[PRELUDE]

Some times people,I must say some people do things that I have no choice to seat back and think about it and ask myself why?
I just saw a set up which is my friend was raving about it.I am not going to name it to keep the flame down but what was interesting for me which led me to this pol was,he was using a $500 power cord on $500 integrated amp connected to a pair of low efficient speakers.
So,let's be real and forget about past or future and focus on present market and prices.
How much we should spend for complete system to enjoy the music?
Please explain more if you have a set up in your mind.
Thanks

[Anonamemouse]

I voted for up to $30.000. This question got me thinking, and that is roughly what I spent on what we currently have in our living room. This does not include CD's and such. I never intended to open my wallet this wide, but it kinda happened...

[dflee]

Anonamemouse: you certainly have pointed out your position down to the hundredth of a second.

[Thebiker]

Hmmm, I started voting with my wallet at $5000.....then reality set it

$3500 for my Cary integrated, $2000 for my Focals, $1800 for my turntable, and it goes on for phono pre, modded Sony 9100ES and then you get to cables, power cords

Damn, better jump t the up to $10,000 category.

Yeah, I know I'm in the Brysten Circle, but I butted in anyway.

[Elizabeth]

Currently i am in the up to $30,000. Vote.
Since i bought new two years ago:
Magnepan 3.6 $5,200
Bryston 4B-SST2 $4,800
Bryston BP-26 and 1.5 combo $7,000
Rega P5, PS and Benz Glider $2,800
Various other stuff $30,000 easy.

If I had it to do over, I would have 20.7 Magnepan, Bryston 28B-SST2 monoblocks, for starters.. and would be in the $30,000 and up category.

In a few years i may flip for the 20.7s.. but use the 4B-SST2 with them. Then a few more years and we'll see...

[werd]

Currently i am in the up to $30,000. Vote.
Since i bought new two years ago:
Magnepan 3.6 $5,200
Bryston 4B-SST2 $4,800
Bryston BP-26 and 1.5 combo $7,000
Rega P5, PS and Benz Glider $2,800
Various other stuff $30,000 easy.

If I had it to do over, I would have 20.7 Magnepan, Bryston 28B-SST2 monoblocks, for starters.. and would be in the $30,000 and up category.

In a few years i may flip for the 20.7s.. but use the 4B-SST2 with them. Then a few more years and we'll see...

nice !! 

[Rclark]

I planned on just buying a couple little monitors, sub, and cd player. Under a grand. I have already far surpassed that amount, and as the project currently stands, I'll have somewhere around a 10k system.

...cd's though, avg used prices, I've spent about 4-5k.

[medium jim]

Mind you I buy used except for tubes:

Marantz Model 9 Monoblocks       $10,000
NOS Mullard XF2 EL34's                 1,250
NOS Amperex 6922 PQ's                   800
                                                            $12,050.00
McIntosh MX-110 Pre/Tuner             900                          (got a great deal on it)
                                                                  900.00

Ah! Tjoeb CDP                               800
NOS Telefunken E188CC's                500
                                                                1,300.00

Magnepan 2.5rt's                           400
New Ribbons                                 400                           (had to reglue some light delam)
                                                                  800.00
(2) B&W ASW300 Subs (demo's)       500
                                                                  500.00
Cables and IC's                           3,000
                                                                3,000.00

Total of System:                                                              $18,550.00

Jim

P.S. I paid fair market on the Marantz's as they simply are the best amps I've ever heard, hands down.  If I bought the equivalent newer model Magnepan's, 3.7's, ($5200.00) and a modern and not necessarily better preamp ($3000-5000), we are approaching the 30k mark...add a music server and go over 30k....

[Diamond Dog]

FWIW I think the right answer might be whatever you figure it's worth to you balanced off against whatever you can afford to sink into it to get to where you want to be. That's gonna swing over quite a trajectory depending on people's means and their desires/expectations.
I know what I've spent ( hoo boy do I know... ) but a lot of folks could easily spend more or less and achieve their own personal bliss. Some people are going to see my system as "a nice try but you gotta start somewhere, I guess..." while others are going to see it as a monument to utter madness. Nature of the beast.

