Newbie to the awesome audiophile world

That was supposed to read, "a bit more" ...

I'm sure your head is already spinning faster than a 45 rpm Mo-Fi reissue, but I'll throw in a couple other ideas you might want to keep in mind.  These are observations based on years in the hobby.  I'd like to consider them common sense, but sense isn't always that common, and I'm sure many would debate these points.

First, simplicity should be your friend when you're just starting out.  Unless you have large quantities of multiple formats of music, pick a single source and work with that.  You can always add additional sources later as budget and interests allow.  For me, the ultimate source will always be vinyl, but can be a bit more finicky than, say, streaming (which I don't even do).  Simplicity also argues for an integrated amp over separates -- one less box and one less set of interconnects to buy.  Yes, you can't stagger your upgrades the way you could with separate pre- and power amps, but that's an issue that's down the road.

Second, buying used can save you a lot of money ... unless it doesn't.  By that, I mean that some components are tailor-made for purchasing used:  amplifiers, CD players, interconnects, speaker wire.  With tube gear, should you go that route, you do need to be aware of tube life and to be conservative you might want to plan for a replacement tube purchase in your budget.  Finally, and this is just me, but I wouldn't go with used for a phono cartridge if you go the vinyl route.  Far too easy to get something that has been damaged or is on its last legs.

Finally, all things being equal -- aren't.  While system balance is vitally important and everything matters, I have always felt that the "first among equals" in any audio system are the components that turn mechanical energy into electrical energy and vice versa.  So I will allocate a big more than an equal share of my budget for phono cartridge and for speakers.  I've found that approach has served me well, and you might too.

Happy listening.

@retsameht01Well you now know you’ll get as many opinions as people in this hobby. I’m sorry this turned into a long post on philosophy instead of gear. Tough to sum up 40 years in one post.

I couldn’t determine if, after this purchase, a. you are finished aside from a mild tweak or acoustic treatment I or b. this is stage One meaning you’re open to upgrades later.
Source: I did not see your preference for a source. In the case of vinyl and perhaps CDs: “if your gear fails to accurately retrieve the information from the medium, nothing downstream, regardless of quality, will correct that. Or the best electronics, connections, and speakers will do a great job revealing how poor the retrieval. Poorly recorded and mastered programming is also a factor but for another session.

Speakers: Consider starting w/smaller floor-standing or larger bookies. You may find that “full size SUV, while a lot fun to drive, is too much of a hassle to squeeze in your garage every day.” DO NOT consider any Home Theatre speakers. Polk’s RTi/RTi A series receive much criticism playing music from their owners for that reason. RT = Reference Theatre. RTi = Reference Theatre improvedRTi A* = Reference Theatre improved Advanced
Unless you like really bright sound these and other “theater” contoured speakers will wear you out.*First hand experience and many posts by others on the Polk forum. I tri-amped mine removing much of the cause

Used gear: I own power amps bought at 1/3-1/2 original $; subs* ~1/4-1/6 the original $ - NO REGRETS! Used higher-end cable and ICs are always a good idea but get your gear first. *DIY in my future😊 details for another day

Connections*: “go back for seconds on these.” Before you seriously shop for gear buy inexpensive connections. I started w/33 cents/ft 12 gauge! Leave these purchases out of your budget**. BlueJeans Is a great place to start. Lotta bang for the buck. My LCR are wired & connected w/their products. *interconnects and speaker cabling ** like having gas on hand to first fire your engine rebuild

From my experience I’ve become anal retentive about wire gauge. Your results will vary due to nominal impedance, the width, depth, and frequency points or range of impedance dips below 6 ohms. Fortunately for you and me, BJ sells 10 ga. For me 12 ga approaches compromise and 14 ga or smaller is ok to connect tweeters and/or small mids in a bi/tri-wire/amp set up. I have 8 ga in my system. I’m sure I’ll take a tomato or two for this paragraph!


So what ever you settle on, buy your gear, connect, and enjoy your “firsts” for a bit. After you can begin to make rational, calculated decisions concerning the “right connections” for system synergy*. The Millercarbons and other A’gon folks will be happy to guide you through choosing connections to that end*.

I’m not quite there* yet either but I think I’m close. You bet I’ll tap the MCs et al for the final polish for these old ears

I think Musical Fidelity makes terrific integrateds representing a tremendous bang for your buck. You can pick up a used 3.5 really cheap. It is a tube/solid state hybrid that will produce a lot of power to drive most any speaker. Great for all types of music, although some folks don't like the "British" house sound. I really dig it.

