Don't go by % spent on parts.
Synergy overall (sources to room acoustics) is key. You don't have to spend a lot to get great results in most rooms.
Triangle Titus 202s are small monitor speakers that can match and in some ways even outperform much bigger Maggies in most rooms and they cost only a couple hundred used. Almost any amp will drive them.
Place them on good solid stands with any decent integrated amp and digital or analog source in most any room and you are golden. They are small and front ported so they even sound good close to walls.
I use a vintage Yamaha cr-420 receiver that cost me less than $100 on ebay, a $350 6 year old Marantz DVD player and an old Dual 1264 table with GOldring cartridge with them in my second 2-channel A/V system, and the results are hard to beat.
Add a sub later to fill in low end if needed and you are competing with some of the best sounding systems out there.
If it were me buying new, I would consider a Peachtree audio Decco or Nova (www.peachtreeaudio.com) as an integrated amp to drive a pair of Triangle Titus 202s.
These are sold direct or via some dealers and are designed to provide excellent sound from most any source out of the box. They use a tubed pre-amp section that helps deliver that tube sound many cherish at an affordable price.
I haven;t heard the Peachtree units yet, but from other's accounts and from what I have read, it is a very well thought out device at a value price. I think you will see more and more devices like it over the next few years as well.
Synergy overall (sources to room acoustics) is key. You don't have to spend a lot to get great results in most rooms.
Triangle Titus 202s are small monitor speakers that can match and in some ways even outperform much bigger Maggies in most rooms and they cost only a couple hundred used. Almost any amp will drive them.
Place them on good solid stands with any decent integrated amp and digital or analog source in most any room and you are golden. They are small and front ported so they even sound good close to walls.
I use a vintage Yamaha cr-420 receiver that cost me less than $100 on ebay, a $350 6 year old Marantz DVD player and an old Dual 1264 table with GOldring cartridge with them in my second 2-channel A/V system, and the results are hard to beat.
Add a sub later to fill in low end if needed and you are competing with some of the best sounding systems out there.
If it were me buying new, I would consider a Peachtree audio Decco or Nova (www.peachtreeaudio.com) as an integrated amp to drive a pair of Triangle Titus 202s.
These are sold direct or via some dealers and are designed to provide excellent sound from most any source out of the box. They use a tubed pre-amp section that helps deliver that tube sound many cherish at an affordable price.
I haven;t heard the Peachtree units yet, but from other's accounts and from what I have read, it is a very well thought out device at a value price. I think you will see more and more devices like it over the next few years as well.