Let’s hypothetically consider you only had 5k to build a system that makes you happy.
I assume you are talking a simple system with a digital source...
(Used) Tannoy Eyris speakers ($800)
(Used) Naim 5i MKII ($700)
Bluesound Node 2 steaming player ($500)
KLE Innovations QFLOW3 Speaker Cables ($1000)
KLE Innovations gZero6 Interconnect Cables ($700)
2 x KLE Innovations gPOWER2 Power Cables ($600 - $300 each)
2 Tbyte NAS or USB Drive with dual RAID Mirrored drives ($600)
+ some network cables
I assume you own a computer to build you library on the NAS drive
This system will last you for years and sound fantastic
- I have the NAIM - it has a passive front end and sounds great
- and the Node 2 - it’s one of the best streamers out there and sounds great when connected with great cables
- I am a fan of Tannoy - sound dynamic and detailed and they last a long time
- I have tried the KLEI speaker and interconnect cables and they are exceptional
- I have not tried the KLEI power cables, but the are from KLEI so they should be very good
- I run a NAS RAID drive and had disk failures - so I simply pop in a new drive and RAID takes care of copying everything
There are better speakers, but the Eyris are a fantastic starting position - they will spoil you - trying to find a more detailed speaker for less than $3000 will be difficult - but then that depends on your ears really :-)
That’s my system
Worried about spending so much on cables?
- cables can make or break a system
- not all cables respond well to all components, but the cables and components above work well together - I have tried them and liked what I heard
You can save about 50% on the cables if you are handy and can solder.
You will get lots of other suggestions - I would suggest you read through them carefully and try to audition as many of the components/speakers you can
Good luck with your quest and trust your ears - Steve