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Here's how I get my daily "glimpse" of the high end for under $2000. AR XA (Garage Sale) $25 Ortofon MC-10 Super $125 Ringmat $75 AA Vac in the Box $200 NAD 7240PE $700 Cambridge Ensemble $500 Total $1625 Depth, imaging, speed, low end, it's all there! Even with a new table you could keep it under 2K. This is the glimse. To get the ringside seat, the cost goes up exponentially and no sane person (who isn't independantly wealthy) can justify it.

A Jolida amp, an NAD or Marantz cd player and a decent pair of used speakers will definitely propel you to the high end.

Very simple--a good set of Grado headphones, and a decent portable CD player! Spend the rest on CD's and live performance tickets or even a new guitar!!!

50% on the speakers...

KEF Q15 NAD312 sennheiser580 portable CD best way to have music anytime anywhere

Unless you looking for several sources things can start sounding pretty sweet at around a grand.

get some grado or senheiser headphones and a decent cd player (mabey a marantz 63se) and a headroom headphone amp. or for a little more you could get a musical fidelity X-dac and x-cans

B&W spkers, Sony CD player going direct into a small ROtel power amp.

I would say between 2,000 and 7,000 depending on how simple you want to get, and the percentage you are willing to spend on you speakers in relation to your front end. I think someone that wishes to hear high end and wants to spend less that 6,or 7 grand might as well not even get into "wire game" untill their done with the hardware, because they will get their cost per component compared to the cost of the wire all out of kilter.