Best system under 5K - that is a challenge

Salsero, nobody who is a member of Audiogon pays full retail for their equiptment. Also, with mainstream electronics their is a difference between "street price" and "retail price." Furthermore, most dealers give some type of a discount or "throw" in something like cables. Anyway, I'll take the bait:

Coincident Victorys 4,600.00*

Antique Sound Labs Wave mono amps 200.00

Sony CDP with output level control 150.00-200.00 (see below)

2 feet of the best speaker cable you can get for 50.00

(*maybe Coincident will give you 2 feet of their CST since you paid full retail for their speakers, if they do beg for an IC too, otherwise use what came with the CDP!)

Buy all used here on 'Gon.Used Cary intergrated,B&W 805's or half a dozen other $2K-2.5K list monitors/floorstanding and a Rega P3 and Sony SACD333.
$1K (give or take)for sources,$1750 for intergrated($3K list you can get it for that price.This is an amzingly good value 80wpc tubes what more do you need?),and $1500-2K for your speakers depending on where your tastes lay (bass vs.not etc).Might even be able to buy a brand new Cart with leftover.Save on cable budget at first then get something sensible like Kimber when you want to ice your $5K cake.Oh and if you go solid state or don't play loud and have a smaller room Maggie 1.6's are an amazingly good deal and can be gotten new for $1600.A quick responding sub like a Vandersteen ($750 used)can augmnent it latter.Five grand will buy a killer system.

I am using an NAD S500 CD player C160/C270 Pre-amp/Amp with Vandersteeen 2 Ce Signature speakers and it sounds pretty darn good to me.

Marakanetz - Was given the same ($500) challenge by my good friend a couple of years ago. $100 Thorens (forget the model number), $100 used inexpensive Polk monitors, $300 Fischer 100B integrated (post Fischer Doc). (Of course we went over budget with the Grado green cart and I had to give him speaker cable for his birthday, but the system sounds pretty good for the money).

I recently put together a system for a friend based on info gleaned here, from friends and AA, attempting to get the biggest bang for the buck. Ended up with Maggie MMG's, NAD C-370 integrated (both new) and a used Arcam Alpha 7. Total cost about $1200. I set it up Mon night for her, and nearly defecated in my pants when I fired it up it was so good. Speakers and amp brand spankin new right out of the box this little system sounded glorious, dynamic, great stage, beautiful midrange and highs, and the biggest surprise of all, pretty damn good bass. I've had/heard systems that cost many multiples of this that didn't sound this good.