I have 52 years and I have always been fond of hi fi systems and jazz from the 15 years I gave myself the task of beginning to build my own music system . The main difficulty facing was the high cost of equipment , so I decided to take my time and acquire high quality equipment from serious audiophiles that give good care to your equipment maintenance . I understood that this could save between 40 % to 60 % of the cost of the components. After much reading and visits HiFi stores developed my taste and I gave myself the task to start buying components. I started by amplifier which considers that based on budget , sound and Rotel brand quality was very good option. So my first piece acquired an Amplifier Rotel RA- 980BX Integrated , which buy on EBAY at $ 250.00 dollars ( Retail Price: $ 800.00 ) with only one year of use. After a clearance sale of local store HI FI bought my CD player one Creek CD-60 ( show room equipment) for $ 500.00 dollars ( Retail Price: $ 1,200.00 ) . My speakers the DM -603 Series 2 ( Retail Price: $ 1,200.00 ) , the acquired in the classified ads Audiogon for $ 600.00 . Although initially my idea was to buy a Technics 1200 MK2 turntable in one of my readings oi good things Systemdek IIX and how well they complemented with british Hi Fi sound systems. I take a chance and buy in EBAY by $235.00 , including the cartridge a Nagaoka MP-11. In a Flea Market buyed the Tuner a Technics ST-9030 by $10.00. I buy the interconnection and speaker cables to audiophile firends in Puerto Rico (Speaker Vampire Wire Cables, 2 Black Linn RCA Cables and 1 Kimber cable for $275.00). I buy another equipments but this this is the back bone of my system. I am shure that my savings are between 40 to 70 %.
Your a man after my own heart when it comes to wanting to save a few bucks. Used or new nice that you have searched out gear to that makes your heart sing.
Well done! The journey is half the fun in this hobby, acquiring components over time. As you mentioned, buying used can save you lots of money, though sometimes the wait for the exact component you want can be frustrating. Great job in building a system that suits your tastes, needs, and budget. Its all about enjoying the music!