Is it possible to get Hi-end sound ??

You have to be constantly watching the ads to get the best deals before someone else does. Yesterday (but not on Audiogon)I saw an Adcom Tuner/Pre, Adcom 545 power, Sony CD, a cassette deck, Celestion SL6S speakers with stands all for $250 total. Even something this cheap could sound good in the right room with some attention to detail.

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George, GET OUT NOW! If you stay you will surely become infected. No one gets away clean. Everyone starts out like you wanting to get in on the cheap. They start out that way and wake up two or three years later and wonder what the hell happened to all that money. Branislav's experience as mentioned above is pretty typical.

I'll bookmark this thread and check on you in two years.
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The answer is yes. Ebay and Audiogon are your friends. And it is true that this hobby is the "land of unquantifiable experiences" where opinions come to die. Perky huh? I'm a musician, I have an acoustic piano in my listening room, I play guitar for money, I'm old-ish, and none of that matters when it comes to my personal taste in gear and its reproduction, as well it shouldn't. The good news is the fact that GREAT stuff is available for not a lot of money in both used and new gear, and if you're lucky like me (and Elizabeth...weirdly female name for an audiophile by the way) you'll actually listen to some music and REALLY enjoy it.

Ignorance is bliss.
Stay away from sites like this and just cut out pictures from the mags. Tape it to the wall above what you presently have and use your imagination. When you get tired of looking at it, go back to the mags and find something else. Once you practice enough upgrading, you'll start to appreciate the costs and the frustration. It might prepare you to avoid the pitfalls of those who have gone before you. The advice already given is golden. Heed their words. And have fun.

High end audio doesn't have to cost that much. It's more about your attitude and your willingness to be obsessive about setup and room acoustics than expensive equipment.

If you live in a metro area or near a major university Craigslist, thrift shops and estate sales can offer truly outstanding bargains. But even Audiogon will allow you to put together a great sounding system for under $1,000. Right now you could purchase a Spica, Quad, NHT, Epos, etc. bookshelf speaker for $300-500. There are refurb NAD CD/DVD receivers going for $400. That gives you enough left over for a decent speaker stand and cables and you're still under $1k.

Now will that system sound as good as a $10,000 or a $100,000 system. Probably not, but if you take the effort to set it up well, it will provide you with true high end sound.

Branislav, please explain how you can spend $15k and not obtain high end sound?