I have two systems.....

Frist....my whole house audio distribution system which consists of....
NAD 7240 stereo receiver and 2 NAD2400 Power Envelope amps
a Denon DCM460 CD changer, an Audigy 2ZS soundcard from my PC tied into the system, a Sony MD player. Speakers in various rooms consist of McIntosh towers, Paradigm outdoor speakers, Phase Tech in walls speakers.

Second....my home theater which consists of...
Yamaha RXV1500 surround receiver, Yamaha DVDC750 CD/DVD/SACD/DVD-A changer, Bang and Olfsen turntable, 2 Phase Tech PC100 towers, 1 Phase Tech PC3.1 center, 2 Phase Tech PC60 rears, 1 Phase Tech PC Subwoofer...and the whole house audio also ties into this system.

The reason I ask is that I'm afraid so many are missing out or unaware of what truly good sound is. MP3's while convenient as hell are inferior and playing music through computer speakers or on an IPod is likewise crummy.
It's ashame that through technology we've been given SACD and DVD-A and who knows what ,once Blue-Ray or HD-DVD come to market, that sounds so incredibly good...an amazing listening experience. And so many people are missing out. Just listen to The Flaming Lips new Soft Bulletin in DVD-A on a good surround system...and not some $500 home theater in a box. It's mind blowing!

So what are you listening to your music on?

labtop - with ten dollar sony headphones where one of the pads on the left ear has pretty much fallen off. sometimes i listen through my computer speakers, boy that gets it rocking.
i also have a twenty dollar cd player.

I have an in-dash speaker for my stock AM radio in my '75 Plymouth Scamp.

three systems here...

#1. Living Room

PSB Stratus Gold speakers, Carver TFM-15 power amp, Carver C-16 preamp, Denon cd changer, Kenwood turntable

#2. Bedroom

Klipsch speakers, Yamaha RX-495 receiver, Technics cd changer

#3. Garage

Infinity Reference Studio Monitor speakers, Phase Linear DRS400 power amp, Phase Linear P3800 preamp, Phase Linear T5200 am/fm tuner, Phase Linear noise reduction unit, Denon cd player, Teac cassette deck

Headphones: Sony MDR CD-950

Computer: Harman Kardon speakers

MP3 player: none

Event 20/20 bas studio monitors
Bose acoustimass satellite system (home theater)
JBL eon 1500 pa's powered by a QSC RMX 1850HD amplifier (concert power)
AKG series studio headphones
ipod
PC with M-audio Delta 66 soundcard

3G Ipod with Shure E2cs is my main listen.
or whatever sound system the G5 I macs have in 'em cause thats what Im banging out right now.

fairly low-end, cheap but decent sound systems:

laptop -> audiophile usb soundcard -> sonic t-amp -> athena as-b1 speakers.

cheap aiwa bookshelf cd player

grado sr60 headphones

computer -> Turtle Beach Santa Cruz soundcard -> Sennheiser HD-555 Headphones

or

Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra -> Sony MDR-EX71SL earbuds

Question for the iPod/computer/boombox only people: Do you aspire to have a high-end audio system in the the future?

Home:
Arcam DiVA AVR100 A/V Receiver
Sony DVP-9000ES DVD/SACD Player
An old Denon CD Player (the Sony doesn't read burned disks)
Rega Jura Speakers
(I also have a B&W center channel and sub, and Boston Acoustic rears tied to this system, but I don't use them for music)

Car:
Acura/ELS audio system with DVD Audio

Portable:
none

Living Room:

Panasonic DVD Player (some day i'll buy a 5 disc CD/DVD/etc. changer, but for now it works fine)
Audio Technica record player
An older Sony mini-system my parents gave me, mostly just for FM/Video and the power output
Aego P5 Speaker/Reciever system (really nice/small 5.1 setup)

Bedroom:

Mac Mini
Klipsch iFi speakers
Headphones: Grado SR80 & Sennheisser HD280 Pro's

Portable:

4th gen 40 gig (that's now dead and awaiting a warranty replacement. i may get an 8 gig Nano if they announce it on Tue tho, and sell my 40 gig)
iRiver iFTP-899 (1 gig flash player, for working out/biking/skating, etc.)
various earbuds

Car:

Stock Honda CD player (plays MP3/WMA) made by Alpine
Stock Pioneer 6.5's (front and back), plan on upgrading these this summer tho
Audiovox Xpress XM Reciever
Ten Technology FlexDock (for my iPod)

someday i'd like to get a nice high end home system, but for now it works.

