let's see if i can afford this stuff??? (1 Viewer)

[Ted Lee]

hi all-
this may be kind of tough, since i don't have specific brands & models to refer to, but here goes.
i'm thinking about upgrading my current setup to mid-end gear. i guess by mid-end gear, i mean stuff that is higher then denon, yamaha, onkyo, etc, but not as expensive as krell, theta...stuff like that. in other words, something a working-joe enthusiast could afford.
based on all i hear, the paradigm, def-tech, b&w, m&k speakers will definitely be on my list. i'll also be auditioning gear by rotel, parasound, nad, adcom, etc.
my question is...
can you guys give an approximate ball-park cost for this type of setup. i'm guessing it'll be somewhere around 3-5K, but i'm not sure.
i also hear a lot of people talk about dealers giving discounts. how true is this and what percentage could i reasonably expect to ask off?
i guess i'm really just wondering at this point.
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[Burke Strickland]

A lot depends on what you plan to include in your "setup".
If you are primarily interested in two channel music reproduction, your $3K - $5K budget could yield some fine gear at the quality level and brand range you are contemplating.
If you are talking 5.1 or more channels of speaker replacement with electronics to match, it can be done, but with a few more compromises and VERY careful shopping. The features you just "have to have" (such as video switching, surround formats, etcetera) will make a difference as to what you can get at various budget levels.
Of course, more $$$$ will give you more choices, but won't necessarily guarantee more satisfaction.
Discounts can vary widely by brand, and even time of year, since some brands allow discounting all the time and others try to limit it to certain special sales. Some brands allow online sales and others restrict it to sales to local customers at the local dealer, and some dealers really push "value added" while others will readily negotiate on price.
So perhaps we could zero in more specifically on what it is you are trying to achieve with upgrade... then it will be more feasible to put some meaningful dollar estimates around it...
Burke

 

[Brian Corr]

You should expect 10-20% off. 15% is reasonable but 20% may take alot of negotiating.
Depending on what you want, you can hit 5k pretty fast.
Broken out this way, for example, you will hit it quick!
1500 amp
1500 pre/pro
2000 speakers
7k may be more realistic for new gear.

 

[Ted Lee]

good advice guys...thanks. i think i'll have to do a little more research to see exactly what kind of specs & features i'm looking for. at least now i have an idea of what price-point i'm looking at.

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[Steve_D]

Do you mean with or without an HDTV display?
Audio portion only, I know you can do it for $4-5K....!!!Oops...see edit below i forgot about one of the most important pieces!!!
Here's just a sample (based real loosely on my set-up, brands are just samples there are alternates, prices do not include shipping and/or tax)
Speakers:
Paradigm 3 Studio 40v2 front: $1200
Stands - $100
2 Studio 20 rear: $700
Stands - $100
Amps:
Outlaw 750 $1100 (made by ATI) or
search for excellent deals on mint slightly used
Preamp/Pro
Outlaw 950 $900 (October release)
DVD:
Panasonic DVD RP-91 $550
Cables, Power filter/conditoner
$400
Total = $5050
With flexibility to add more channels later.
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[Edited last by Steve_D on July 17, 2001 at 10:20 AM]
[Edited last by Steve_D on July 17, 2001 at 12:16 PM]

 

[Ted Lee]

thanks steve!
i forgot all about the outlaw gear coming out. that's also going to be pretty high on my list. i am a firm believer of auditioning gear first, but with the reputation i keep hearing from outlaw, i think i'd be willing to take a risk...
thanks again!
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[Doug_B]

Steve,

Speakers:
Paradigm 3 Studio 40v2 front: $1200
Stands - $100
2 Studio 20 rear: $700
Stands - $100

