out what works for you. It might be a brand new $200,000 horn speaker system with $1500 used integrated. On the other hand, you might find unbelievable results with $500 worth of used Spicas with a new Ongaku. Many world class musicians find their needs met by very modest gear and might not even know what brand of speakers they have.
Making pronouncements about what fraction of your available funds must be applied to the speaker purchase, reveals a naivete you should prefer to conceal.

I think it is incredible that a thread based upon such a foolish premise has survived this long. Such reflects badly on us as a group.