Neophite needing advice

Eldragon: Do you think that the Sekrit could be hung (like a painting) as opposed to being flush mounted? It's an interesting system that you have recommended, very B&O-ish. I am looking at a 12 watt pseudo SET by Audion that the speakers may work well with in our spare room (90db @ 1 watt). It would depend on how the amp handles a 4 ohm load. I have decided to spend more on the amp than originally planned and a break on the speakers would do the trick of making it happen quicker. Some of the Linn stuff is pretty good IMO. I also like the concept of an invisible sound source and do not enjoy looking at equipment and speakers as others do.

Eldragon: PS: Chester Himes detective novel series, ever read any? I am going to try and locate them on Bibiofind. I found out about them in American Heritage magazine.

Eldragon: Thanks again for the info on Linn. I looked at the speakers a month ago on their web site and totally disregarded them at the time. I have a Linn dealer that is an hour from here (that's 10 miles in LA) and they are on the way to another shop that carries Renaud which is also on my list. I would also like to listen to the Tukan replacement that they were breaking in last week. I have not read any of the novels and will check the library. We just got cable a couple of years ago and do not have any premium channels, so, no on the series. We did watch "Tokyo Elevator Girls" and a Japanese detective series on local broadcast in the early 90's. Both were without English subtitles and I do not speak Japanese. This just goes to show you how simple I am. I just finished a crime mystery novel by a Swiss author (translated to English) that was super. Can't think of the name right now.

Thanks for the additional push Jayboard. White would be perfect, the room has white "ragged" walls. Yes, the LF specs are lower than that of the Tukan. I could not use the Tukans in our living room (L shaped room) because of unruly bass. But this was a fault of the room and not the speakers. I do not know what the retail is but will find out when I listen to them. I have purchsed my other system mail order and used but have included new gear in the budget for the second system. The local shops have good trade in and upgrade policies and I do not like to ship gear when I sell it. The KLH Model 21 radio that I sold on Ebay arrived damaged to the new owner, and I packed it with everthing short of embryonic fluid. I paid for the repairs instead of waiting on a UPS claim.

Castle Acoustics - Richmond speakers ($500.00). NAD 740 receiver ($500.00). Cambridge 300 CD player ($300.00). Mapleshade IC's and speaker cables ($153.00). Prices are retail, if you can do better upgrade the Cambridge to the 500 model which is $100.00 more. Also, if you can do without radio I would suggest the following. Renaud Twinn II speakers ($750.00). Cambridge 300 CD player ($300.00). Cambridge A300 integrated amp ($250.00). Mapleshade IC's and speaker cable ($153.00). Everything should be available by mail order.

I made it out to my LInn dealer and discovered that the Sekrit on the wall speakers have been disco'd. I was unable to audition them. Just the flush mount version is still available, which does not interest me due to many in wall water leaks over the years. I heard the new replacement for the Tukan but will have to go back as it was not yet broken in. All that I can say is that it has more controlled bass than the Tukan. KSISKOZ, I forgot to include speakers stands into the above systems (which are a must), so add $100.00. Let us know what you get and how it works out (even if you go cheaper). The next best thing to actualy buying something for our own systems is hearing about someome else buying something for theirs. Plus it is a good reference/record for someone else starting out in your same budget range.