You forgot the sub. I guess a reasonable $ range would be $500 - $1000.
Ted,
I think Steve gives a reasonable expectation for prices for the different audio components. His choices do tend to be on the value side of the equation for separates (read Outlaw). From reading your post, I also had the impression that you'd be better served by separates, given your specification of "mid-end" gear. I think for the most part, you can easily spend more $ than what Steve specified (if buying new) if you move towards choices such as floorstanding mains and most other pre/pros and 5 channel amps. The Outlaw 950 (with hopefully glowing reviews) is in my critical path for purchasing my new HT audio system.
Good Luck.
Doug
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[Steve_D]

Ouch..I did forget the sub....Big mistake!
Sorry, SVS 20-39 for $800 (with power) total is now closer to $6000.
Now, to get back down some, given a $5K budget, I would go with Mini-Monitors for rear, this saves about $400. Another option to save a little money is the speakers and amps, with a little risk, can be picked up mint barely used for often 2/3 to 3/4 of cost new.
As Doug mentioned, I was going for low-hi-fi...above most systems but not up to Mark Levinson, Proceed, etc...
Brand preferences obviously do vary greatly, I could give roughly equivalent alternatives for each.
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[Ted Lee]

correct doug -
i will more than likely be choosing separates this time. i know there's this whole argument about separates vs receiver, but, tbh, the only reason i'm choosing separates is because i've never had a separates set-up before and i think it'll be fun!
well...i'll factor in another several hundred for the sub, but now i'm really reaching the upper-echelon (sp?) of my budget! yikes! that doesn't even include the tv (hd ready, of course). i can always use my existing dvd player until i score a progressive one. hmmm...i guess my current onkyo/polk setup isn't even that bad, so i can actually take my own advice and upgrade in increments. oh well...more to think about!
i hope my woman doesn't read this...otherwise you might as well spread butter on me and call me toast!

this is gonna be fun...thanks again guys!

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[JerryE]

Ted,
I think I can give you a little insight into pricing for a Paradigm/Rotel setup (sans a DVD player) since I bought a 5.1 system not too long ago. Here's the MSRP of the pieces along with the price I paid in parenthesis:
Paradigm Reference Studio 40v2 - $900 ($765)
Paradigm Reference Studio CC - $500 ($425)
Paradigm Reference Studio 20v2 - $650 ($553)
Paradigm PW-2200 - $800 ($680)
Rotel RSP-976 - $1199 ($1050)
Rotel RMB-1075 - $1199 ($1050)
I also got 2 pair of Premier stands ($170 each) to bring the total before tax to $4863. This would be within your budget, but then again, this doesn't include a DVD player or cables. My DVD player & cables added another grand to that total but YMMV depending what you ultimately go with.
My Paradigm dealer does 15% off MSRP as their standard pricing. He only could do 12.5% of the Rotel gear (even less with Parasound) but there's always some room to come down in price, even if it's not much. I may have been able to do better, but I felt comfortable with those discounts and was also getting great deals on other accessories (a/v rack, cables, etc.)
With a budget of $5k you can definitely do a very nice A/V setup and with the manufacturers you listed you'd have many different combinations to choose from. In my honest opinion, $3k will probably put you in a receiver/mid-fi speaker set up (ie. Paradigm Monitors) while $5k-$7k can get you into entry-level separates and a step-up in speakers (ie. Paradigm Reference).
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[Ted Lee]

thanks jerry - that's a good setup.
my buddy has a rotel cd player (paired to adcom gear) and i know he likes it. it looks like you got approx 15% off on your gear - that's awesome! i'm glad to hear that i'll be able to factor in at least some sort of discount.
again, those paradigms keep showing up. i can't wait to audition those puppies...
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[Doug_B]

Ted,

yikes! that doesn't even include the tv (hd ready, of course). i can always use my existing dvd player until i score a progressive one.

On the DVD player side of things, if you don't have a good (HD) video display and aren't in the near-term market to upgrade, then assuming you have an existing and functioning DVD player that can pass DD and DTS, it's probably not worth it for you to upgrade.
Doug
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"Today is a good day to die." ...Old Lodge Skins