What happened to it, and how long did you have it for?

Monsoon system in the Jetta, Kenwood/Mission at home, and a Sandisk mp3 player for the gym.

Home:
Pioneer 5.1 receiver
Sony 5-disc DVD/CD changer
Pioneer old-school 6-disc cartridge changer
Pioneer turntable
Pioneer double-deck cassette player

Portable:
60 GB iPod video
3d gen 20 GB iPod
iPod shuffle
Sony Discman
Sony Walkman

Car:
Factory stereo with cassette, CD player
Six-disc trunk changer
XM Commander

HD appears to be on its last leg. it spins up and clicks, spins up, clicks, etc., sometimes it'll boot up all the way and let me actually navigate the menus, but whenever i play anything it starts playing and then stops, and on the random occasion it'll play then skip.

it did this to me about a month ago but it started working fine again.

i've done a complete restore a few times, to no avail, it's def on it's last leg HD wise. i've never dropped it or anything either.

i bought it August 2004, and it's under warranty until this next August thankfully. friend is a manager at the Apple Store here so he'll take care of me no prob, but still annoying.

i think the reason i'm considering switching to the Nano is mostly because of the no moving parts aspect. the size is pretty nice too (although i wouldn't mind it being a BIT thicker personally). i still think the mini's design was the best casing the iPod has had yet. my fiancee's 4 gig green one that i bought her last year still looks brand new. not having the glossy plastic front and mirrored metal back just allows for things to take a bit more wear and tear. if they had ever done 8 gig mini's i'd maybe just consider going for that (granted the mini's still used a Hard Drive).

i wouldn't mind a 60 gig 5th gen, but i'd be so damn worried about the screen on that thing all the time. i realized that there's no way any iPod (or any portable player) will ever hold my entire music collection, and 8 gigs is over 100 albums at a time, which is just plenty for pretty much any trip (granted i woulda gotten bored w/ it in Europe).

I used to have this.

Now I have a Sony DVD Home Theatre System with SACD

I gotta trunk fulla amps, motherfuckers.

Yeah, it's time for me to upgrade. That receiver I have is only a few years old, but my (now obsolete) six-disc cartridge changer is, literally, 15 years old, as is my turntable and cassette deck. But they all still work just fine...

Wow that freaking *sucks*. Already broke and you bought it halfway through 2004.....

A year and a half is not acceptable. I agree with you about the moving parts. Once the Nano's get to 20 gig I'll grab one. I take it you purchased the extended warranty?

Did you use it constantly? My 60 is always in use.

As for the screen, it's easy to take care of. I still have the plalstic on the front of mine,and my case should be coming in the mail this week:

http://www.macmall.com/macmall/shop/detail~dpno~7005134.asp

It has full screen protection.

i used it quite a bit, but def not nearly as much as other people i know who have 'em. before this happened i hadn't had a single problem with it.

and yeah, i bought Apple Care for it for $50 last August, just in time before my year was up.

and yeah, there's def some really nice new cases for the 5 gen's. i'll have a bunch of old 4 gen cases to sell on eBay at least

I'll be getting that Apple care then in a few months. Great freaking idea. It gives you two years from purchase date?

