New or used???

I second T_bone's advice and urge you to find some local audio enthusiasts who are willing to guide you. Please take no offense, but IMO the chances of anyone new to the high end walking into a high end salon by themselves and maximizing the return on their $10,000 investment is remote. I don't care how good you think your ears are, it would be like someone unfamiliar with fine wine showing up to a blind tasting and selecting the Grand Cru Bordeaux. And you can't depend on your friendly charismatic retailer having your best interest at heart. Below if the website for the Colorado Audio Society.

Regards

http://www.coloaudio.com/CAS

Here is one for the "buy new" team. The audio gear that I buy new are my BABIES, not someone else's sloppy 2nds. I don't know what you've done with your speaker ports, and frankly, I don't want to know. I want to be the first (and only) one to get friendly with my speaker ports.

Find a good dealer (they ARE out there) and BUY NEW. It's fun. Don't be a scrooge. Buy the right components the first time, buy them new, and keep them.

Thanks Bongofury, T_bone, Phaelon and Goatwuss. A friend of mine who has more experience "shopping" for high-end has actually been showing me the ropes, so your advice has already been well-heeded, Phaelon (but great advice, nonetheless). As for listening tastes, I have quite a range, from afrobeat (Fela Kuti is god) and krautrock (Can, Neu, etc.) to jazz (lots of In a Silent Way period Miles, early Bill Evans, Tito Puente/Eddie Palmeri) and hip hop (prefer old school) to reggae (Burning Spear, Lee Scratch Perry) and all varieties of soul/funk and rock ... and, yes T_bone, even a bit of electronica/house music.

Thus far, I've spent vastly more energy (and $$$) putting together my music collection (my fiancee and I own more than 5K CDs ... her music is mostly world music), so I decided it was time I really "listen" to my collection. Anyways, I'm babbling, but I truly love music, so I'm open to any suggestions you all may have as to fitting equipment for someone with my schitzophrenic tastes.

Jhkear, with 5k CDs, it appears as if you have your priorities sorted. Next it is simply (ha!) a matter of choosing your tools.

While I applaud Goatwuss for his supporting his friendly local dealer, those of us who use horns don't have to worry too much about the speaker port business. And anyone with those ideas playing with tube electronics has a good reason for selling anyway. If I bought new, I would be more inclined to buy direct from a manufacturer but that is my own preference and people should do what makes them most comfortable. Personally, I am happy to 'recycle' good electronics (I never would have been able to buy my system new) and be slightly scrooge-y.

As for what equipment would be good, the listening part is key. If I knew then what I know now, I would have started (and I started with a budget similar to yours, maybe a bit less) with Oris horns and some bass cabinets, some tube amps (maybe using 845 tubes for the mid and treble, and KT88s for the bass?), and for CD player, I'd be doing it on a PC (Mac actually) feeding a DAC (and to get all that for $10k, you might have to go used and DIY...). But that's just me...

Best of luck, and let us know how you get on...

5k CDs, eclectic variety - nicely done. Many of the good folks here on Audiogon are well healed hobbyists who build there systems by continuously trading one piece of equipment for another; there is nothing wrong with that but it can be a very expensive way of doing things and, except for the lucky few, cost prohibitive if your always buying retail. That's not what I'm getting from you. I'm sensing you're about the music and that the equipment is simply a means to that end. Over time, high end equipment will expose you to musical insights and and nuances previously unappreciated; your listening skills and personal taste is going to evolve. All systems involve compromise and I guess what I'm wishing for you is the flexibility to make a few advances down the road without taking the financial hit you will surely take if you buy retail. I have a passion for tubes but it took time for that to develop. I'm only telling you what I wish someone told me 20 years ago.

Regards