A used Rogue Sphinx hybrid integrated amp would be huge bang for the buck and would drive most speakers. In terms of speakers, would look at B&W 600 series, ELAC or used Totem or Nola 

+1 n80  Great advice 
Steve Guttenberg has a YouTube clip on audiophile systems for less than $2500. I think you pick your speakers first, then an integrated amp that will drive them, then a CD player and then a DAC (or a combined CD transport and DAC). If you are wanting to stream, then a Bluesound streamer/DAC would be a good choice. Schitt products are great bang for the buck if you want to buy new. But I applaud your willingness to buy used as you will get you more for your budget.  Consider ELAC speakers. I personally would look for a quality two way that gets down close to 40 Hz on the low end. Forget a turntable at this time. If I had to do it over again, not sure I would go down the analog path. 

Good advice from @mossyrocks and while I agree that collecting CDs is not practical per se, I am one who still thinks it is a good idea. And I'm still collecting. CDs are cheap. There is great data out there on what the good recordings are. There are tons of them available. And once you buy it you own it. And for music that you actually own I do not think there is a lower price option than used CDs. Not saying anyone _needs_ to go down that path, but I would not discount it either.

I do not purchase a CD for everything I listen to but I do purchase one for everything that would be on my long term "playlist". I do books the same way. Kindle or iPad is fine for light reading I'm not likely to come back to, but for the stuff I consider important.....I get the hard back.

If you  are going to get in this hobby seriously, you must get top line equipment, if you just want to listen sound just sound so stay where you are now. Because there is nothing between, the ladder has many runs , and addiction to reach the top will be exhausted. 🙂

i have been on this journey for a little over 2 years. speakers requiring
amp requiring receiver upgrade, tube preamp, dedicated Dac, cd player,
Cd player mod, tube preamp mod, speaker upgrade, cable upgrade, new preamp. blah,blah blah. sounds really great now.
if I was staring again?
start with speakers again, but with consideration to room size and volume you like to or can listen to. Some inexpensive setups can sound great at 
modest volume, but crank it up to 'party level' and it becomes a mess.
if most of your listening is digital / streaming then build your system around a hard drive and good DAC. there is so much music out there - to
build a music library around cd's seems unpractical.   
there is a lot of great stuff on canuck audiomart and similar. See if you can trial stuff. Talk to different audio shops about pairings. take your time and be very wary of industry reviews - have you ever read a negative one? Industry reviews are a neat way to discover new music however.
Chow

You can assemble a pretty nice system for 2 grand. Here is my suggestion:
-Speakers: wharfedale diamond 225’s (read the reviews) currently $299 use to be $449, it was selected as the budget component of the year by both stereophile and absolute sound....
-Integrated amp: marantz pm5005 (underated/ great amp/all analog) $499
-turntable: pro-ject x1/ includes sumiko Rainier cartridge (michael fremer calls it the best under $1000 turntable) $899
-CD player: marantz cd5005 $399/or hd CD-1 on sale $399 @ music direct...
-Dac: musical fidelity v90 dac $299, a class a component in stereophile...

All this can be assembled for $2395, even less as sometimes you can find the above on sale. The diamond 225’s as mentioned were originally $449, Music Direct has then @ $299. Please read the stereophile review of them as well as the absolute sound review. They will be much more enjoyable in the long run than the B&W’s, which I find fatiguing after long listening....to replace the marantz integrated mentioned above, I would suggest the audiolab 6000a integrated. It contains a very good dac, so you could forgo the above mentioned MF dac and have it all in one chassis. The 6000a is $899 but can be had for less, sometimes on sale for $699-$799....

You can’t go wrong with Blue Jeans Cables LC-1 interconnects or Blue Jeans’ base speaker cables. Agree on a new TT and cartridge if you want vinyl. The Ortofon 2M Red is a great value. Getting used speakers is smart, but it will limit you to local sellers, since shipping big boxes is so expensive. So if you like what you’ve located already, go for it. But like everyone said, listen, listen, listen. I bet Atlanta has plenty of supply via Craigslist, or maybe search on Facebook for a local audio club.  I don’t know if the PS Audio Sprout fits your speaker choices, but It’s a product the company pretty much designed for someone like you, and at $600 you’d get a DAC along with it and avoid interconnects. Really, for $2000 you can get some very good sound. Good luck.

