NO, No, NO! "They only gave about $5K for speakers, so that looks like my speaker budget."
NO! Larrybou, don't get trapped in the compartmentalization of the previous allocation of funds for the system. If I understand correctly, you have new, free reign to reallocate the funds (I don't see how the insurance company could dictate how the system expenditure is allocated), and by doing so can end up with far better sound than if you stay with the valuation placed on the speakers by the insurance company.
I strongly suggest you look into one of these options; integrated amp, integrated DAC/preamp ( I currently have an integrated amp, as well as an integrated DAC/Pre under review). Either of these should allow you to allocate more than $5K to speakers, which imo will enable you to set up a superior system overall.
This may be a perfect opportunity to move to file playback if you have not already. You should be able to get far superior sound quality with a PC or Mac and file playback to a more recent DAC. The switch to file playback may seem daunting initially but the outcome is well worth the effort.
I strongly suggest you consider reworking the entire system, not simply replacing the components with same and limiting the speaker budget. You have the potential, rare as it is, to upscale the entire system by several steps. :)
I suggest you invest the time/dollars to attend a show or two and come away with a stunning rig, not just a redo.
NO! Larrybou, don't get trapped in the compartmentalization of the previous allocation of funds for the system. If I understand correctly, you have new, free reign to reallocate the funds (I don't see how the insurance company could dictate how the system expenditure is allocated), and by doing so can end up with far better sound than if you stay with the valuation placed on the speakers by the insurance company.
I strongly suggest you look into one of these options; integrated amp, integrated DAC/preamp ( I currently have an integrated amp, as well as an integrated DAC/Pre under review). Either of these should allow you to allocate more than $5K to speakers, which imo will enable you to set up a superior system overall.
This may be a perfect opportunity to move to file playback if you have not already. You should be able to get far superior sound quality with a PC or Mac and file playback to a more recent DAC. The switch to file playback may seem daunting initially but the outcome is well worth the effort.
I strongly suggest you consider reworking the entire system, not simply replacing the components with same and limiting the speaker budget. You have the potential, rare as it is, to upscale the entire system by several steps. :)
I suggest you invest the time/dollars to attend a show or two and come away with a stunning rig, not just a redo.