Saint2, welcome aboard!
Before buying anything on Audiogon I would suggest reading the forums extensively in order to get an idea of what you'd like to spend and which brands would appeal to you musically.
Also at the same time I would recommend visiting as many high end audio stores and listening to as much as you can in order to gain experience and form your own opinions about the equipment you've heard and how you like the music presented.
If you can listen to a friend's system that would probably be even better than visiting a store. At a friend's you can relax and spend more time trying different configurations. Also, since audio stores usually take more care to display the equipment than to set it up for maximum performance you might not get a good feel for the gear.
Unfortunately, the only reliable way to judge a component is in your own system. Auditioning equipment in a foreign acosutic environment to your home's can greatly reduce the reliability of the comparison.
That's one reason I've taken the expensive, but fun approach. I research, research, research, then buy it used on Audiogon.
I've learned far more about a piece of equipment from the give and take discussion on Audiogon than from reading any review in a magazine. I've rarely been disappointed and always enjoy hooking up a new piece of gear for the first time to see if everything I've read is true and to hear how it synergizes with the rest of my system.
I've had over 70 transactions on Audiogon and have had only one bad deal. I've bought and sold just about all types of components except large floorstanding speakers and big subwoofers. They can be a real challenge to package and ship safely.
If you're careful and do your research, I think you'll find that buying used is both satisfying and cost effective. Plus you'll make a lot of new friends.
Good luck!
Before buying anything on Audiogon I would suggest reading the forums extensively in order to get an idea of what you'd like to spend and which brands would appeal to you musically.
Also at the same time I would recommend visiting as many high end audio stores and listening to as much as you can in order to gain experience and form your own opinions about the equipment you've heard and how you like the music presented.
If you can listen to a friend's system that would probably be even better than visiting a store. At a friend's you can relax and spend more time trying different configurations. Also, since audio stores usually take more care to display the equipment than to set it up for maximum performance you might not get a good feel for the gear.
Unfortunately, the only reliable way to judge a component is in your own system. Auditioning equipment in a foreign acosutic environment to your home's can greatly reduce the reliability of the comparison.
That's one reason I've taken the expensive, but fun approach. I research, research, research, then buy it used on Audiogon.
I've learned far more about a piece of equipment from the give and take discussion on Audiogon than from reading any review in a magazine. I've rarely been disappointed and always enjoy hooking up a new piece of gear for the first time to see if everything I've read is true and to hear how it synergizes with the rest of my system.
I've had over 70 transactions on Audiogon and have had only one bad deal. I've bought and sold just about all types of components except large floorstanding speakers and big subwoofers. They can be a real challenge to package and ship safely.
If you're careful and do your research, I think you'll find that buying used is both satisfying and cost effective. Plus you'll make a lot of new friends.
Good luck!