Vote

Nice speakers, $600; receiver, $1000; CD player, $400. You can build a system for decent price. The key thing at this price level is the quality of the speakers. That is where I would spend my money.

Buy British: NAD amplifier, speakers from Mission (especially the older models like the 731, 751 Freedom, etc.), NAD CD player. Alternatives: AMC amplifier and CD player. Creek is also pretty good and has cheaper amps than the everywhere-recommended 4330. Marantz is also pretty good, and they're not even British. Tannoy has some nice speakers, but they're again not British. Celestion used to have good speakers, before Multimedia came up. NHT also has pretty good reviews, but I just didn't have the chance to listen to them. B&W is also worth trying, although I didn't like them very much last time. And if you want to go analog, a Rega or MMF turntable will do a very good job, but it will probably push the price of the system over $1000. This is probably a standard answer, but it worked for quite a few friends.

For a first system, the neophyte should buy recent castoffs from a well-heeled golden-eared audiophile, the type who upgrades regularly. For under a grand, (s)he should be able to get a decent "starter set" comprising some nice albeit slightly used speakers, a pretty good turntable with some life left, and a more than serviceable amp. The newbie probably shouldn't spend more than $800 on those items and could then spend the other $200 or so on a pretty decent phono cartridge. It wouldn't be prudent for a beginner to buy a bunch o' pricey new equipment unless they'd just won the lottery. Not only does $1000 go a lot further with used gear, it also goes a lot further with analog. A $1000 "quality" analog system will almost always outperform a comparably priced digital system. There are also still lotsa fine LPs around for a dollar or so if one looks in the right places. Used CDs seem to be $5 each no matter where they're found.

I think that if you spend around $800 for one source (CD player or turntable) , $800 for an integrated amp, and $1500 for speakers, you end up with a decent sound. Later on, if you find the urge and money to reach the next level, you can go and trade in your first system for . . . a pair of cables or wires.

can be had for 2000 but it really starts to get good at about $3000. I have assembeled a few systems for under 3G but for a little more they could be a lot better. A really good start.

If you're really pinched for money, I would recommend a topnotch headphone system, which could be under $1k depending on the source component. Otherwise they would have to judge what is satisfactory after auditioning a range. Used gear an option too; I say $4–5k, but just a "glimpse" would be less.

at this price i would reccomend an audio analouge puccini a pair of triangle titus and some harm tech presision links and maybe a cal labs dx2 you can save on cables by buying some (dont laugh) radio shack cables really thyr not the best but for a start off system the will do fine but i would still reccommend an eventual upgrade of cables

The very choices you give us rests on the assumption that non-audiophiles are willing to spend over $1000 on a starter system. Most friends who ask for my advice only want to spend $500-600 dollars for receiver, CD player, and speakers. I usually recommend they spend the most money on one good piece of equipment and upgrade the others later. That said, an integrated amp, CD player, and speakers can sound good for $1000.

My opinion is a bit controversial, but at this low range the most important item is the speakers. Have a boombox with RCA outputs or portable CD player already? Fine. Use it to connect to any $150-200 Japanese receiver you can get at Circuit City. Pick up some zip cord at Radio Shack for the speaker cable, and head for your local high-end dealer. Lie and tell them you have a NAD integrated amp and CD player (you'll need to buy these or similar next year), and need some speakers. Buy the best British-made mini-monitors you can afford. You wouldn't believe what a pair of $250 B&W's sounds like, and it only gets better from there. Now--the most important part--keep upgrading your equipment over a period of years in staggered steps, so each new component embarrasses the old equipment it plugs into. Keep at it, and in the meantime enjoy the music--for less than $500 initially!

The least I would recommend spending for a no-compromise system is about $3500. This sum would buy an Audio by Van Alstine Omega III 200 CA control amp ($999), an Audio by Van Alstine Omega III TOPP-DAC ($639), a pair of biro L/1 speakers with Sanus stands ($1595), and an NAD C520 CD player to use as a transport ($299). The $200 or so left over would be more than enough to cover cables and interconnects. I've heard AVA's Omega III electronics driving the biro speakers, and the combination is superb. Unfortunately, most first- time buyers I know blanch at spending $3500 on audio. For them, I'd recommend the NAD L40/PSB Alpha Mini/PSB Alpha SubSonic 5 system that Chip Stern reviewed in June. At $798 less sub, or $1237 with the sub, it will demolish any comparably- priced mass-market system I've heard. Listeners who don't like the PSBs could substitute the similarly- priced Paradigm Atoms.

A first audio system should be as simple as posible and contain of as few components as possible. For example; a CD-Player, an integrated amp and a rather smal loudspeaker, beacuse a smal speaker is often cheper and BETTER then big speakers. But my best tip is to build your speakers self. I did and got suberb sound to about $400, and it can compete whit speakers up to about $1000.

spend 500 each for cd player and speakers and about 800 for the amp. your 200 gets you nice interconnects

I have a Megabuck Tubed system with Electrostats and a 5 figure turntable. Recently purchased an AES SE1 300B amp, Klipsch KG4 speakers and Carver 490T tubed CD player. All used. Paid $600 for the amp, $250 for the speakers and $400 for the CD player. Bottom line, I'm listening to the "Budget System" more and more and less often to the "Big Rig". Go figure. . .

separates,dvd audio,horn loaded speakers aka:klipsch

Sound Dynamics RTS-3 speakers; Creek 4030 integrated amp; pioneer DV 525 cd/dvd player; Straightwire Rhapsody speaker cable and interconnect.

Sadly, nothing of real High-End quality comes cheap. There are definitly components that are a much better value than many others. Those are the Brands that most of us have chosen to build our systems with. It really is a dis-service to all of us on a budget to consider only the Cost-is-no-object components as High-End.

$500. for a turntable, $500. for a phono stage, $1,000. for an integrated amp, $700. for a cd player, $1,500. for speakers, and $1,000. for cables and interconnects. Buy demos or used, like new, if possible

Here's a two year old "silver bullet" system for less than $14,000 pretax cost from dealers: Mark Levinson #39 CD player w/analog volume control ($5500), Pass Labs Aleph 3 stereo power amp ($2125), ProAc Response 1 SC minimonitors w/Target R1 stands ($2300), REL Strata II subwoofer ($1135), Audio Power Industries Power Pack II ($200), and Cardas Golden Cross Interconnects (1m)and biwire Speaker Cables (3m)($2600). Plus sand for the speaker stands. OK, I admit you could spend less, but this system gets you from point A to point B without any real compromise.

I recently had an experience assembling an entry level system for my brother in law. We start with a NAD C340 integrate amplifier($300/used),a Panasonic DV-R30 DVD player- for double purposses he have 3 kids- used as his main CD player ($225) and I recommended a pair of Sound Dynamics RTS-3 minimonitors ($280/new).We need some IC and speaker cables but we can use some PBJ or XLO for $150. Stands are DIY so total cost will be under $1K for the whole project. Believe me, he enjoy this system much that I thought and his wife noticed the difference as well and is very happy too. A happy wife is a pretty good thing for later improvement....you know what I mean.

Taste change rapidly so start simple and find an economical upgrade path.