$50k - $80k Budget…Opinions please.

Like many threads, so many people coming from so many places. What I got from this thread is that it is best not to judge/advise others on financial matters. The primacy of a good acoustically treated/treatable listening space is a very important consideration. I would add to that, clean power is a thing of design/action and is critical to success, but every installation is unique. Don’t skimp on clean power. Previous posts suggest that it is wise to chose a speaker/amplifier combination that you can audition. There is much to criticize regarding auditioning equipment, but it beats reviews. Lastly, there are posters above that have decades of quality audio gear and lots of practical experience. One in particular has passed through the OPs budget and has compared equipment that I will never be able to afford, but the point is that this person is a valuable resource that has the experience to contrast different levels of system expense. In this case, it is a given that the differences are heard because of the listeners expertise and as mentioned in another post, is not simply because of the level of expenditure. I can’t say that I made all the right choices when building my system, but the best parts of my system resulted from me finding a couple of people that were rock solid with their advice.  Perhaps, having a couple of golden ear advisors that you trust and understand your tastes and room/financial constraints just might be the most important part of the selection process.  Good luck and use your next year listening and comparing.

@toddcowles ,

How fun, to build a new system and have a good budget!

 I’m not sure where you live, but go to every hifi store in your area and ask every question you can think of.  Also, if you can, try to go to a bigger hifi show and see all the new bells and whistles. One final thing, save out some of the budget for room treatments.

All the best.

Start with the room.  This defines what speakers you can fit and work with.  How big is it?  How is current damping?  Can you treat it, etc...  Once that is defined I suggest selecting a speaker as your choice will be a function of the room and your taste both visually and sonically. 

Once the speakers are selected, you then need to wisely select components to feed those speakers to achieve your perfect sound. 

There is an infinite number of items available and if you just buy expensive stuff without thinking of synergy, you might get lucky or you can end up with a sad system.  I have heard some very sad expensive systems and some modestly priced systems that are jaw dropping.  Key is synergy.  

Going to listening rooms is fun and can give you ideas but more than anything, the speaker needs to fit the room.  

Since you mentioned "organic" as your main criterion, you should audition both darTZeel and Gryphon integrated amps (both in $25K range). I heard both through Wilson Sabrinas. Having auditioned both, I went with darTZeel based on what I considered to be the most organic (I listened mostly to acoustic music and vocals). 

I realize that 50-75k is a moderately expensive system, these days, but it's STILL a huge chunk of money! I'd put 5k aside as a travel budget and go to several dealers (don't forget manufacturers who have in-house systems or who sell direct (PS Audio, Magnapan, etc). Listen and choose based on YOUR preferences and tastes. Remember reliability and brand history!

At that price a dealer should offer home set-up and/or exchanges. Choose 1 source at first, listen and judge, again, by YOUR taste. Keep 10k aside for longer term changes.

If you're not sure your ear is discerning enough, you shouldn't be spending this kind of cash until you are!