I'm almost finished w/my new "used" stereo upgrade. I have not heard it yet...still waiting for some pieces to arrive, but here is what I ended up with.
no source as of yet....
Rotel RC-1070 preamp
AR performance series interconnects
B&K ST-140 poweramp (70 or 105w, not sure)
MIT term 5 speaker cables
Mirage SFX-8 sub
Magnepan MMGs
all i've heard thus far is just the sub/maggie combo through my old piece of shit sony integrated. I'm so impressed w/just the speaker upgrade, I can't even imagine the detail and energy that good componants are going to throw at me! very pumped.
I was telling Carl last night that the maggies have found their preffered spot in my room, and the soundstage / stereo image is better than i've ever heard,....anywhere. I've had such pleasure listening to music lately. Such well spent money!
Best thing....I've spent EXACTLY $1,000 on the whole setup (my plan was $5k). The only new gear I bought was the cables. I still need a good source CD deck (anything that excells at redbook...seeking an old Marantz), then i'll be done for now. I've got plans for a benchmark DAC-1 in the future, possibly replacing the preamp...but we'll see.
woo hooo!