Neophite needing advice

Remember, this guy said $1500. Most of these suggestions are over $2,000 for decent used and he hasn't even gotten cables and interconnets yet, or a decent power strip.

Castle Acoustics - Richmond speakers ($500.00). NAD 740 receiver ($500.00). Cambridge 300 CD player ($300.00). Mapleshade IC's and speaker cables ($153.00). Prices are retail, if you can do better upgrade the Cambridge to the 500 model which is $100.00 more. Also, if you can do without radio I would suggest the following. Renaud Twinn II speakers ($750.00). Cambridge 300 CD player ($300.00). Cambridge A300 integrated amp ($250.00). Mapleshade IC's and speaker cable ($153.00). Everything should be available by mail order.

If by clasical and jaz you mean smaller chamber type ensembles then you may want to try the Triangle Titus (500) with the Jolida 202A IA ($750). This'll squeez you for a CD player and tuner, but you'll get loads and loads of detail and warmth from trumpets, saxes, violins, snares, and cymbals. Bass will suffer, however, so if you primarily listen to big orchestral performance then I'd skip this. BTW, Saturday Audio seems to be selling the 750 (the 740 which I believe it replaced is recommended above) for $420. Also the two above mentioned pieces are currently being listed for $400-demo and $475-used respectively on Audiogon which may help you fit into better sources.

An Audiolab 8000S on closeout from Artech Electronics at $439 for a demo or $549 brand new (I use an old 8000A with a Cardas Golden power cord on it and it's outstanding). An RCA 5223P DVD player (last year's model-I have no idea what current RCA's sound like and it appears they've changed the DAC's)-I can't explain this, but it's a killer CD player-I sold an Arcam Alpha 8SE which lists out at over $1000 because the RCA easily outperforms it, and plays movies too. The 5223 is available on-line from Etronics for $179! I'd probably budget in about $125 for the lower priced Monster power conditioner-don't know the model #-for the DVD player as I found out (just today) it responds very well to power conditioning-plug your amp straight into the wall. Another $200-$250 for interconnect and cables-maybe some used Kimber 8TC (I am currently using the 8TC), perhaps the Homegrown silver interconnects at $70 or Pure Silver Sound for $139 (I use a half metre of Silver Audio Bullet 6.0's purchased used for $150 here on Audiogon). This leaves you about $500 left over for tuner, speakers and tweaks-I'd definitely buy some Vibrapods and Auric Illuminator!. Kind of complicated compared to purchasing the Linn Classic. It would be interesting to compare the system approach directly to the Classic.

It would not be unreasonable to devote half your budget to speakers, since you'll get the most dramatic improvement as you move up in price. Tuners can vary a lot too, and are very sensitive to location, so be sure to test at home. Forgive me for making a non-audiophile suggestion, but in your price range I wouldn't rule out a receiver. I know all the arguments against, but you could save a couple of hundred over a separate amp and tuner, and that'll buy you better speakers that may more than make up for anything you sacrifice in electronics. Also, on your initial budget I'd stay away from name-brand cables. Get your basic system up and running first, then you can have some fun with upgrades later.