Those B&W speakers are nice if you like. But buy used speakers.
I would get a Rega Brio integrated. Very well built and good sounding British quality. And then you will have a nice phono stage for MM cartridge and a remote. I would get a Rega RP 1 TT and Rega or Ortophon cartridge. You can probably find a Brio used and decent speakers same. I would only buy a new TT and cartridge. 

Agree on the listening advice - completely impractical and useless for probably 95% of Americans. Read a lot and listen to advice here. You have an idea of the sound you might like and, as you are new, you'll love whatever you buy. Personally I don't think the incremental improvements you get (only up to a point where there are no noticeable improvements just sonic differences) on wire and interconnects is worth anywhere near 25%. Ask around here and you'll get lots of recommendations on decently priced/budget but quality speaker wire and interconnects (I swear by Straightire.com).

Get the most bang for your buck. If you're not going to get or have an LP collection don't bother with a TT obviously. If you do have vinyl read reviews there are a ton of very value-minded good TT/cartridge combos out there, new or used. 

A decent sounding CD player (I'd feel safer buying new) can be had for a reasonable price (I swear by NAD for value).

Streaming: As a beginner you can't go wrong with Bluesound Node 2i streamer/DAC and can upgrade the DAC later. Plus Bluesound has a great phone control app. I use TIDAL as digital source.

Take into account the size and shape of your room for speakers and what placement requirements they have. Some want to be in the middle of the room and that often isn't practical. There's some great small speakers that can be paired with a good budget subwoofer (I like my Emotivas, again for value) and you'll be ecstatic. By all means get the most efficient speakers you can (above 90dB) and buy all the wpc you can afford in an amp but don't forget the current/power supply rating of an amp as well. Good hunting and welcome. 

No fighting please....lol.
😁😁

Sent you a PM. Will probably list them all here on Audiogon soon since only one subwoofer has moved via Craig's list.

Hi @n80 Can you  provide more details on the high end system that you mentioned. I'd love to see what you have for sale and maybe we can discuss further. Thanks.

Agree about the investment advice. I'm selling a deceased relative's high end system for the executor. The gear is 5  years old and like new. Top names. Most of it is being offered at less than 1/2 the new price and I'm not getting any interest.

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 correct Joe.
Investment is 99.5% of the time the wrong term.
Expenditure is the correct term.
On a hobby you can have a love/ hate relationship with also 99.5% of the time.
😁😁

OP, If your head isn't already spinning, I'll add this to the fray;  Consider that most gear is just one economic downturn away from becoming a doorstop. At least half of the companies whose gear I've purchased have gone belly up. Now this doesn't mean that the gear is instant junk BUT you may or may not want to own stereo equipment from a company that is out of business. There are members here who look for older gear from defunct companies. Oft times they represent a bargain as typically the value tumbles after a company closes their doors. Case in point; Snell speakers. I bought a pair of Type B's for the insane price of $675.00.
I'm OK with this as I'll replace my own drivers and crossover as needed.
You need to think if you want to be in the fix it yourself camp or not.
  Next, I've read it countless times here and elsewhere, people refer to their stereo as "investments". Our equipment is NOT an investment! It's money we spend on something we love. If you can get your head around the fact that you're going to enjoy yourself and not go nuts when something you own breaks or goes belly up you'll be happier for it. Good luck! Joe

Have you looked a Schiit audio many people have great things to say about their equipment and it's American made. Not sure if you are looking new or used, your money will buy lots more on the gently used market.

@retsameht01....You've already received enough advice for a lifetime. ;)

Take you time, and some music (cds') with you.
Leave your wallet in the car to minimize rash moves.
Spend more time listening to the equipment vs. the salesperson.
Nothing is Perfect from the start, so start simple; one can always use 'headroom' to learn what one likes and How.

Enjoy the journey....mind the rocks 'n roots on the trail. 
And have fun.  It's supposed to be Fun.
Don't fear mistakes.  We've all made some.

