Miser,
You have discovered the slippery slope. I started with a very-used Dynaco pre-amp, beat-up power amp, etc. My advice is to pick a certain "level" that you apsire to. Then buy components at that level. For instance, don't spend $1000 on a high-detail, spacious sounding cd player if the rest of your components will be at a "budget" level.
Once you pick a level, research the choices here on Audiogon. Buying used means you can re-sell at very little loss if you want something different. Good choices in the $250 - $350 range might be Rotel, Cambridge Audio or Cal Icon, all of which should sound as good as your FM tuner. For a little more, you might consider an Arcam Alpha 9 (which I have and like a lot). For a little more, the new Jolida would be a good choice. Don't buy the older Jolida. It has a reputation for reliability problems.
Enjoy!
You have discovered the slippery slope. I started with a very-used Dynaco pre-amp, beat-up power amp, etc. My advice is to pick a certain "level" that you apsire to. Then buy components at that level. For instance, don't spend $1000 on a high-detail, spacious sounding cd player if the rest of your components will be at a "budget" level.
Once you pick a level, research the choices here on Audiogon. Buying used means you can re-sell at very little loss if you want something different. Good choices in the $250 - $350 range might be Rotel, Cambridge Audio or Cal Icon, all of which should sound as good as your FM tuner. For a little more, you might consider an Arcam Alpha 9 (which I have and like a lot). For a little more, the new Jolida would be a good choice. Don't buy the older Jolida. It has a reputation for reliability problems.
Enjoy!