i was ready to upgrade from using my ht for. i had been surfing forums talking about the used market. took a look.
bought my speakers first. im a jbl fanboy so i searched for what was near my budget. i found a pair of l890s nearby. loved the look. bought them unheard. the guy selling them had a room full of speakers and other gear. like easily 8 different speakers. i figured id be ok.
and for sure, the best speakers ive ever owned. authoritive tight bass, lush mids and smooth highs. ive had them for about 6-7 years. buying 2 of the matching subs was a game changer. i look forward to listening to them every moment i get.
my pre, i took a chance on as well. it was actually a vintage jbl prepro, sdp3. i bought because, jbl. i didn't know what to expect but it turned to be a fab piece for me. hard to put words to.
i matched it to an audiosource model 3 amp, bought primarily because it was 150wpc and $150. it definitely does the job. i liked it so much i bought 2 more. 1 went to biamping my towers, the other is a spare.
i bought a schiit modi 3e and saga+ when the prepro acted up. hell it was nearly 25 yrs old. the prepro really sounds better than the schiit stack, doh.
i inherited a marantz 2215b and had it restored. it's nice. not even enough ass to push my towers.
i dont have upgrade money at the moment. id have to spend at least 5k+ to do better than what i have for speakers. ive listened to the possible candidates. working on jbl hdi3800s.