Good variable factors, 
J

Thanks for so many great advices everyone. This is turning out to be one of the best decision joining this forum. Just curious if anyone in here from Atlanta area and I would love to visit and see  what you have setup. I'm in the process of doing research on speakers and then amps. I've already have a Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus as my source and I have it paired with a Chromcast Audio which I can stream to it from the phone. 
So i'm currently checking out ebay for some good used flagship floorstanding speakers. This stereo system is for my living area. It's fairly large with a 2 story ceiling and very open space. So I'm looking for some large floorstanding speakers that can fill that much space and also does not look tiny compare to the room.

OP, as a rank noob I'll go out on a limb here and re-emphasize not to spend 25% of your budget on speaker cables unless you already have or already think you have refined listening sensibilities.


MC will predictably blast me for this....and that's okay. That's what we're expecting and we're expecting him to tell us he gets paid for his consulting and if we don't then our opinion is to be discarded. And he well may be correct.

But here is my reasoning for this: I recently acquired a Bryston amp, a Classe' pre amp and pair of Aerial Acoustics 6T towers connected to the amp with a pair of Transparent G5 Super cables. This pair of 10' cables sell new for $2000 and are not considered particularly high end. This whole system is worth about $20,000 new...at least. Don't worry, I'm not bragging, I did not pay for them and I don't get to keep it all.


As you might expect it all sounds quite good. In fact, amazing to my ears. Well as I was shuffling all this gear around I did not want to fool with those gigantic, stiff, cantankerous speaker cables and just used a pair of Transparent's lowest end basic 14 gauge cable.

I could hear a difference. But guess what? Not much.


Then later, for various reasons I used some high quality off the shelf no-name 12 gauge speaker wire.

Guess what? I could not hear any appreciable difference between and the basic 14 gauge Transparent cables.


The moral of this story IS NOT that cables don't make a difference. The moral of the story is that for most people beginning in audio without a trained ear or particularly critical SQ needs, cables are not likely to make a $500 difference in your listening experience with a $1500 system.

You wouldn't be wrong to take MC's advice. He's an expert. But you wouldn't be wrong to take mine (and other member's) advice either since I've done the two bit test for average ears.

And you can always upgrade cables later, right?


Disclosure: I'm keeping the Aerial Acoustics 6Ts and will be buying a modest amp for them and I will NOT be using the no-name speaker wire. But I won't be spending $500 on speaker cables either.

Tip: Check out the "Music" forums here at Audiogon. You'll get great advice on good recordings and source material without all the arguing and posturing. Really pretty cordial over there.
George

Start with speakers. If I could do it again.... efficient easy to drive always works best because you have flexibility to get an amp that does not break the bank. If you fall in love with a sound of speaker then get it, I did this and still have a couple pairs of my favorite. I would put my money into a decent integrated or amp and pre-amp that lights up the speakers that I like the best. Enjoy! You have lots of time to get the turntable or digital player or whatever source you will use to play music with so much cheaper. Buy used from audiogon or an ebay seller that has a good rating. If you get real lucky you might find some equipment at a garage sale (do not count on it) those days are gone. My two cents. 

MC - maybe good for you to watch as well:

Hilarious. Why people keep getting sucked into this pretentious noobs video is beyond me. I thought by now people know comments disabled translates to- "Warning: Video contains indefensible misleading BS".

Consider headphones. You can get a lot of sound for a few dollars that way.

Welcome!

I suggest that you go around the retailers and listen, listen, listen. Visit a high end store too - they may just treat you a whole lot better than the chain stores - at least, that's my experience. And they often have used/demo equipment too. Main thing is to be exposed to various sounds. Planar speakers are very different from box speakers. Vinyl is very different from digital. Etc. Etc.

You may find that you only need to spend half your budget to get what you want. Then again, you may become like most of us here ...

Just don't get conned into spending a lot for cables, a HUGE profit centre for retailers. Sound of cabling is almost uncorrelated to cost, and what you spend on cabling can't be spent on speakers.

MC - maybe good for you to watch as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUZhtQheELg

Already quite a bit of good suggestions here! I am giving the +1 especially to @cpdkee and @panzrwagn (are you driving a Hummer??) emphasizing good amplification.

The speakers you are eyeing seem both to be decently sensitive, obviously the Kef more so. Like @krameshmurthy, I also have a PS Audio Sprout 100, which has been driving successfully (to my ears and listening habits at least) even less sensitive speakers with the Totem Rainmakers, and currently the Rega RX3's. I happen to also own the Peachtree Nova 300 you mentioned, which I have been very happy with and can definitely recommend, especially given it’s vast feature set. That one has driven Amphion Argon 2’s and currently Anthony Gallo Reference 3.1 (which btw I have seen sell on eBay used as low as $1200, which is crazy) - but unless Peachtree prices have dropped dramatically, the 300 might eat up too much of your budget.

