Here's a challenge:a class A sound system for less

I agree with Jaybo all the way
I've heard a pretty good array of $$...$$$....$$$$ systems, ie "the $50K" kind you are talking about and was disappointed.
I mean I couldn't wait to exit my friends house/show room.
It was like gawddd aweful. Wouldn't pay half what they are asking.

Here's mine
New Jadis Orch Refer......... $2100
New Cayin 17 cdp ......... $1K(includes ship from china)
New Thor's kit......... $2K(includes ship)
Used Zen interconnects........$300(my $5 rat shaks sounded just as good, so was not necessary)
Thick speaker wire from home Depot ...$20 ($1.00/ft)

Total......duh............$5500/+/-

Savings of $45K
But I have my eye on a few expensive upgrades in the future...
Amp $3500
Speakers $2800
still under your bloated $50K "system".

Here is a thought onnear field experience. Why not just sit in your car with a nice stereo system?
Some are actually quite good sound.

There is one thing not measure by $50K or $10K or $1K is the fun factor. As long as you enjoy it, it doesn't matter how much it cost.

i.e. my TT setup cost more than my two systems combine excluding the TT itself. But that's the main piece of equipment most critical to me which it allows me to enjoy the best possible LP sound.

Think about your placement constraints. Speaker and listener placement have as much to do with what you hear as the speakers you buy and more to do with imaging and sound stage. Speakers not designed to be placed near a wall will have bloated bass. Placing them on the wall will give your singers chest colds. If you don't have 4 or 5' to the wall behind the speakers you might look at in/on-walls or horns. If you can't sit reasonable close (like 8') you might look at horns or planars that are more directive. You want the same distance behind you. If you can't do that you're going to loose the speakers to the room and might do better with headphones.

Given at least 16x12' where the speakers can be 4' off the front-wall and 2' off the side walls and your chair 5' off the back wall start with Siegfried Linkwitz's Orion package at $7800 - $8400 depending on finish, including the required 8 channels of amplification (with a spare four channels for multi-channel or sub-woofer use) and all cables. Power tools and a soldering iron can be used to knock $4000 off the price tag.

http://www.linkwitzlab.com/orion_us.htm

If the Orions aren't to your tastes, you might look at other small makers that don't have the large vendors markups. I read an interview with a prominant designer who lamented that a $8000 MSRP let you use an $80 midrange. Nice midranges that run double that can be had in speakers half that price when you don't have distributors and dealers inflating the selling price to 10X parts cost.

Add an economical remote controller preamp ($500 new from Rotel) and CD player with a user interface (changer or single disk) that suits your tastes. As long as the engineers have done their job (Sony's will have. Some boutique companies put marketting guys in charge of circuit design and fail) the equipment won't make a difference in the sound. What you hear can vary due to expectation biases and placebo effect.

If you have hardwood floors you should invest in a nice rug placed to cover the first floor reflection.

Spend the left over on CDs which suit your tastes.

Interesting thread. I listen nearfield, and to tell you the truth, I don't know how my system ranks compared to other systems, as I don't have much experience with good audio. I put my system together actually by accident. Meaning locally I found quality items and put them together to make a system. I think I have done pretty well on a very small budget. It sounds great to me anyway, and all of my audio and non audio friends comment on it often. These are the prices I paid and all components have been gone thru if neccesary to bring them up to spec by a local audio guru.

2 McIntosh MC40 tube monoblocks - $600 pr.

Altec Lansing Model 17 604-8G duplex studio monitors- $150 plus a $96 for a new HF voice coil.

Sansui 1000A - used as a preamp- $200

Marantz CC65se CD= $20

Thorens TD160/Linn Basik/ Denon 110 HOMC- $220

Total- $1226

I doubt it would compare well with a 50K system, or even a 10K system. I wouldn't know since I have never heard one. But I think it might surprise a few folks, anyway, I would like to think it would.

Tubes, Altecs and vinyl make me smile.

Steve

Nearfield listening is great for me, since my music room is small.

This is not class A, but an enjoyable system neverthless.

1) Computer as the source - less jitter like an upscale piece.

2) Sound card upgrade to M-audio 2496 audiophile ($89)

3) Old marantz receiver 2270 ($250 ebay)

4) Athena speakers as-b2 ($170)

5) Sony sawm500 sub ($150)

6) DIY belden cables ($50) : google for info on the web

This system sounds especially good on female vocal music - had me dancing for an hour, so I decided to put it in my gym system.

If you hook this up to a TV, with your favorite exercise DVD, you won't know the pain of exercising, 'coz you are enjoying the sound so much.

For under a grand, you can both enjoy the music, and stay healthy and trim...