Your post is going in my notepad.

yup, you have up until the year of your actual warranty to purchase it as well.

apple care is a good idea but I just recently had my 3rd generation continually die on me after 10 minutes of use. I took it to the nearest apple store and recevied a brand new 3rd gen for 58 bucks. apple care will save you less than 10 dollars in the long run. (unless it covers physical damages caused by the owner)

Mostly portable these days...Creative Zen Nomad 60gb>PA2V2 mini amp>Etymotic ER6i. Sometimes this rig amazes me...kevin

Cambridge Audio A500 50Wx2 amplifier

Denon DCM-370 5-Disc CD Changer (HDCD compatible)

Klipsch RF-3 loudspeakers

plus an old Kenwood record player that I hope to upgrade soon.
All this stuff is about 5 years old.

better than porn.

component bukkake.

bedroom: onkyo tx-sv70pro receiver, onkyo speakers, stanton str80 turntable, proton ad-300 cassette deck.

kitchen: 2 technics 1200mk2s, behringer dx-100 mixer OR numark dxm series mixer (when it's not missing a plug in the back, which i need to replace). i also have an old sony dual cassette deck in the kitchen.

eh?

i don't have to pay a thing for getting a replacement for my 4th gen 40 gig under Apple Care, it's being 2nd day air'd to me as well for free.

i have some bose computer speakers and that's good enough for me.

I just connect my Ipod or ibook, (I'm an iWhore), to these babies-



Surprisingly strong sound for such little things.
I'm still in college, and more than unable to spend the kind of dough needed for an optimum audio experience. That said, I'd rather spend my money on concerts, anyhow.

At Home:

Yamaha RXV-457 receiver
Polk RTi4 speakers
Velodyne VX-10 subwoofer

In the Car:

cassette adapter through stock radio


At Work:

JBL Creature II computer speakers with subwoofer


My ipod is a 20G 4th gen. Had it for a little over a year now with no problems. The battery isn't lasting quite as long as it used to but I have a replacement one waiting for whenever I feel like changing it.

Home:

Sota Comet Turntable, with a Sumiko Bluepoint Special Cartridge;
NAD 304 Integrated Amp (although I only use it as a preamp);
Rotel RB1070 Amplifier;
Magnepan 1.5 floor standing speakers;
Pioneer DV-578A-S dvd player (which I also use for cds); and a
Tivo Series 2 player, which is wirelessly networked to my computer, so I can play mp3s through my stereo

Home theatre (which is set up so I can toggle the above speakers between the stereo and the home theatre):

Yamaha 5.1 receiver
Same Pioneer DV-578A-S dvd player
Same magnepan 1.5's for front channels
Mordaunt-Short book shelve speakers that I use for rear channels
Velodyne subwoofer
no center channel

home office/computer:

Crappy speakers attached to my computer with one of those crappy mini subs;
JVC QL5 Turntable with a shure or grado cartridge (can't remember)plugged into my computer through a Bellari VP-129 Tube Phono Preamp

Car:

Kenwood in dash cd/mp3 player with a Sirius tuner
Kenwood speakers (have no idea what kind, but they kind of suck).

home #1:
B&W 640i floor-standing speakers, Adcom power amp, Nakamichi preamp, Adcom tuner, Pioneer SACD player

home #2:
Boston Acoustics speakers, Kyocera receiver, Technics turntable, Sony CD player

office:
Altec Lansing powered speakers (2 satellites + sub) connected to either my iPod or computer output

Prettyv sweet stuff.

Mine:

Yamaha CDX-493 CD player
Cyrus 8 amplifier
B&W DM601 s.2 speakers

Amp and speakers are pretty nice, but I wanna upgrade the CD player.

I love B&W speakers!

General question: how much money will it take to get a decent system together?
edit: is used gear trustworthy?

SONY PS-LX150H turntable - Cheap, bought it at that stereo place at Clark and Diversey about ten years ago...is that place still there?

SONY CDP-397 - Single disc...I know, I want one of those five-disc deals too, but this one works pretty well.

Realistic Ten band stereo frequency EQ - This thing is the bomb. It's about twenty years old and has this "IMX Stereo Epander" button that's supposed to replicate live sound--complete with a little dial from, like, one to ten that adjusts the intensity. I don't know what this thing does, exactly, but it sounds cool as hell--makes all sorts of buried tracks jump out. Totally messes with the mix, often in spectacular ways.

SONY TC-WE305 - Double cassette deck. Yeah, I still have a couple hundred tapes rotting away in various storage locations. Still make mixes for the car with this thing.

