dim_span:
ok Staggerlee, assume a week ago I had a budget of £3000 to buy some gear ..... these are the item that I would have given serious thought to:
Technics SU-9600 Hi-fi Stereo control center and SE-9600 Hifi stereo power amp .... ebay item 220487029372
seller was asking for £1500 ... item never sold, would have offered perhaps £1200
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Celestion Ditton 44 speakers .... ebay item 270457689088
sold for £441
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that leaves you with £1059...so then a brand new Rega Apollo for £600 ... that leaves you with £459 for a decent interconnect and speaker cables
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I prefer the older gear, and have never heard this combination, but
my gut feeling says it will shame any B&O system (soundwise) ...
so bottom line, if you are serious about music, it's the quality of sound produced, not the way it looks combined with your home decor/furniture or colour of your carpets and curtains
This is exactly the reason why B&O is not for you. You're missing the entire point of B&O. They're not there to offer you performance per pound, they don't even pretend to be.
Ok, for your budget, get me a system that sounds good (may not be the best) & looks as gorgeous as B&O, bearing in mind the quality of components which B&O largely makes it in-house.