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Building a new system for about 5 grand

I haven't been a member here long, so forgive me if this is a repeat question.

If I have about $5000 and want to put together a quality system, where I do put the most money? I've heard speakers; others have said power source. Some say spend about equally on all components. I'd like to hear some direct answers to the question from Audiogon members (if you have to point me to an earlier forum, great).

A few things that might help:

1. My system is in a living room that is far from audio friendly. It measures about 18'x16', with some angles and openings, along with a large open area coming off one side and leading to the dining room (where I have my study). Wood floors, French doors with lots of glass about 5 feet behind the sofa, and no chance of making any adjustments (adding thick curtains, carpet or rugs, or eliminating all furniture apart from a chair and a small bourbon table).  

2. I have floor standing speakers now, and they fit the room fairly well. I'm not averse to bookshelf speakers on stands, though.

3. I play some vinyl and mostly cd's. That's not likely to change. A Bluesound streamer will likely be added down the road, but shouldn't figure in to the 5 grand limit.

4. I am willing to buy used, except perhaps the cd player (or sacd/cd), unless it's under about 3 years old. I worry about older units that have wear and won't have readily available parts. If I'm being too restrictive on this, please set me straight.

5. Our tv and Blue-ray player (on which I also play SACD's) are hooked up to my power source. I'm not at all interested in an AV receiver, surround sound, or adding a sub. Two speakers only.

6, and most important. I love listening to music; I love learning about, dreaming about, scheming about, audio. I love all the time I spending browsing on Audiogon. But I love my wife more. That directly addresses the price limit, the room set up, and the number of speakers.

Again, that first question about how to spend money is important to me, though a little puzzling. Spending more on speakers is my instinct at this point; I'm glad to be corrected.

Thanks.
anton99
yyzsantabarbara
4,937 posts
 
Buy used. Buy Class D for amps at this price range. Buy an integrated to save on wires (integrated are good nowadays).

I use a Peachtree Nova 150 integrated, which is Class D with a built-in DAC. I also use a $450 Sonore microRendu to stream from my computer (does not have to be a good computer) to the NOVA DAC. I also use ROON, though other cheaper software clients are available.

The NOVA is not balanced (XLR). I have a Tuner and SACD player hooked up to it. I had to use Cardas RCA-2-XLR plug to hook up the SACD player.

So the Integrated (preamp + amp + dac) and microRendu will come in around $1200 leaving you with $3800 for speakers. There are a lot of good low cost electronics available now. Years ago the sound I am getting today with this gear was considered great. Stepping up to expensive gear today is amazing sound but it will cost more than $5K.

I used the KEF LS50 speakers with the NOVA and I will never sell the LS50’s. Better electronics will make the LS50s sound even better. A small room is ideal for these speakers. You can get these speakers for as low as $800 brand new.

BTW - I have a vested interest in what I wrote since I will be selling my NOVA 150. Not selling the LS50’s though and I will put $10K-$20K of electronics on them after the upgrade.
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
5,040 posts
 
I agree about curbing expenditures on CD players; a decent transport can be had for not too much and more $$ can be spent on a good DAC, either external or as part of a preamp or integrated. I did this with a deal on a Cambridge CXC transport ($300) and an MHDT Orchid DAC ($1100, which also processes my streamer).

I'm presently shopping for speakers; there are tremendous values out there. It's not hard to find a $2500 speaker (new) for much less. The trick is to know what you like first, to avoid return shipping or re-sale. (How are your local options?) There are good direct companies that have pretty forgiving try-out policies.

Perhaps you're already set up for these things but... power, cables, wire, all matter. I shopped carefully and exclusively for used items -- Analysis Plus, mostly and Pangea for power -- and I got them for an average of 44% off list. 
jjss49's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
jjss49
6,612 posts
 
op

u need to talk about the kind of music and kind of sound (natural, voices, piano, or rock/pop electronica/processed music etc), if you want discrete recommendations

5k can get a GREAT sounding system bought used, bought smart, with a streamer too
slaw's avatar
slaw
21,940 posts
 
Frankly, you should send your room measurements to GIK and have them recommend treatments. You'll never regret this as your first step.
jamesdowningelliott's avatar
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jamesdowningelliott
10 posts
 
There are a lot of options out there, but the most important things are:
1. The system should be balanced unless you plan on constant upgrades (eg, don’t buy a $4K integrated and $500 speakers). I think in general components should cost about the same as each other with the only exception being the speakers, which should cost about double your component and integrateds which replace 2 components. So for $5k, I would budget something like $2k for speakers, $1500 for an integrated, $750 for a turntable/cartridge combo, $500 for a DAC, and $750 for cables. 2. Start with the speakers - these have the most coloration and the widest requirement range for upstream components. Speakers sound extremely different. It is a taste issue more than a quality issue. Kind of like cars, do you want a lightweight car like a lotus (sort of akin to a tube/hi efficiency speaker system) or a muscle car like a Hellcat (big class A/B with big hard to drive speakers)? Do you like a warm sound, a dynamic sound, or an analytical sound? Speakers to check out before you buy which give you a wide range that will heals you narrow your taste: Magnepans (it never ceases to shock me how good these are for the money - but they are not very dynamic and need some good power), Klipsch (highly efficient and colored but very fun - will let you use a little tube integrated), Tekton (highly efficient, dynamic, and not super colored). 
Once you pick the speakers, then pick the amp and upstream components. My only other suggestion is to spend more on your cartridge than you might think. I think a $750 turntable should be about $350 turntable and $400 cartridge. 
And finally, buy used if you care about resale, but getting new at 15% off from a dealer will save you a lot of headaches. They know how to build a system that has synergy. Let them do their thing and help you put something great together - you can replace the middleman, but he makes your life so much easier.
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