Sherwood S-2660CP AM/FM Stereo Receiver - Hand me down from my grandpa. This thing cooks. It's got an "Ultra Low Bass EQ" button that, when employed with the aforementioned "IMX Stereo Expander", kicks out enough super low end to bring down aircraft.

KLH 900B - Pair of three-way speakers I bought from my brother (every component I have, except the turntable, is second-hand from either my grandpa, dad, or brother). These things are actually quite decent...nothing fancy, but nice and clear and punchy.

I would trust solid state components on the used market. Especially for power source, like used power amp/preamp or receiver. In fact I got my Nakamichi preamp from a friend, and I've had it for almost 10 years!

I would stay away from used mechanical equipment like CD players, tape deck (if anyone is still buying them!). The typical wear & tear in equipment w/ lots of mechanical parts makes it a riskier purchase.

You'd be wise to stick to the single disc players. They tend to sound better, and there's less that can go wrong with them.

Besides, you can only listen to one disc at a time anyway, and I'm sure you have more than five CDs in your collection so you'd have to open the tray at some point.

Depends. Used may be alright. It's always a crap shoot. With new you get the warranties.

How much? It depends on stereo vs. surround set up. Let's just say stereo. A decent set up, meaning no seperates (amp, pre-amp, tuner), which would include a receiver, a CD player, and two speakers would run about $1,000 to $1,500. the speakers are the most important part of the equation. Spend the most on them.

True dat. Besides, I got the i-Mac G5 down here to, so iTunes shuffle is always an option.

can you guys recommend me a good hi-fi audio store, where i can audition speakers? around the north side, or north suburbs would be ideal.

Not being from Chicago...but....I do know that United Audio was the most well known hi-fi chain....they sold out to Tweeter. I know Tweeter would be a good place to go...I'm sure there's one on your side of town.
Anyplace other than Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. You really can't get good quality audio at those type stores. Unless the Best Buy has a Magnolia in it (store within a store concept) but I don't think that's hit Chicago or many cities yet.

so i brought my 4th gen 40 gig in last night to the Apple Store, they replaced it no questions asked (well they could see it wasn't working), under Apple Care.

w00t

Audio Consultants in Evanston has nice equipment. Also, a good selection of used equipment.
They just opened a store downtown, but I heard from a friend that it wasn't very well-stocked yet.

ProMusica is right near the Tower Records on Clark St. I haven't been there in a while, so you may want to call first to make sure they're still there.

Onkyo TX-8511 Reciever
Technics SL-P64804 Single disc CD Player
Onkyo CD player (not sure of the make, a late nineties model)
Technics SL-1200 MD3 turntable with Orion Concorde stylus and assembly (second table due any day now)
Nakamichi ZX-7/9 Cassette Deck
Set of Klipsch K6 2.2 V's
Numark DM 1001X mixer

Shit sounds pretty good together

Marantz 2252 + a pair of Advent/1s
both older than I am and sound damn good for only being $200 combined.

Sources: Onkyo dxc380 CD player, Ipod 4G, computer with soundblaster x-fi
Headphones:koss kcs-55, sony mdr-vr6, sennheiser 580

Nuttin' no more. I listen to music on my iPod most days. When things settle down, it'll be time to actually get a decent system. I have no idea what that means. Or if the world will still be in one piece by then.

I'll second Audio Consultants. I buy virtually all of my gear there, and the Evanston location is the best location. Great selection, very knowledgeable staff, and a minimal attitude. Also, if you know what you're looking for, or are willing to buy some used or overstocked equipment...hit up Saturday Audio Exchange. They're on Belmont a block or two west of Sheffield. The store's only open 3 days a week (I think it's Thursday, Sat. and Sun.); and they specialize in used and overstocked hi-fi equipment. Good place to get a deal, if you know you're stuff (they're also a new dealer from some brands).



This question is pretty open ended. Answer is probably anywhere from $1,000.00 to infinity. The best advice, that someone else said, is spend the most on speakers. I think the rule of thumb is take whatever your budget is, and spend 2/3 of it on speakers. Other questions you have to ask, what kind of system do you want? Separate components, stereo or home theatre, turntable, computer based, solid state or tube (assuming you probably want to start with solid state).