Buiding listening room from scratch - need advice


I am finally in a position to build a dedicated listening room in a new addition we are building onto our home. It will be in the basement and the room will be about 12' x 18'; not huge but the most space due to some limitations. I plan to hire Rives to consult on the design of the actual space. What I am looking for is recommendations on equipment. This will be a two channel setup with a turntable, cd player and ability to play computer audio. I am looking for a new amplifier, preamp, speakers and interconnects. I will probably have about $25k to $30K to spend on equipment depending on how the rest of the renovation goes. I have listened to a few setups with Moon electronics and B&W and Sonus Faber speakers. I actually preferred the Sonus Fabers over the 802Ds even though they had a $75K stack of equipment powering them versus the Sonus Fabers that had $20K stack. Lastly, I am intrigued by Wilson Audio Sashas and Lamm hybrid amps that I have read about on Audiogon - never heard them. Okay, that is the background, please let me know your thoughts. Thank you in advance!
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Showing 1 response by jmcgrogan2

I would suggest that you start by auditioning different types of systems. When listening, make sure to note the amp>speaker interaction, as this is critical, as is speaker placement. The reason I state that auditioning systems first is so important is because you may find out that SET amplifiers present a sound that you find engaging. If that is the case, speaker choices will change. Just as if you find low sensitivity speakers engaging, your amp choices will change.

Only you can decide whether a single ended amp with high sensitivity speakers sound better to you than a low sensitivity - high power amp combo. The right amp/speaker combo is the key.