Worked Examples
Three budgets, split three ways
The same rule works at any number. Here’s what it looks like in real dollars.
Percentages are a starting point, not a law. Your Advisor will fine-tune the split for your room and your music.
Spend in this order
SPEAKERS · ABOUT HALF
Speakers shape the sound more than everything else combined. This is where your money does the most work, so it goes first.
AMPLIFIER · ABOUT A THIRD
The amp’s job is to drive your speakers cleanly at the volume you like. Match its power to your speakers’ needs and neither piece becomes the bottleneck.
SOURCE · THE REST
A modest DAC or streamer already sounds clean and detailed. Start simple here — a turntable is a fun addition later, once the foundation is set.
common myths
Where first budgets go wrong
Four spending traps we see all the time — and how to sidestep them.
“Cables deserve a big slice of the budget.”
Well-made basic cables are all a first system needs. Put that money into speakers now — cables are an easy, inexpensive upgrade whenever you’re curious later.
“Buy everything cheap now, then upgrade it all later.”
Buying everything twice is the most expensive way to build a system. Fewer, better pieces — split by the rule — keep their value and their place in your rack.
“The source matters most — garbage in, garbage out.”
That was true in 1985. Today, even affordable DACs and streamers measure superbly. Your speakers — and the room they’re in — are where the real differences live.
“More features means better value.”
A simple stereo integrated amp puts your money into sound quality instead of surround modes and menus you’ll never open. For music, simpler usually sounds better.
Tell us your number. We’ll split it for you.
Alex Johnson
Senior Audio Specialist