Looking for a good system for my apartment. Any advise?

The most important factor is your room/speaker interface. Get a pair of speakers that drive your room and fit in the space you have. Borrow or beg anything that might work. Try everything. Don't overlook used or vintage or unusual, like small Maggies. Once you find speakers, get an amp big enough to drive them (if Maggies, you'll need some power, more efficient speakers will give you more options). Then spend whatever's left on front-end gear. The best cheap turntable available is the $699 Pioneer and the $1,000 MoFi is also a good buy.  The right speakers will make the rest of the gear sound good. A Linn dealer will tell you the opposite, that the front end is more important, but he's trying to sell a turntable ranging from $4k-17k. At your budget level, it works quite the other way.

I have to disagree with purchasing Magnipan or any other electrostatic speaker. I own Quad 2905's and while they sound great, I've had to replace a good number of panels due to a mistake which caused arcing. The best way to own electrostatics is to own two pair so that when one pair is getting repaired, there's another pair as a backup. And while the comment that vinylrestingplace makes is true, that speakers will make the biggest contribution to a system, don't overlook how an amp or cd player will improve the sound and will reduce listening fatigue. Used Harbeth and Spencer speakers come up frequently on the various sights from reputable sellers.

I'm somewhat calculating in my head what this system will cost based on the recommendations in this thread and I don't see how you'll do yourself any favor by investing in a vinyl setup. If I can be candid, for a good vinyl setup, you'll need to spend roughly 2,000.00 for a good mc phono stage, about $ 1,200.00 on a turntable and $800.00 for something like a Hana cartridge. On the other hand, you could do something like buy a running Thorens TD 160 and modify it and then the Rogue amp, I believe, has a phono stage but that will still eat into your other pieces.

goofyfoot587 posts11-28-2020 2:43pm

I have to disagree with purchasing Magnipan or any other electrostatic speaker. I own Quad 2905's and while they sound great, I've had to replace a good number of panels due to a mistake which caused arcing ...

Magnapans are not electrostatic speakers.

cleeds, you’re correct, however I was referring to the Mylar panels. As far as I know, all Mylar paneled speakers are subject to the same problems.

I've owned 3 pairs of those Quads for a dozen years, and only one panel has failed. Also a HV transformer. They sound great in the stereo room and unbelievable as HT center channel. 

Magnepans sound very fine too - but different. And they're a whole lot cheaper and a whole lot more robust. Magnepans do not have a HV supply, and so arcing is NOT a possibility. But it's a good idea to keep them out of the sun or the cement which holds the mylar to the frame will deteriorate.