Here's one for you "source first" fanatics. $10K plus in front end (actually 12K plus, but who's counting), and less than $200 for the rest of the system. In addition: turntable azimuth was not set, anti-skating was not set, tracking weight was "kind of" set, damping fluid was not installed, vacuum pump was not on, three sets of adapters and "interconnects" (I use the term loosely) were used between the table and the receiver, and the MM phono stage was fed by a cartridge with a low output (.18 mv I think).
I'll be darned if it didn't sound good anyway. Lots of focus, detail and punch!
Ah, just wrap your drivers in MDF with a fancy veneer or black lacquer, don't forget the $20k internal wiring connecting a single Mundorf capacitor to the tweeter, give it a fancy name like Viola Bona Cera, and you got yourself a true high end speaker...
