Amp evolution ques. - what comes after a Harmon K?

For problem free listening I would suggest recent used gear from say the last 5 years or Less.

There are so many amp choices like adcom, parasound etc
You migh also consider a starter tube amp like an ARC VT60
if that is not out of your budget

I have found greater improvment by upgrading the source such as your cd player or turntable.

thanks for the input so far. Input is HK FL8400 five disk changer. Turntable is a Panasonic that i like the look and weight of; nothing special. Also use the Ipod on a dock, so now i'm getting clear of its limitations and the further limitations of the stock settings. Cables... embarassingly, really basic, although the speaker cable is pretty bulky, but i don't know much more about it.

I would consider upgrading the CD player and the cables too, with a nice mid-fi unit, after upgrading the amp.

You are in for a treat - your ears will thank you - it will be a heart warming experience, if you choose carefully.

I would go slow and ask questions here before buying - there are somethings to know before you can get audiophile quality sounds at home.

There was a gentleman like yourself getting into this exciting hobby, wanting to buy a first good sounding mid-fi.

He ended with a pretty decent system all for under $2000 used.

I think it's a good idea when you said you want to upgrade the amp and then speakers. If you do that, you probably want to upgrade the source as well - and cables too.

It's good to match the quality of your gears. If you have a weak link, it will hold back the rest of the system.

Spending about 10% on cables seems to yield good
results.

If you want to go this rout, post it and I am sure you will get many good advices on building a good mid-fi system.

thank you all
This ties into a my posting on my I.Q. TED 400 speakers in teh speaker forum. I think these speakers, based upon a report that was referred to by one of the members, supports a mid-fi category speakers, so now i need to find the right power to support them. I guess what you do is get a better amp, then better speakers, then better amp, ... and on and on down the road you go.

The local Cayin amp sold for $250... dang, i missed it.

thanks for all your advice.

Here are my current, local, mid-fi upgrade choices for used equip:
Two ways to go today:
1. Use my HK as pre-amp and buy an amp; or
2. buy a pre-amp/amp combo set.

For option 1. my choices are:

NAD 60w 2100 $300
NAD 100w 2200 $350
Hafler 100w DH200 $350
Musical Fidelity 70w P140 $400

Or there are a couple of preamp/amp combo units as well:
Rotel 50 W set RC850 RB850 $385
Adcom 100 w set GFP555 GFA545 $440

Suggestions?