2. amps-preamps
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Building a system from scratch (other than speakers)

Hello all! This is my first post. I am a relative newbie when it comes to hifi but have been doing some research and reading the forums for a while now. I am looking to build a two channel system with the best quality sound for the money. My budget is approx. $5K. I have a pair of Martin Logan Theos in my home theater that I will be pulling out for the dedicated hifi setup. 
Mainly I'm looking for preamp and amp advice. I know a point of contention is the tube v ss debate, but have read on this forum and others that you get the most out of electrostatics with tubes. I know virtually nothing first hand about tubes so am concerned about maintenance and high ongoing cost. I don't have a lot of listening time anyway, less time for working on components. Is this something to worry about? 
Also, brand/model suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'm concerned about mismatching the speakers and amp.
For cd I am looking at the OPPO BDP 105d and for vinyl the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, but would appreciate advice here as well. 
Thank you all in advance!

arisingsound
marktomaras
544 posts
 
Nice job on the amp, that Rogue looks great!  I still say kill off the CD player.  Rip your CDs, play them through a player such as the Bluesound Node and feed that to your great DAC.  That will eliminate the CD tick.  You ought to be able to get a refund if there is a tick.  Not only that, but you will be able to stream Tidal, and even purchase high res music from places like HD Tracks.  I couldn't imagine using a CD player anymore.


mesch
3,401 posts
 
You need to talk to your dealer re the tick. This should not occur. After all you seemed to have purchased an entire system from Wilson so should be accommodated. As one who has both computer based and disc based digital front ends, I understand the desire to sometimes just spin a disc. 

arisingsound OP
4 posts
 
marktomaras - thank you! I love the Rogue so far. A server or media player will certainly be in my future as budget allows. 

mesch - Yes, I will be contacting Wilson today. They aren't open on Mondays. The cd player will get me by until I can get some kind of media storage solution going. 

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