This can be daunting, and AGON members have all sorts of budgets and incredible passion (meaning many will stretch their budget to get the next better thing). Not a bad thing, but can be confusing for the newcomer. I believe it wise to think about your sources- advice given many times by others on here. If streaming, that can solve many issues around budget. If vinyl, be prepared to expand your spend considerably. Again, these are choices and each have sacrifices. You can start streaming with a phone and a simple DAc and get reasonable sound for little money. I have a high end older Cd transport and DAC, but for streaming I have started with a simple Raspberry Pi and DAC hat that sounds just fine. And do not forget the room effect on sound. Eventually put some money away to improve the acoustics. Many will tell you to start here, and it probably makes sense- but without some music the room changes are just sitting there.
You are fortunate to be near a big city- lots of used gear on Craigslist. I saw a variety of interesting speakers- Martin Logan, Vandersteen, ESS, and Thiel. The 2.3 Thiels currently for sale are great speakers but slightly less efficient than 90%. I like them because they can play all types of music well. Ditto on the Vandersteens. Also saw some nice integrated amps- Luxman, Adcom, etc. Having done what you are attempting to do, I started with speakers- a signature piece, and built around that. Speakers are what you hear and their voices are very different. They also will determine your amp. Now the reverse is also true- if you buy a flea watt tube amp it will force you to buy an extremely efficient speaker, but IMHO you hear the speaker voice, so I started there. The rest of the system is critical, but again, if you love the speaker you can get the rest of the equipment to accommodate as long as you don't go too radical on inefficiencies.
One word of advice- there will always be good deals- don't buy because it is a good deal. Buy because it meets the voicing you are looking for.And don't rush. Time is your best friend. Enjoy the music.
You are fortunate to be near a big city- lots of used gear on Craigslist. I saw a variety of interesting speakers- Martin Logan, Vandersteen, ESS, and Thiel. The 2.3 Thiels currently for sale are great speakers but slightly less efficient than 90%. I like them because they can play all types of music well. Ditto on the Vandersteens. Also saw some nice integrated amps- Luxman, Adcom, etc. Having done what you are attempting to do, I started with speakers- a signature piece, and built around that. Speakers are what you hear and their voices are very different. They also will determine your amp. Now the reverse is also true- if you buy a flea watt tube amp it will force you to buy an extremely efficient speaker, but IMHO you hear the speaker voice, so I started there. The rest of the system is critical, but again, if you love the speaker you can get the rest of the equipment to accommodate as long as you don't go too radical on inefficiencies.
One word of advice- there will always be good deals- don't buy because it is a good deal. Buy because it meets the voicing you are looking for.And don't rush. Time is your best friend. Enjoy the music.