Newbie looking for system suggestions

Sorry to break the news to you Kotta, but Bryston is Mid-Fi.

I also would start small at first. If later you decide that you're not satisfied with mid-fi, then fine. Easy to sell what you have and trade up to something better. You'll have lot's of money left over from the first purchase to get something better. Upgrading is what we all do.

A lot of people blow a ton of money on fancy gear and a year later never listen to it much. If in a year or two you're still listening, then yes go for it big time.

Go and listen to hi end gear. Simple as that. Then buy what sounds best to you. Do not buy expensive cable. The source is the most important part. Dont let people tell you speakers are the most important.
Amps try and hear Rogue, Speakers Coincident.

Sure I realize Bryston is Mid-fi (Upper mid-fi perhaps?) because it doesn't cost megabucks. Mapleleafs3 mentioned "Rogue." They make a new int. amp which is definately worth investigating. If you invest your budget wisely, you should have a very nice system. Audition as much equipment as posible. There are so many choices and ways to go. Decide on the spk. and then find the amp or int. amp best suited to drive that spk. Use good cabling. Besides sounding good, the equipment must blend in w/your surroundings and suit your tastes. Don't rush into anything, take your time and investigate. Good Luck! Happy Holidays to all!

I always start with a good look at the room I'm going to be dealing with and any placement issues I'll have in this room...speaker setup is critical to good sound.

Sound pressure levels, setup issues within the room, your budget, are a good place to start.

Why do I start there?, well because I'm going to pick the speakers as my place to begin the system build.

The rest of the components fall into two categories:

1. Mandatory...ie, their task is assigned by specific needs but with some overlap into #2 (tweaks)

2. Tweaks...ie, components you pick because YOU like the way they sound in YOUR system...cd players/Dac's/cables come to mind.

I never worry about the old argument for starting at the source "crap in, crap out". Why would anyone build a system only to top it off with crap?

Research, listening and a good plan with some degree of flexibility should build you a system you can enjoy for a long time.

Dave

I just love the assertions on this site about Bryston not being high-end gear. Have any of you guys actually taken the time to assemble and then listen to a Bryston-based system, with good speakers, in a home listening environment? FWIW, Stereophile, The Absolute Sound, Hi-Fi+ Magazine, and other audio publications have consistently rated Bryston equipment as "Class A" or "Class B", and a number of their reviewers own Bryston amps and preamps. Bryston gear is also used by MANY of the leading recording studios, as well as for mastering the sound tracks of MOST of the major motion pictures of the last 5 years (see Bryston's web site for specifics).

If your personal preference in audio gear is not inclined toward Bryston, that's cool -- this is a hobby, after all. But I think it's misleading to suggest to a newbie that Bryston gear is "mid-fi". Both the audio quality AND the build quality of Bryston equipment is competitive with some of the most expensive high-end audio equipment made today, and the 20-year warranty is merely very nice frosting on the cake.

So, Steve, by all means consider Bryston gear, but you should also take a hard look at Rotel, Parasound, Creek, Musical Fidelity, Arcam, and other makers of moderately-priced high-end audio gear. And, with due respect to Mapleleafs3, speakers are VERY important. Unless you plan to buy an analog front end, your speakers will be the only transducer (an electrical component that converts electrical energy to mechanical energy, or vice versa) in your system, and thus subject to the widest variability in sound quality. Every component in a system is important, but the speakers will ultimately determine whether you like the SOUND of your overall system.

After 40+ years in this hobby, I usually suggest to newbies that they start by choosing their speakers first, and then select their amp and preamp (or high-quality integrated amp). If you select highly efficient speakers, then you will not need as much amplifier power, which may leave more money in the budget toward other components. The reverse is also true.

Interconnects and speaker cables are perhaps the most debated topic in our hobby. Given your budget, you can afford good quality cabling, and a good starting point are the products made by Kimber Kable, and by Alpha-Core. Both manufacturers make excellent, reasonably-priced products (and Alpha-Core has a 30-day money-back home trial of their Goertz speaker cables). Kimber Kable's "Hero" interconnects are a good choice and value, as is their 8TC and 4TC speaker cables. And Alpha-Core's Goertz MI2 speaker cable is hard to beat, even at twice the price.

You might spend some time looking through the Audiogon archives, as all of these topics have been "cussed" and "discussed" before on this forum. Most importantly, however, is the advice to "trust your own ears" -- oh yes, and its corollary: HAVE FUN!