At the $5k level, and addressing all your concerns, the most important thing to know is everything is equally important. Music pleasure per dollar is optimized when everything performs about the same. Money is used in lieu of performance. So budget about the same per piece. This is if you're building a "one and done" type system.
The exception would be if you plan on gradually upgrading better and better. In that case then you might want to go overweight on what you think might be a sort of "anchor" or grail component.
Another thing to keep in mind that you haven't mentioned is which if any of your current components you would be okay with keeping.
So given the vague situation the general advice is you need speakers, amp (a good integrated, not AVR, good decision there!), CD, speaker cables, interconnects, and power cords. At the $5k level we combine the last three into one, wire. That's four things- speakers, integrated amp, CD, wire- $1200 each.
Seems vague but its enough to focus your search. No point looking at $2500 speakers. Unless they turn your wife on enough to be worth it. Unless you take $1k off the CD budget, which makes sense as you can buy a good CDP for $200 and besides no matter which one you buy in two years its worth $200 anyway, so why spend more?
Didn't include a turntable in there because I assume you already have one. Turntables are a whole separate thing where you have to consider the phono stage, stand alone or built into the amp, on and on. If you really do like music it would make more sense to put $2500 into the analog front end (table, arm, cart, phono stage) and build from there. But that's just me. This is you.
As for acoustics, you can buy a sheet or two of Owens Corning 703 acoustic panels for like $10. This is the raw material inside many expensive acoustic panels. In raw form its ugly- but also cheap and light. It cuts easily. So you cut and experiment with the raw panels then see what nice fabric your wife would like to cover them with. If it works you have better acoustic treatment than you could buy for thousands. If it doesn't you only wasted $10 and some time.
The exception would be if you plan on gradually upgrading better and better. In that case then you might want to go overweight on what you think might be a sort of "anchor" or grail component.
Another thing to keep in mind that you haven't mentioned is which if any of your current components you would be okay with keeping.
So given the vague situation the general advice is you need speakers, amp (a good integrated, not AVR, good decision there!), CD, speaker cables, interconnects, and power cords. At the $5k level we combine the last three into one, wire. That's four things- speakers, integrated amp, CD, wire- $1200 each.
Seems vague but its enough to focus your search. No point looking at $2500 speakers. Unless they turn your wife on enough to be worth it. Unless you take $1k off the CD budget, which makes sense as you can buy a good CDP for $200 and besides no matter which one you buy in two years its worth $200 anyway, so why spend more?
Didn't include a turntable in there because I assume you already have one. Turntables are a whole separate thing where you have to consider the phono stage, stand alone or built into the amp, on and on. If you really do like music it would make more sense to put $2500 into the analog front end (table, arm, cart, phono stage) and build from there. But that's just me. This is you.
As for acoustics, you can buy a sheet or two of Owens Corning 703 acoustic panels for like $10. This is the raw material inside many expensive acoustic panels. In raw form its ugly- but also cheap and light. It cuts easily. So you cut and experiment with the raw panels then see what nice fabric your wife would like to cover them with. If it works you have better acoustic treatment than you could buy for thousands. If it doesn't you only wasted $10 and some time.