OK great start.
What I liked about the old system, the Carver Amp has a warm sound, and could drive the ACI 3-way 10" speakers effortlessly, easily going from soft passages to 150 plus watts hitting the bass drum in Carmina Burana without distortion. I liked the very tight base from the (almost) sealed (ACI used a small vent but definitely not ported design) and a very well damped enclosure, and that you could get a realistic sound stage from the Seas aluminum dome tweeters when properly placed. Drivers are sloped to help with the timing of highs and lows.
I do not plan on using this system for home theater, just for the sheer enjoyment of listening to excellent stereo recordings on CD and occasional my collection of vinyl recordings. So I guess my druthers would be to retain the Carver amp, and for now I am in the process of rebuilding the AC10 woofers to get them back to peak performance. I am also going to replace the tweeters with the recommended replacements, which I will confirm are now Vifa domes to replace the Seas. The cabinets are rock solid construction of thick and heavy mdf and have good spikes to couple them to the floor. Replacing them today I am sure I would need to spend at least a grand, and I built these from the kit form and enjoy speaker building and woodworking. I'll move that discussion to the ACI circle, as it will be a fun project for my daughter and I.
Then first objective and greatest need is to get that amp a nice match in a pre-amp, perhaps for 350 to 500 bucks? Is it likely to find a phono stage or or better to get an add on phono preamp later when budget allows? New or used to be considered as well.
Secondly find a CD player to replace the aging and not very satisfactory NAD unit that will allow me to take advantage of an extensive CD collection of almost 700 discs. Also hoping to be under 500. Call me old fashioned but I hate compressed files,but CD's are space hogs too.
Third is to get new speaker cables as they are history. so a good quality 8 to 9 foot pair is needed, without being overkill for my application.
Fourth is to identify interconnects that will get the most from this gear but not be overkill. Same criteria, good but not overkill. Have Straightwires Musicable currently.
So initial budget is maybe 1500 to get started, and there is no huge rush to get it all done at once. Used pieces are an option for me, as I enjoy a good hunt, and love to recycle gear that needs a good home and not a trip to the landfill.
Rest of gear will remain as the bedroom system...for now.
I am willing to do some digging, even though I guess it sounds as if I like the champagne tube sound on a micro brew budget...suggestions?
