Complete newbie needing guidance/purchase advice


Hi folks-

First of all, let me apologize in advance for a lengthy post. I'm a brand new forum member after recently being introduced to this site by an acquaintance who heard I was looking for sound advice... As my thread title states, I'm completely ignorant when it comes to the audiophile world, but I really want to start building a system and learn something in the process. A little background on me: I've been making a living as a recording artist and studio musician for almost 20 years, but my career choice as a music-maker has somehow ironically detached me from the simple pleasure of just sitting and _listening_ to music for the sheer enjoyment of it. My wife and I are currently in the process of remodeling our bonus room into a media room, and one of my objectives is to at the very least turn it into a space where I can do some critical listening.

I currently don't have anything decent... Just some old Bose bookshelf speakers and a Yamaha surround receiver. The closest thing to 'something decent' that I own are a pair of Etymotic ER-4S headphones coupled with a Headroom headphone amplifier.

The big limiting factor is my budget. Given that fact, maybe I have no business posting here... I will probably need to build this piece-by-piece over time, so I'm content with having to stretch the process out. I'm not concerned with having to have the 'best' of anything; I would just really like to make listening to music an engaging and emotional experience for me like it was for me many years ago.

Would a speaker purchase be a good place to start? I was perusing the Audiogon classifieds today and saw that there is actually a pair of DK Designs LSA-2's for sale local to me. The asking price is at the top of my speaker budget, a little over a grand, which I realize is probably 'chump change' in the audiophile world. However, I've read some reviews and they seem mostly positive. Would be super-convenient to be able to find something nice that was used and local, but as I said before, I'm completely new to this. Another related question: Is it better to go with floor-standing speakers, or can decent sound also be accomplished with bookshelf speakers combined with a subwoofer?

Also, what are the other 'basic' components that would need to be purchased? The only other thing I know I'd love to have would be a decent turntable; I'd love to be able to go and purchase some of my favorite classic albums to listen to once again. Do I need a separate preamp and power amp combination? Are there any 'receivers' that do a decent job of covering both tasks?

Any other feedback or direction you experts could throw my way would be greatly appreciated... Thanks in advance!
renaissanceman9
Just glancing at the sales feedback of those who have contributed to this thread seems to suggest that the assertion that "most people do no enjoy the selling process so do not" might be an overstatement, especially amongst those that have been active on Audiogon longer.
I've had a great experience buying and selling on Agon. I think it boils down to individual people liking or disliking the experience. But you won't know if you don't give it a shot. :-)

Mot
Hey everyone-

Thanks for the most recent feedback. Over the last week, I had a chance to audition several pairs of speakers here in town and learned more of what I was looking for... It really is interesting how different some of the manufacturer's philosophies are when it comes to speaker 'tuning'. Ultimately after much listening and even more research, I ended up making an offer on an Audiogoner's pair of used Salk Songtower QWT's and am having them shipped. So, hopefully by next week my speaker void will be filled and then I can at least start listening to music in the room while I take some time to check out some integrated amplifiers. Also got to speak to the head of the Nashville Audio Society and am going to get plugged into their local network here.
Great progress, Rm9, thank you for the update. Sounds like the New Year is starting well!