Looking to build a system for under $5k

I've been following all of the posts in this thread. Thank you so much to everyone that contributed. I wasn't looking for anyone to do the work for me as a couple posters indicated. I just wanted a few brands that I could stick a pin in and say, "yes, I'm familiar with that brand."

Being that I live in New Jersey it seems there are ample show rooms to begin checking out some gear. I plan on starting with Audio Connection in Verona, NJ within the next couple of weeks.

Again, thanks to all for your valuable opinions and advice. I'll post back once I've had a chance to demo a few systems!

Cheers,
Joe

Hi Audiotroy,

Thanks for offering a different perspective. I will definitely swing by your place and have a listen.

@stewart0722 Glad to see Vincent getting a shout out in this thread. A friend of mine has their amp/pre-amp. I've heard nothing but good things about this brand.

-Joe

Quick update!!!

I had a chance to stop by 2 dealerships this weekend.

First up was John at Audio Connection....

John, as previously stated is a wonderful guy. I was there for probably two hours and it felt like we were two music buffs just hanging out listening to great tunes. No pressure and extremely helpful.

He first demoed the Vandersteen Treos. Initially with an Ayre AX-5 Twenty integrated and then with a Belles Aria. Both amps sounded fantastic but the sound stage with the Ayre was a notch or two above, and at nearly 10x the cost I would expect that to be the case.

We then went in to the back room where we listened to the Vandersteen 1ci’s, again with the Belles Aria integrated. All of the components here were within my initial 5k budget. The speakers were so transparent they just kind of faded into the room. I felt as though I was no longer listening to the speakers but listening to the music. John played types of music I never would consider listening to on my own but the speaks were so engaging.

Next up was Steve at Quest for Sound in Bensalem, PA.....

I told Steve what I was looking for and what my approximate budget was. We then went into one of his show rooms and listened to the KEF R500’s with a Rogue Audio Shynx amp. What a tremendously different experience vs. the Vandersteeens. In comparion the KEF’s sounded more scooped in the mids with a heavy emphasis on tight, punchy bass. Sound stage was virtually non existent and clarity no where near as good as the Vandys.

I asked if perhaps we could give the KEF’s a go with a different amp. He swapped out the Rogue for a Parasound (the model escapes me at the moment). Still not that much of an improvement. Needless to say I was in and out of there in 20 minutes.

I really felt listening to the Vandy 1ci’s with the Belles Aria, that I could be quite content with this system for years to come.

Anyway, that’s were I’m currently at. Comments are more than welcome.

-Joe

After auditioning several speakers and considering the excellent advice on this thread, I've made my choice to purchase the Vandy 1ci speakers.

After visiting Audio Doctor this weekend, I've decided to be more flexible to streaming. Dave showed me with a Tidal account and a USB connection, I can access a wealth of music for $20/ month.

With that said, the amp I was considering, the Belles Aria, does not come with any digital inputs.

Can you please recommend a good integrated amp that will:

a.) be a good match to power the Vandy 1ci's

b.) has the necessary inputs to do CD audio, streaming, and have the potential to do phono in the future?

Thanks again to everyone  that contributed to this thread. I really appreciate it.

@stewart0722 

"I would do the Belles which you know matches beautifully to the Vandys and then do an Oppo Sonica DAC which is a very simple and easy to use way to get Tidal into the Belles for not a lot of money.......any internal solution will be very compromised in one area or another......"

Thanks for the great suggestion. I think I'll do just that!

@randy-11 lol....ignore the tweekers!!! Got it!

@gdnrbob John did play the Ayre amp for me. It was stupid good. But it was also like 12k. Thanks also for the excellent suggestions.

@gawdbless  Thanks. Will check out the Nuforce STA200

So a quick update...

I have placed an order for the following:

- Vandersteen 1ci speakers
- Belles Aria integrated
- Rotel DAC
- Audio Quest speaker cables and interconnects

To start I’ll be using an existing Kenwood CD player with an optical line out into the Rotel and also a PC connected via USB w/ Tidal.

I’m super excited and can’t thank this forum enough for all the great commentary and suggestions. I literally knew nothing about this stuff a month ago and feel like I made informed decisions based on advice and due diligence.

Many thanks to the great folks at Quest for Sound, Dave and Troy from Audio Doctors, and of course Johnny R. from Audio Connection.

Cheers,
Joe

@mdelrossi1 Yes, came in well under my 5k budget. I'll probably order a few panels from GIK.

@bondmanp Thanks for the great suggestions. Will def. check them out! I didn't realize I had The Art of Sound so close to me in Lambertville. 15 min. down the road.

@gdnrbob Thanks!

@kuppe38 Agreed. Audio Doctors has very impressive showrooms!

@randy-11 Thanks. That's exactly what I intend to do.....