Help in putting together my system with used equipment on Audiogon and eBay.

bobd207s I hope my audio falls into place for me like it did for you! Being a musician must help a lot putting a good system together! cakyol I have seen lots of Naim and Shiit gear in upper level systems, I will look at that. jahatl513 I have had suggestions to use tubes "somewhere" in my system with Klipsch, does that mean either preamp, amp or DAC? audioman58 another vote for tubes and tweaking! I've been thinking about my Bryston and I may have done better with a class A, but I was trying to stay within my budget. My first mistake? dmbwire thanks for tht info, I will be seeing them real soon! I'm just concerned about them using new gear rather than used older gear, but I do have a lot of questions! jji666 thanks, I have heard that from many. I think I need to get the best pair I can get. There are so many options! Bass from a Magnapan? I'll have to give them an audition! Bob thanks for the gear recommendation. They are going on my list! hauxon thank you, more for my list. I have considered the Nautilus but first I've heard about Polk. I'll watch for them. bullitt5094 that's another recommendation for Tektons! I might see them at the expo! vair68robert Younger is wishful thinking! Another tube recommendation. I have to figure out the best way to do that. I would hate to sell my Pass X1. It seems to be either tubes or class A, I really need to educate myself about the difference in sound. Maybe incorporate both? Thiel on my list! vinylrestingplace that is definitely something I don't look forward to, deciding I want to try another amp, selling what I have, buying the next thing. I wonder which is the best way to go, refining the best amp/preamp or buy the best speakers and get gear to drive them. I've heard both from several people and it's an interesting question indeed! fastfreight great post, thanks! You touched on areas I have lingering questions about. Even the carpet, I have wood flooring so that is something to consider. I agree, I think I'll use the Pass preamp until I decide the Bryston, although it will drive almost any speaker, may not be musical enough for me. As a speaker engineer put it, "I want to hear the smack of a singer's lips when they start to sing, and a symbol strike as if out of thin air". I don't know if my system will ever get that good, but the quest is on!!! 

I couldn't agree more with the advice to go out and hear some gear yourself, with music you're very familiar with.

I took a quick look, and there are some brick and mortar places in Jacksonville.  

The BestBuy at  9930 Southside Blvd has a Magnolia store inside.  Magnolia was an independent HiFi shop in the Pacific Northwest that was bought by BestBuy a few years ago.  They have stores inside a few select BestBuy locations, and carry B&W as well as Martin Logan and McIntosh gear plus others.

I see a couple others: Hoyt Stereo carries B&W, and House of Stereo might also be a place to try.

With this amount of opinions you can pretty much do anything and youll be fine .  

Lol! True davekayc! What I am looking for in these posts are multiple recommendations for an amp/preamp/digital gear/speakers. If I get multiple recommendations from these audio loving good people I know to take a hard look at it. An example is people recommending tube amps. I don't know the maintenance involved (tube replacement) and cost, but if that is the best way to a great system, will play loud and clean, I will definitely be considering it. Class A amps is another option. Speakers will be my choice and the best I can find. Digital equipment scares me, I want a media player not a wireless player, and I'm hoping to incorporate a DAC/headphone amp/cd player/cd ripper or as much as I can into one player. It seems to me the technology is really ramping up on this gear. The Innous Zen MK3 and the Bluesound Vault seem to be the most popular. Thanks to everyone, these posts are helping me a great deal!!!

Your post reminds me of my re-entry into hifi about twelve years ago, and I'd hope you wouldn't repeat my mistake: since I lived in a backwater, I read everything and then spent tons experimenting and upgrading and downgrading.  If I had it to do all over again, I would have first spent money to travel to a large city with several good hi-end dealers and auditioned speakers.  While it is fact that ultimately what we all do is find a system that suits our listening rooms and tastes, speakers lock in the biggest chunk of what a system can do.  I also would not require expensive speakers: I've been quite happy with Tannoy Revolution XT8 speakers that cost $2400/pr. new, some of the least expensive speakers I've owned.

I would say the next step is choosing solid state vs. tubes.  The best system I ever owned used a tube preamp (Audio Research Reference 3) with a SS power amp (McIntosh MC-150);  speakers were Sonus Faber Cermona Ms.  Tubes give you flexibility in tailoring the sound after your purchase; changing tubes can radically change the sound.
A final remark: while I love vinyl and consider its unique sound irreplaceable, getting into vinyl would be the most expensive single choice you could make.  Far more cost effective to get a CD player for your existing music and then add streaming, assuming your internet connection supports it and you don't mind messing with computer stuff.
Enjoy the journey!