i'm not sure about the "wise" part, but herewith are my words:
1. form should follow function--equipment should serve your real priorities. thus, if you're going to use your system mainly to listen to NPR, it probably doesn't make sense to invest in a megabuck, multichannel home theater.
2. price is an extremely imperfect indicator of quality. any number of manufacturers are making modestly-priced gear which sounds just as good or better as their more expensive, more hyped competitors'.
3. that said, you cannot go wrong buying the best quality you can afford. once you've acquired a great-sounding piece, you'll never regret not buying something inferior. ergo, you're much better off spending your current budget on a few high-quality pieces and augmenting later.
4. cables and interconnects are mostly snake oil; the audible differences between well-made such products are generally not cost-effective. room treatment and placement, however, is critical.
5. unlike video technology, which has evolved extremely quickly, audio technolgy (at least the two channel type) evolves at a much more glacial pace--the components being produced today don't necessarily sound significantly better than stuff produced ten years ago. consequently, the used market offers you the opportunity to put together a truly high-end system at a fraction of the cost of new gear.
6. multi-channel, blueray, ipods, lifestyle speaker systems and other such foofaraw all serve a purpose, but the laws of physics dictate that two channel music, as heard through big old speakers still sounds best.
cheers to all.
1. form should follow function--equipment should serve your real priorities. thus, if you're going to use your system mainly to listen to NPR, it probably doesn't make sense to invest in a megabuck, multichannel home theater.
2. price is an extremely imperfect indicator of quality. any number of manufacturers are making modestly-priced gear which sounds just as good or better as their more expensive, more hyped competitors'.
3. that said, you cannot go wrong buying the best quality you can afford. once you've acquired a great-sounding piece, you'll never regret not buying something inferior. ergo, you're much better off spending your current budget on a few high-quality pieces and augmenting later.
4. cables and interconnects are mostly snake oil; the audible differences between well-made such products are generally not cost-effective. room treatment and placement, however, is critical.
5. unlike video technology, which has evolved extremely quickly, audio technolgy (at least the two channel type) evolves at a much more glacial pace--the components being produced today don't necessarily sound significantly better than stuff produced ten years ago. consequently, the used market offers you the opportunity to put together a truly high-end system at a fraction of the cost of new gear.
6. multi-channel, blueray, ipods, lifestyle speaker systems and other such foofaraw all serve a purpose, but the laws of physics dictate that two channel music, as heard through big old speakers still sounds best.
cheers to all.