I'm looking to overhaul my system from scratch, which at present is admittedly quite poor. I'm using a Harman Kardon stereo A/V receiver, Infinity Beta 50 towers, and a combination of Samsung Blu-Ray and external digital sources (embarassing, I know).
As a n00b, I'm trying to put together a legit system for about $4K, and am having a tough time figuring out how to allocate my budget across speakers, amps and sources, and more fundamentally, what types of components will best meet my needs (floorstanding v. bookshelf, for example). Particularly given my use of primarily digital media, I don't want to overspend the potential of that source!
As I'm living in an apartment, my top requirement is that the system sounds great at lower volumes. My floorstanding Beta 50s sound great with the volume up high, but lose all their dynamics at lower volumes. Additionally, while I intend to use the system primarily for music, in a perfect world I'd like to route television/movie audio through it as well. My current setup doesn't do that very well (the dialog is almost always buried in the mix, which I think is due to my A/V receiver). If this can't be done with one integrated system, would appreciate suggestions on how to allocate the budget to make it possible (i.e., getting two different preamps).
As for sources, I would like the main source to be digital storage. I don't intend to use vinyl, and can create lossless digital files on my PC.
Would really appreciate specific component suggestions on a ~$4K system composed of:
1) Digital source/server
2) Speakers
3) Amps or integrated amp
I'm happy to buy used components, so that can be factored in. And, if there's time, whether spending a little more could get me substantially more performance, because I might be willing to do so.
Thanks!
I'm looking to overhaul my system from scratch, which at present is admittedly quite poor. I'm using a Harman Kardon stereo A/V receiver, Infinity Beta 50 towers, and a combination of Samsung Blu-Ray and external digital sources (embarassing, I know).
As a n00b, I'm trying to put together a legit system for about $4K, and am having a tough time figuring out how to allocate my budget across speakers, amps and sources, and more fundamentally, what types of components will best meet my needs (floorstanding v. bookshelf, for example). Particularly given my use of primarily digital media, I don't want to overspend the potential of that source!
As I'm living in an apartment, my top requirement is that the system sounds great at lower volumes. My floorstanding Beta 50s sound great with the volume up high, but lose all their dynamics at lower volumes. Additionally, while I intend to use the system primarily for music, in a perfect world I'd like to route television/movie audio through it as well. My current setup doesn't do that very well (the dialog is almost always buried in the mix, which I think is due to my A/V receiver). If this can't be done with one integrated system, would appreciate suggestions on how to allocate the budget to make it possible (i.e., getting two different preamps).
As for sources, I would like the main source to be digital storage. I don't intend to use vinyl, and can create lossless digital files on my PC.
Would really appreciate specific component suggestions on a ~$4K system composed of:
1) Digital source/server
2) Speakers
3) Amps or integrated amp
I'm happy to buy used components, so that can be factored in. And, if there's time, whether spending a little more could get me substantially more performance, because I might be willing to do so.
Thanks!