$50k - $80k Budget…Opinions please.

I agree, how someone spend their money is none of our business. Investment is a never-ending cycle. If someone ask for 80k recommendation, should just give them that or not at all. 

I don't know anything about amps above 20k. But those dan'gostino amps look very nice. 

I've got some recommendations for you but I don't know if your budget can handle it so here goes the amplifier SIM audio north series 861 amplifier it's around $29,000 Canadian so I don't know how much they'll be charging for it in the US or their 860A ll which is also a superb amp and at around 20,000, same audio 850p preamp which is another 30,000 I believe, speakers you should try the monitor audio platinum 300 G3$18,000 US, very three-dimensional open airy spacious and natural sounding, cabling you should use the Neotech Sahara rectangular OCC single crystal wire and the interconnects not cheap but boy is it ever good, will beat anything OFC on the market at any price, for a separate dac I would try the Wyred4sound 10th anniversary dac$4,500 US but it beat up on dacs costing $15,000 and they give you a 30-day trial period if you don't like it send it back and you get all your money back. for transport I really can't give you any advice cuz I haven't really looked at transports in the last few years so I don't know what is good out there.

ghdprentice,

sorry to tell you that you don't know what you're talking about just because the system costs $160,000 doesn't mean it's going to sound better than an $80,000 system depends how good your ear is and how good the equipment is I've heard systems for $80,000 that absolutely blew away systems for $200,000 It's not just about money in fact I heard a million dollar system that I thought sounded bright and edgy it was terrible money doesn't always buy the best sound, and most of the time with the law of diminishing returns people that spend crazy amounts of money are being ripped off anyways but if you got more money than brains that's what you do lol

@op Try to hear a pair of Wilson Sabrina X's with some quality amplification and source (CD/Streaming/analogue of your choice) as a starting point.

If organic is your criterion but you need power for the kind of music you listen to, probably a transistor power amp that is at least partly biased into class A.

Budget for room treatment if the room is not already sorted.

Only suggestions as possible starting points because the possibilities are endless.

Room and system synergy are the main items to work on. If you don’t have a good dedicated room that you can place your speakers say 10’ out into the room if you need to and it’s treated, don’t waste your money. If you have to place your speakers up against the walls and next to furniture because of the WAF, nothing will sound their best. Buy the appropriate speakers that fit your room, then buy the amp(s) that will make your speakers sound their best.

I have gone to dozens of audio shows (ces, rmaf, Tampa, northwest audio to name a few) and there have been probably 100+ rooms with hundreds of thousands of $$$$ of gear that sounded like sh$t mainly because the wrong setup for the room.

But I also think you build a system with the correct synergy with the room and all the system components, the more money you spend will get you better sq, until the difference in sq isn’t worth the much more $$$$ you will be spending to achieve it.