What you're doing is very dangerous. Forums such as these can be entertaining and even informative, but the random opinions of others (myself included) will probably generate confusion. Nobody replying to your post will ever sit in your music room and hear music they way you do. Ultimately you will have to trust your own ears. With that out of the way, here's my opinion -- good move starting with the speakers. Other than the room. the speaker is the cornerstone of a system. Plan on spending 30% of your total budget on speakers. Next select an amplifier that is compatible with your speaker. Be careful not to over budget for your amplifier; allocate maybe 10%. Plan on spending an amount equal to your speaker outlay for a source component. Assuming you are going digital, then I strongly recommend you go with a CD or DAC that can be directly plugged into the power amp. This will eliminate your need for a preamp. The above components form the core of your system. At this point you still have 30% of your budget to play with. My suggestion is to spend this money on whatever makes your core components work their best. Cables, powerline conditions, room treatments, Feng Shui, whatever... One final note, plan on spending at least 10% of your budget on new music. After all, listening to music is the real point. Enjoy!
Upgrading audio from speakers...Help!
Hey guys, I have recently upgraded my speakers from a pair of Infinity Kappa 8's to A pair of Matched Legacy Focus. I'm going to start re-building my system from these speakers and heading back through the audio chain. Will go with room treatments since this is a dedicated stereo system room. Where do I start in the chain? I'm thinking since I have the speakers with which I'm going to build my system around I should start with acoustic treatments of the listening room. Would like some suggestions, since this will be a time consuming project, as funds permit. If you don't mind, let's go for the best bang for the buck. I don't have unlimited funds, however you can see that I might be in the audiophile price area with which your expertise is, and within my budget. I live in a very small town so being able to audition equipment is not an option. I have been relying on your expert suggestions to get me this far, and informed in the higher end of audio. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Have read the books and mags that have been suggested, and have my own thoughts on where to start. Would love some suggestions from the pros. This could be quite a long project, and if anyone is interested in helping me along my journey, with suggestions, watch a re-born audiophile blossom. Hey, if this doesn't work out, then sorry for the imposition, and maybe I've had a few too many Frosty Beverages. Hey, with yall's help previously, my wife and I have recently gotten back into vinyl and are having a ball. Thanks again everyone, and hope you don't mind me picking your brains.