I personally enjoy watching a few youtube reviewers that went through the exercise of putting together systems for a similar budget as yours or have great advice on how to go about the process, how to allocate your budget and what advice to tune out. These guys might give you some additional ideas:

Steve Guttenberg’s equipment advice:
1.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y3SUdc7J2M&list=PLKlGuF--sgHus5VYQ-pUvEEyFh2-_k1SY&index=4
2.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdb8wLd73Tg

Sean / Zerofidelity Really great thoughts from someone who knows well the current market and this video seems largely geared towards people with exactly your type of budget ($1500-2000) “How to manage your Hi-Fi budget! Advice For Beginner Audiophiles.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zFhwqWXXI&list=PL3XRie2Nc6cgv--IgpXPjYWLEJJcot8S1&index=13

And not to forget John Darko, addressing beginner audiophiles on what to IGNORE (until later) before getting too caught up in some of the advice that is overshooting the goal as outlined by you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUZhtQheELg

Sorry Millercarbon. Crazy to spend 25% of a $2000 budget on wire. Infinitely better spent on active components at this level where another $500 can buy you big improvements.

Said the guy who has never been paid to actually put together a system on a $2k budget. Easy to imagine. Different to do. I did it. Was paid for it. By a customer who told me he has lots of friends with far more expensive systems who won't believe his cost so little. Beside himself with pleasure, he is. Because the fact of the matter is $500 will buy way more performance in wire than you can ever get with a $500 component upgrade. Admittedly this is a fact you can only know by actually doing. Until then you can make up all the imaginary facts you desire. So dream on. Dream on.... 

All pretty good discussion, but at the end of the day, for $1,000 it will come down to a pretty short list of integrated amps. Mine would include:

1) NAD 368 - 80WPC, much more peak, modular upgradeability, decent phono stage, lots of awards
2) Marantz PM7000N 60WPC, Streamer, Phono, Bluetooth, WiFi, Alexa, Google Home, high build quality, high sound quality
3) Peachtree decco 125 SKY  120WPC, Small footprint, big value, Good DAC, phono stages, great streaming app, best-in-class remote. Power if you need it.
4) Arcam SA-20 80WPC British, killer DAC, looks 'high-end'
5) Rotel A12 60WPC Good reputation, good flexibility
6) Rega Brio, 50WPC, because the British like 'pace & rhythm' whatever that is, and supposedly the Brio has it.  

Sorry Millercarbon.  Crazy to spend 25% of a $2000 budget on wire.  Infinitely better spent on active components at this level where another $500 can buy you big improvements.

I recently(a year ago) decided to dedicate more time to listening to music. I was in the same predicament. I had a smallish budget and just wanted great sound. I personally love old school floor standing speakers. I found a pair of original EPI M150's for $200. I bought a Sony receiver with Bluetooth and started streaming. This is my progression over the next year:

Onkyo receiver with phono stage
Tube buffer for iPod
More expensive tube buffer for ipod
Escient music server/cd player 
Fluance rt80 turntable(gift)
Upgrade cartridge in turntable 
Complete speaker rebuild from Human speaker, new cloth ect
Rogue Audio Sphinx 2(demo $1100)
Audio engine B1 Bluetooth converter
Fluance RT85 with Ortofon Blue

The moral of my story? I could have saved money if I commited to the Rogue Sphinx right away. The speakers are very personal and they look awesome and sound like more then $200 with a $365 rebuild. I still obviously have a very modest setup at around $3000. To me it sounds awesome. I think part of the sound is seeing the progression from low end to upper low end! It is night and day from where I am now and where I started. I see myself going to an Ortofon Bronze cartridge and having the sphinx 2 upgraded to the sphinx 3. I could live with this system for a long time until I really want to blow some coin.

You could keep it simple an jump right to $1000 integrated and $1000 speakers and be happy. I think you might just miss out on the experience. 

The best advice is to read and listen on your own and avoid these kinda forums.

Second best advice is to start with gear you can buy online and return.

I made a list of well reviewed gear I figure will synergize well around the 2K mark and change.

