Well, let's start by saying that speakers should be of first concideration when starting a sytem, most always!!!...not components! The speakers are at least 40-50% of the sytems (minus room acoustics) sound quality, concideration wise. So, to start out recommending you matching components before recommending sepeakers, in my oppinion, is putting the cart before the horse!
My recommendation would be to use the 1/3 rule, and go find some speakers that would equate to about 1/3 of your toatal budget range, that seem to work for the music you like! Then,once you've narrowed down the choices, try to ask some people what kinda gear works best with em, that would fit into that price range to finish out the sytem!
Really, also, a lot has to do with what you listen to and how you listen. If you haven't noticed, every reviewer and every audiophile in general, all have different equipment!...different tasts, rooms, needs, etc. No system is the sytem to have for every senario at every price range...Food for thought. However, certain speakers do seem to do best mated with certain types of gear often. So this can, again, be more easily accertained when you figure out the speakers that will suit your particular needs! Speakers like dipolar ribon planer or Electro static spakers will cause you to have to sit down in one spot to listen! Dynamic Piston Driver speakers will be more room friendly for around the house listening...you must concider.
Also, chose your digital front end after concidering your source needs! (i.e, CD's, SACD's, DVDA's, etc...)
Things like DVD multi source players can offer some great sound overall from their mediums they handle, for the money. But, usually, these sacrifice a bit of dynamic contrast and weight compared to better separate dac/trans combo's!
After concidering you speaker choices, and room conciderations (size, accoustics, etc), SYTEM MATCHING will be the single most important factor in getting good sound with your speakers! It's all about BALANCE, and making your system compontents compliment each other and work as a team!..they gotta go well with each other!
However, all that being said, may I recommend a few USED EQUIPMENT system choices to concider for general wide varriety CD music listening purposes/dubties/conciderations, not factoring for tuners or Phono...(Also, figuring for Non Rap music listeners, bombastic bass junkieshere, or ear bleed loud practitioners...no offense, just assuming the audience here...). Also, no biamping or other trick measures concidered either.
... System 1)
speakers) Sonus Faber Electa Amators (used @ $2300 avrg)
preamp) Pass Lab's L solid state preamp (used @$1k avg
amp) Threshold T 200, 100w/ch Class A (used $1.5k)
CD trans) Theta Data Basic (used @$450)
DAC) Theta Pro Progeny Or MSB link III(used $300)
Cables) Harmonic Pro 11 spker wire (used 8ft/pr @$250)
newer Harmonic Truth Link/Audio Quest Python
($400 for 2 pair used interconnects)
Kimber Illuminti D60 digital cable ($125 used)
Sytem 2).....
Speakers) Thiel 2.3's (used at $2300'ish)
Preamp) Audio Research tube pre (like LS2,LS22,or LS7)
(better tubes required, all used @ $700-900)
Amp) Pass Labs X150 solid state ($2k used)
Digtal) Same as previous or some DVD player piece
Wires) Same as previous, or similar
System 3)...(more polite delicate hi-res system)
speakers) Magneplanner 1.6 (used $1400)
Amp) Audio Research VT100 tube amp(Used $2600)
preamp) Aud Research LS2,LS22,Or LS7 tube ($700-$1000)
Digital and cables) Above mentioned choices, or other
System 4.....(sleeper system!!!)
Speakers) Thiel 1.5's (with Sound Anchor stands)
Amp) Some high end tube integrated number with at least 50-60 watts! (Cary, C.J., Audio Research, etc.)
CD) Sony SCD777ES SACD player (used $1400)
Cables) Above mentioned choices (used, $7-800)
...AND WOW!...WAY TOO GOOD FOR THE PRICE RANGE!
Other nice considerations to consider that would fit into this price range to concider building sytems around (depending on bass needs and dynamic range) would be....
