[vinny1]

HI All,

I just bought a used Odyssey HT3 .. now I am a total newbie to the whole audiophile deal...and this is my er..first component..u can discount the other components..B&W monitors(great for the price)..now i need a better pair of speakers ofcourse...er..pre amp..i am for now taking pre amp out of a harman kardon receiver...i know a lot of people will be shocked  but hey..you got to start somewhere...so my question to you guys...buy a good pair of speakers first or a pre amp? and for both I am looking for some advice/suggestions.

[MaxCast]

Hi vinny, welcome to AC.  Congrats on your new amp.
I would first check out the pre amps and speakers from the Odyssey line.
Also, take a look around at other AC mfgs on the site.
What is your budget for each?

[bpape]

I'd check out a preamp.  The B&W's aren't nasty by any stretch - especially if you feed 'em right.

Bryan

[vinny1]

Budget would be about $1500 for now...for either of the components...

[Doublej]

I would do both. I would buy a used preamplifier for $500 and a pair of used speakers for $1000. Then as more money becomes available for audio you can play with cables and tweaks.

[MaxCast]

Is this for two channel or 5.1?

Check out Odysseys Estasian passive pre.
What B&W's you have?
The Loreli's would be a nice goal to save for. 

[bunky]

HI All,

I just bought a used Odyssey HT3 .. now I am a total newbie to the whole audiophile deal...and this is my er..first component..u can discount the other components..B&W monitors(great for the price)..now i need a better pair of speakers ofcourse...er..pre amp..i am for now taking pre amp out of a harman kardon receiver...i know a lot of people will be shocked  but hey..you got to start somewhere...so my question to you guys...buy a good pair of speakers first or a pre amp? and for both I am looking for some advice/suggestions.

Hey Vinny, if you are building a two channel system if i were you i would think seriously about buying an Odyssey Candela tube preamplifier. the speakers that you have now are good enough to tide you over until you can save enough money to get better ones.the price is of the Candela is going up as of Oct 1 06 and this is one sweet preamplifier. good luck....WCW III

[vinny1]

Hey bunky,

thanks for the reply. I was thinking of the candela too but am slightly apprehensive about tube pre-amps..I dont know anything about tubes ..and have never owned one..so would that be a disadvantage?

[vinny1]

Is this for two channel or 5.1?

Check out Odysseys Estasian passive pre.
What B&W's you have?
The Loreli's would be a nice goal to save for. 

DM 303 monitors..not good for bass..though I love the midrange and high freq on this. A passive pre? let me try and understand...it would basically give me a DAC? I am not sure..looks like I have a bit of homework to do..

[vinny1]

I would do both. I would buy a used preamplifier for $500 and a pair of used speakers for $1000. Then as more money becomes available for audio you can play with cables and tweaks.

what pre amp would I get for 500 bucks?

[bunky]

Hey bunky,

thanks for the reply. I was thinking of the candela too but am slightly apprehensive about tube pre-amps..I dont know anything about tubes ..and have never owned one..so would that be a disadvantage?

Hey Vinny, a tube preamplifier would sound great with your Odyssey power amplifier and there is nothing to be apprehensive about. the tubes last up to 10.000 hours + which is five years or so to most folks, tubes are very easy to change out. also you can try different tubes to fine tune the sound of your system to suit your personal taste.thanks....WCW III

[Doublej]

You should seek input from those much wiser than I regarding specific models but a highly regarded used B&K PT3, Adcom, or Parasound will cost you less than $500. You might be able to coax someone to part with a Sonic Frontiers SFL-1 for $500 (my favorite)

http://www.goodsound.com/equipment/bk_pt3_st2140.htm

Regarding speakers other than the hundreds of used speakers for $1000,

1. AV123 has some new floorstanders coming out for less than $1000
2. B&W DM603, http://www.stereophile.com/budgetcomponents/805bw/index.html
3. Monitor Audio Silver Series, http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/306monitor/index.html
4. The Infinity Primus Floorstanders are very cheap these days...