SYSTEM 1

Bluesound Node 2i streamer
XTZ EDGE A2-300 amp
PSB Alpha T20 floorstanders
Transparent Wave speaker cables
Audioquest NRG-4 power cables
Audioquest RCA Mackenzie interconnect cables

Or go even simpler...

SYSTEM 2

Marantz pm7000n amp/streamer
QACOUSTICS 3050i floorstanders
QED Silver Anniversary XT speaker cables
Audioquest NRG-2 power cables

Any piece of gear listed that you keep will be easy to sell as you upgrade.

I stared my audiophile journey as a teenager. Broke as a joke raking lawns and shoveling driveways for cash. 
Like me then, you can’t afford an amp with big balls so SHOP for highly efficient speakers that sound great to you. 
Listen to as many as you can before buying. 
FOMO is death. Take your time. 
Find a used integrated amp with the fewest features and the largest power supply. 
It’s gotta be HEAVY. 30lbs plus. 
All it really needs is a source selector and a volume knob. That’s it. 

Stream a high quality source like Qobuz through a decent DAC. You should be able to find a Musical Fidelity V-90. For a couple hundred bucks. 
Speaker placement is REALLY important. Get ‘em out into the room with you. 
In a small room or apartment a great pair of 2-way bookshelf speakers on a couple of cinder blocks will sound fantastic. 
Dim the lights... crank it up and enjoy. 

I think in addition to budget we need to know where the OP is coming from in terms of listening experience and expectation as well as where he wants to go.

OP, if your listening experience with high end audio is fairly low then that is a huge advantage as far as I am concerned. Inflated tastes are expensive.


And I agree with rok2id about what you can get for the money these days.


I have a modest $500 system at my cabin that sounds great to me and I enjoy it every time I'm there. It does not sound like my primary system but it most certainly doesn't sound 40x worse even though it cost 40x less.


Does that have anything to do with my lack of experience? My lack of critical listening/hearing ability? Sure could. But if I can't and won't ever be able to distinguish and appreciate some minute sonic distinction then it certainly does not make sense to pay for that distinction.

While I think listening to various speakers and amps in high end shops or on loan in your home is great advice............it isn't very realistic for most people. Most of us do not have high end audio shops nearby and even if we do the selection is likely to be limited especially when it comes to speakers that only cost $1000 a pair.

My recommendation: Find a pair of speakers that review well and meet you budget. Find an integrated amp that reviews well, meets your budget and technically meets the requirements of your chosen speakers. Chances are it will sound great and you will love it. Buy some large gauge high quality speaker wire, cut it to length and put decent quality banana plugs on them. This is simple and cheap. No need to spend 25% of a $2000 budget on cables yet. Do that later if you feel like you need to. 

Then spend time positioning your system in your listening room and hearing the differences. Then spend time getting the highest quality source material you can get. I'll be pilloried for this but don't expect crappy recordings to be made un-crappy in reproduction no matter how good your system is.

Don't let anyone suck the fun out of it by making the process painful. And don't get sucked into never being happy with what you have...unless that makes you happy.

I have to agree with a number of the posts as 1) you do have to consider the sources and 2) there are so many options and each of us have our own personal “bias” as it relates to the sound we like. For many years in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s I went on the quest for the best system I could put together - finding the most transparent speakers, neutral electronics, best turntable, etc - ultimately ending up with a system that cost over $20K (but wow what a system). At some point, real life (family, moves, etc) kicked in and all of this became secondary and time was spent on other priorities. About 4 years ago, I realized that I have time and missed just sitting down and listening to my records and CDs and was tired of listening to my digital sources on ear buds (OK, I did have some rather nice headphones) and restarted my search for some basic components. However, I was much more focused on the pure enjoyment of the music than the hunt for the best components and ended up with a PS Audio Sprout integrated amp and floor standing speakers from Q Acoustics (the 3050’s) - both had been well regarded “budget” components. I can’t recommend those enough (both have been updated since) and in all transparency I have since “upgraded” my system mostly by finding many of the components I owned in the late ‘80s. I share this because I was able to put together a truly enjoyable system for about $1000. The PS Audio Sprout had a decent phono stage (moving magnet only) as well as a built in DAC including Bluetooth. I think there are a number of these types of integrated amplifiers now on the market (NAD, PS Audio, Music Hall, etc) and you may find that these provide all that you need and will let you put more money into the source.