....1) Proac Response 1.5's (used $1700)
2) Audio Physic's Tempo III's ($1800 used)
3) B&W 804 nautilu's (used $2200)
4) NHT 3.3's (used $2200)
5) Celestion Kigstons (used $2200)
6) Apogee Mini Grands (used $2400)
My recommendation would be to use the 1/3 rule, and go find some speakers that would equate to about 1/3 of your toatal budget range, that seem to work for the music you like! Then,once you've narrowed down the choices, try to ask some people what kinda gear works best with em, that would fit into that price range to finish out the sytem!
Really, also, a lot has to do with what you listen to and how you listen. If you haven't noticed, every reviewer and every audiophile in general, all have different equipment!...different tasts, rooms, needs, etc. No system is the sytem to have for every senario at every price range...Food for thought. However, certain speakers do seem to do best mated with certain types of gear often. So this can, again, be more easily accertained when you figure out the speakers that will suit your particular needs! Speakers like dipolar ribon planer or Electro static spakers will cause you to have to sit down in one spot to listen! Dynamic Piston Driver speakers will be more room friendly for around the house listening...you must concider.
Also, chose your digital front end after concidering your source needs! (i.e, CD's, SACD's, DVDA's, etc...)
Things like DVD multi source players can offer some great sound overall from their mediums they handle, for the money. But, usually, these sacrifice a bit of dynamic contrast and weight compared to better separate dac/trans combo's!
After concidering you speaker choices, and room conciderations (size, accoustics, etc), SYTEM MATCHING will be the single most important factor in getting good sound with your speakers! It's all about BALANCE, and making your system compontents compliment each other and work as a team!..they gotta go well with each other!
However, all that being said, may I recommend a few USED EQUIPMENT system choices to concider for general wide varriety CD music listening purposes/dubties/conciderations, not factoring for tuners or Phono...(Also, figuring for Non Rap music listeners, bombastic bass junkieshere, or ear bleed loud practitioners...no offense, just assuming the audience here...). Also, no biamping or other trick measures concidered either.
... System 1)
speakers) Sonus Faber Electa Amators (used @ $2300 avrg)
preamp) Pass Lab's L solid state preamp (used @$1k avg
amp) Threshold T 200, 100w/ch Class A (used $1.5k)
CD trans) Theta Data Basic (used @$450)
DAC) Theta Pro Progeny Or MSB link III(used $300)
Cables) Harmonic Pro 11 spker wire (used 8ft/pr @$250)
newer Harmonic Truth Link/Audio Quest Python
($400 for 2 pair used interconnects)
Kimber Illuminti D60 digital cable ($125 used)
Sytem 2).....
Speakers) Thiel 2.3's (used at $2300'ish)
Preamp) Audio Research tube pre (like LS2,LS22,or LS7)
(better tubes required, all used @ $700-900)
Amp) Pass Labs X150 solid state ($2k used)
Digtal) Same as previous or some DVD player piece
Wires) Same as previous, or similar
System 3)...(more polite delicate hi-res system)
speakers) Magneplanner 1.6 (used $1400)
Amp) Audio Research VT100 tube amp(Used $2600)
preamp) Aud Research LS2,LS22,Or LS7 tube ($700-$1000)
Digital and cables) Above mentioned choices, or other
System 4.....(sleeper system!!!)
Speakers) Thiel 1.5's (with Sound Anchor stands)
Amp) Some high end tube integrated number with at least 50-60 watts! (Cary, C.J., Audio Research, etc.)
CD) Sony SCD777ES SACD player (used $1400)
Cables) Above mentioned choices (used, $7-800)
...AND WOW!...WAY TOO GOOD FOR THE PRICE RANGE!
Other nice considerations to consider that would fit into this price range to concider building sytems around (depending on bass needs and dynamic range) would be....
....1) Proac Response 1.5's (used $1700)
2) Audio Physic's Tempo III's ($1800 used)
3) B&W 804 nautilu's (used $2200)
4) NHT 3.3's (used $2200)
5) Celestion Kigstons (used $2200)
6) Apogee Mini Grands (used $2400)