10K system

Failing to know someone's musical priorities has never stopped folks from making wide-ranging recommendations based on their own personal preferences.  Plus, I was aligned with @tvad 's thoughts here.  I thought the secret sauce always consisted of selling everything you already have, buying a Raven integrated at the price point you can afford and support any associated gear with as much SR, PPT, and BDR products that you can throw at it.  If you want to add a vinyl system you must always somehow find a way to integrate a Herron phono stage and Soundsmith cart....and with some tape and a dot on the tonearm.  There's really more than one possible "correct" solution????

I'd go with a modern receiver, something like the AVM Inspiration ($6,000).  It has a phono stage, FM tuner, D/A converter, CD transport, streaming and a power amp.  NAD, Micromega and others make similar products.  Pair that with something from Tekton.  Only one power cord and a pair of speaker cables and you're still under the $10k budget.

Hmm...thinking what I might wantSpeakers: Focal Aria / Revel Performa / Kef R7 (R700) floorstandersSubs:  2 JL Audio E110Integrated amp: Parasound HaloStreamer: Bluesound Node 2iHave fun!

A good one.

This is my $10K system so this is my tastes in sound. It is only streaming but you could add 4 analog sources to this system. I have 2 other analog sources that I am not listing (a tuner and SACD player).

- Benchmark HPA4 preamp $3K (or LA4 without headphone for $2500)
- Benchmark DAC3B $1700
- Benchmark AHB2 $3K or Peachtree Nova amp500 ($1500)
- Sonore microRendu $300 (used or new I have not looked recently)
- KEF LS50’s $800 (new price on many KEF sales recently)
- Benchmark XLR interconnects to get 24 dBu signal level (under $300 for DAC+preamp+amp)
- Audience speaker cable (choice based on remaining budget)

I will ignore my Torus RM15 power conditioner ($2500). It is not essential to get up and running but it does make my system sound great. There are many other options such as none at all.

I currently own much more expensive Audience XLR interconnects. I have a feeling these will be replaced by the much cheaper Benchmark XLR’s. I am only stating this preference on Benchmark gear.

Good luck finding any of those Benchmark electronics on the used market.

I have this system listed above in my office except my amp at the moment is the amp section of a Peachtree Nova 150 integrated. I am surprised at how much better than OK it is. I used to own the AHB2 and sold it along with the Benchmark DAC3 HGC. The AHB2 will return to my system when I sell the Nova 150 but you could do a lot worse than this HPA4 and Nova 150 combo. That is why I am suggesting the better Peachtree amp500 (only an amp not an integrated). Actually it could be that any decent class D amp could work in this setup.

Someone above said that the AHB2 + DAC HGC is the way to go. I owned that combo and now have the HPA4 preamp in the mix. The HPA4 maybe the greatest component I have heard (or not heard). It is incredible for my tastes and just blowing me away in the sound I am hearing.

I am going to be adding a AHB2 amp to round out my $10K system. However, I will be buying a second amp to play with (not a necessity). The top contender at the moment is the Luxman m900u amp. I will go and demo the CODA #16 once the local Los Angeles dealer gets one. The specs on the CODA are even better than the Luxman. I think the combination of the HPA4 and the CODA or Luxman could be a reference caliber pairing.

Some Context:

Prior to hearing the HPA4 the Luxman c900u preamp + m900u amp pairing were the best sound I had heard (at my straining to afford price range). Now I am so happy I bought the HPA4 instead of the c900u preamp. The m900u is another matter.

I demoed the Luxman 509x integrated for $10K new. I think I like the Benchmark system a heck of a lot more.