With that in mind, how much should someone spend?  Not for me to say so no vote from me on this one.

D.D.

PS:  Reading your replies is a real eye-opener, innit? It sure does add up...Did any of us walk into this expecting to spend what we've spent on audio? Yikes !

[TONEPUB]

I can not give a fair and balanced response to this question...

[rbbert]

I still don't understand the question.  Is it how much we have spent on our current system(s), how much we would like to spend before diminishing returns (for me/us) set in, or how much is the least expensive musically enjoyable system we think we can assemble?

[Chromisdesigns]

Bear in mind that I've had some this stuff for a long while, so the pricing is out of date:

ProAc Studio 2 pair with stands, used, with cables
Energy 150 subwoofer, new

$750 for the set (which was a killer deal, even way back when!)

Parasound PLD-2000 preamp, open box from Audio Advisors $650

Hafler DH-220 (used), Theta Chroma DAC (new) $400 for both

SqueezeBox Touch $265 new (Amazon sale)
Teradak Analog power supply for the SB Touch, $130

Home Headroom amp, new, $600

Sennheiser HD600, new, $600 plus or minus, plus some replacement parts since new (pads and cable)

I have a few hundred in cables, also, and $200 in storage for my FLAC rips.

There have been other bits in and out of the system over the years, but that's what it looks like now.

So, a bit under $5K in its current configuration.  I'm very happy with the way it sounds.  Cost to buy equivalent today?  Not a clue.

[Chromisdesigns]

I can not give a fair and balanced response to this question...

That's because you have the makings of at least 5 systems in your photo!

[thunderbrick]

$20K, maybe more, but only because I've bought and sold at least that much over the past 40 years.  Most bought used or at salesman's accommodations, and many pieces sold at near what I paid.  Still been a life-long hobby, but I've compensated by buying ragged old cars at $3-5K and driving the wheels off, buying a fix-me-up house (talk about a money pit!) and doing all the work myself.  Also working some part-time jobs at the same time.  All a matter or priorities, because my salary is toward the (quite) low end of the middle class.

And many other cheap-ass ways of squeezing my pennies until they scream.!   

[medium jim]

Yes it does add up, but the reward is the enjoyment factor that can be priceless!  It is relative as I would spend more if need be, preferably less though!!!

Jim

[sharpsuxx]

For me budget should set your total system price, everything else in a "finished" system just needs to fit into a fair ratio.  I like to put more money into components that make more difference on the sound quality, it keeps me from having too many bottlenecks but to each their own.  I am still building towards this for my system but my current budget is around 10k.

30% total budget for speakers
20% amplifier(s)
20% pre
15% source(s)
10% room treatments
5% cables

So as I reach towards my future 20k system.  I have:

6k for speakers
4k for amp
4k for pre
3k for sources
2k for room treatments (maybe less if I DIY)
1k for cables

[cheap-Jack]

Hi.

How much we should spend for complete system to enjoy the music?

For those rich & famous, USD128,000 to own a TT+tone-arm+MC cartridge is not the end of the world - from Audio Note of Japan!!!!!!

I know the president/CEO of a public-listed estate management company owns one.

c-J

[TONEPUB]

That's because you have the makings of at least 5 systems in your photo!

If you're talking about the pic on my Facebook page, that's pretty much my main system. Just got a little carried away with analog sources.  (6 turntables...)

[tabrink]

 
Never should have added it all up!.
Way north of $10k..
  How does this happen?

[jimdgoulding]

Man, that depends on a lot of variables.  Room size comes to mind.  So, does audio awareness and resourcefulness.  I do think, however, that something respectable could be done for under eight grand.  Fritz speakers, for example, Zu's maybe, and work back from there.  I'm thinkin new, too.  Kits?  Danny Richie could be your man.