I hear you and was not meaning to disrespect your points at all.

I didn't think that at all.  One thing  newbies have going for them today is, GOOD stereo equipment has never been as inexpensive as it is now.  When I compare modern day stuff price wise, to stuff I purchased back in the day, I was robbed!!

I once bought a Sansui Receiver for $245.  63 watts per channel, the marketing boys squeezed out every last watt back then.  I shudder to think what the other specs were, probably all bogus anyway.  But, it had a wooden case and a nice light show.   I was in heaven.

My last receiver cost $299 new.  Harman Kardon, HK 3490.  Night and day.

Cheers

My audio system was paid 500 dollars for the three main parts (amp-dac-speakers)...

The sound is so great that i will not upgrade it....

The most important thing is how to embed the audio system in the mechanical dimension where we must learn to controls the resonance, in the electrical grid of the house where we must learn to decrease the general noise floor, and in the acoustical field of the room which we must learn to controls and expand in quality....

Dont buy costly component, learn first how to put them at their true potential level....

No costly component will give to you hi-fi by virtue of his price only.... And no components will magically solve by itself these 3 embeddings problem....

Read and think, listen, dont spend much money before a few years and before knowing how to embed an audio system....

Upgrading is a costly myth....

 

My recommendation is to buy what you love the sound of. It’s like picking a favorite color....it’s unique to your tastes, and there’s no wrong way to do it.

As a rule of thumb, speakers tend to influence the sound the most, but the more revealing the speakers are, the more you can hear the other components, so in a high res system, everything matters...learn how to optimize your components to get the most from them. It’s also worth noting that smaller speakers with a little less bass output are easier to match to a room than large boomers. You can always add a powered subwoofer system later on if you feel the need for more bass. Speaking of the room....it’s a huge factor, so you may need to address your room as well.

I’ve owned a lot of amps over the years. None have brought me more pleasure than Bob Latino’s VTA ST-70 from Tubes4hifi. Tube amps can have incredible resolution that offer insight like nothing else can, and are easy to listen to. It’s within budget as a kit, which depending on your skill set might be a tall order, but it’d sure help you learn about and appreciate what you’ve got....food for thought. Used components and kits can help you get better sound for your dollar.

It’s a journey with a learning curve and filled with great music....enjoy it!

@rok2id 

I hear you and was not meaning to disrespect your points at all.

But I do believe there already exists a wealth of pertinent information within this forum already.

I honestly would not know where to start with suggestions for $2000 all in.

Three of my carts cost more each😂😂.
My perspective now is very skewed unfortunately.

Which is why I suggested just trying to read as much as possible first.

So I was/am in a similar budget room as he is. I started with a $350 rotel  995 preamp and 1050 amplifier, a pair of klipsch Cornwall verticals I got for about 700, techniques 1500 turntable for about 200, a shiitte modi 3 Dac 100, with a cheap $50 Bluetooth from Best Buy. 200.00 cables and an old but good sony cd player 200 and 150.00 power conditioner and surge protection.
Not the greatest set up but around 2000 bucks after searching and buying and selling Online for about a year or so. Since then I’ve added klipsch lascalas, corner horns, Heresys and various tube amps for other listening rooms.  It takes time and I’m slowly upgrading things as I go, for instance just added a beautiful Sota sapphire turntable that I get a great deal on and another luxman amp.
to me the best advice is to get Super Efficient high-quality old-school speakers a decent newer solid-state amp to start, good cables, a nice dac entry level like blue sound or similar and at least to start  with a run-of-the-mill turntable That won’t break the bank.  The high-efficiency speakers let You have a foot in both tube amplifier entry level stuff, and decent low wattage solid-state amps that won’t break the bank

Read a lot, dont spend much, think, learn......

Rather cynical rok2id??

Not my intent, but, you would think that with all these audiophiles and all this gear, there would consensus on something.   At least ONE thing.   And EVERYONE speaks their opinion with Authority.   What's a newbie to do?

My advice:  spend as little as possible until you have the experience to know for yourself.

Cheers

Good Luck on your Quest...listen ,listen, listen to as much equipment as you can before you lay out 2,000..But there is alot of good used equipment at killer prices...Once you decide  then look for used if it out of your price range..

Rather cynical rok2id??

I truly cannot say that has been my experience over the years but maybe I have either just been lucky or asked the right questions.....

Ymmv