I like the details. Will provide the same when I get the chance
Breakdown based on MSRP. Upgrading from a P3 to a P12. Trying to decide on switching speakers to Dynaudio Contour 20.
Speakers - Dynaudio Special 40 w/dual Sumiko S5 Subs 18%
Analog Frontend - Cambridge Audio Alva TT 6%
Amplifiers - PSA M1200’s 23%
Power: Regen, Isolation, Cables - PSA P12 19%
Digital Frontend - Node 2i w/Musical Fidelity DAC 4%
Preamplifiers - PSA BHK Pre 23%
Tubes / Wear Items 0%
System Rack, Platform, Isolation 0%
Speaker Cables and Interconnects - Audioquest 7%
Room Acoustic Treatments 0%
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Interesting thread! Let’s see.
Speakers: 28%
Electronics (amp, dac, player, server, streamer) 55%
Power: 1.5%
Cables: 1,5%
System Rack, Platform, Isolation 3%
Analog front end: 8%
Acoustic Treatment: 3%
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One of these days I’ll sit down and do the calculation. This I can assert with certainty. The fair market value of the personal time I have invested in building my system, optimizing it, partially tearing it down and rebuilding it repeatedly, scratching through equipment reviews for my next purchase, auditioning gear at home at least half of which I return, buying and selling on the ‘gon … phew … exceeds the value of all the gear currently in my racks. This hobby I love can be freakin’ exhausting!
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hmm. not easy in my case, a lot of it is second hand or donated, some is home built from parts, and some mods done on the second hand and donated kit.
approximate estimate on amount spent:
speakers / passive xover parts - 20%
dacs, dsps, active crossover - 35%
sources - 5%
preamp/signal routing - 25%
power amps - 10%
cables and sundries - 5%
total cost - less than some of you guys spend on a pair of speaker cables 
edit - those percentages are pretty close, as per @owlsalum - the time spent on designing, choosing, optimising is the biggest component, and not really accounted for, but hey, it’s not like i had anything better to do 
edit 2 - music server - kinda free since it is on a VM in the background on my day to day workstation.
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Not only the average layman would be shocked noticing cabling (interconnect-/power-/speaker-) took 20% in my one and only (approx €85.000 MSRP) system…putting everything in perspective everything looks pretty balanced though;
Power regeneration/cabling -> 8%
Analog Frontend/cabling -> 8%
Digital Frontend/cabling -> 26%
Pre- & Power Amp./cabling -> 37%
Speakers/sub/cabling -> 21%
Always on the hunt to get the best out of my rig (and never paid msrp😉)
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My big-rig system is quite complex. It consists of completely independent 2 channel & multi-channel source, preamp and bass management signal chains which share loudspeakers and subwoofers. Of course, there is a projector based video playback system too! In order to conform with the 2 channel only formatting of the rest of this thread, I’m omitting any gear or accessories not directly relevant to 2-channel playback.
Percentages are based upon MSRP only as I recently went through the exercise of providing insurance replacement values for the system.
17.0% Loudspeakers:
- 2x ATC SCM20ASL Pro II active monitors
- 4x Seaton Submersive HP active subwoofers
15.6% Preamplification & Bass Management
- Coincident Statement Linestage MkII
- Foundation Research V5 phono-stage
- JL Audio CR-1 electronic subwoofer crossover
- Xilica DCP-3060 parametric subwoofer EQ & delay
13.2% Room Acoustics
- 4x ASC 16”x36” Isothermal Tube Traps
- 2x ASC 16”x40” Tube Traps
- 2x ASC 20”x48” Tube Traps
- 2x ASC 20”x66” Tube Traps
- 2x DIY 13”x74” Tube Traps
- DIY Broadband Panel Traps
- DIY Broadband Ceiling Cloud
- DIY Poly Diffusers and Skyline Diffuser
- DIY ceiling tri-corner Pillows
12.3% Vinyl Source
- Oracle Delphi V turntable, Oracle Turbo PS, SME V tonearm, Benz LP-S MC Cartridge
11.5% Digital Source(s)
- Oppo UDP-203 w/ Premium LPS, Disc Stabilizer, and I2S board Oppomod upgrades along w/ Furutech IEC & silver AC wire.
- Jay’s Audio CDT2 Mk2 Transport
- PS Audio DirectStream DAC
10.7% Wire Loom
- Furutech Reference III 1m RCA stereo interconnects for all sources and ATC speakers
- T5A custom Mogami 2534/Vampire stereo XLR interconnects for subwoofers and sub EQ
- 1x Revelation Audio Labs 1.25m I2S (HDMI) cable
- 1x Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7 HDMI cable
- 1x Furutech E-TP66(G) power strip
- 1x custom 6’ 10gauge OFC power cord w/ Wattgate plugs
10.4% Racking
- Custom structural carbon fiber, Corian, and stainless steel rack w/ sandbox isolation for each component
- Grand Prix Audio Brooklands turntable wall mount w/ Formula shelf upgrade
- 2x Skylan custom 4 Post loudspeaker stands
5.6% Power Conditioning
- 7x Foundation Research LC1 line conditioner/power cord
- 3x Foundation Research LC2 line conditioner/power cord
3.5% Misc Accessories (Footers, RCM, etc)
- 1x BDR Oracle Record Clamp
- Lots of BDR Cones, Pucks and Pillows
- VPI 16 Record Cleaning Machine & Accessories
- Disc-Go-Devil disc restoration machine
- Aesthetic Benz MC Demagnetizer
- 2x Isoacoustics Gaia II 4pk isolation footers
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Wow! That’s a lot of stuff @MTB_Vince. I had to take a power nap halfway through your list
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LOL! And that’s just the 2-channel portion of the system @JeffofArabica! I did provide fair warning in the opening paragraph…
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The system is always a work in progress, but here is my current accounting…
| MSRP % | Device |
|---|---|
| 48.74% | Speakers + Subs |
| 16.25% | P20 Power plant |
| 9.75% | DAC |
| 7.31% | Windows Server + Network |
| 4.06% | Preamp |
| 4.06% | Amp |
| 2.92% | Cables |
| 2.27% | Equipment Racks |
| 1.62% | Phono |
| 1.62% | Phono Preamp |
| 1.38% | Intel Nuc |
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That’s why I like the percentages. I was thinking of starting a systems photo thread with total invested in the system less than $2500
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yeah mine comes in at around that much, i keep meaning to do a visio diagram of it. one day…
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Love the details and the tube trap investment. Need to see some pictures of that tube trap room
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Speakers 15.1%
Amps 15.1%
Preamp 8.3%
Dac 8.3%
Transport 8.3%
Phono 2.6%
Turntable 5.55%
Roon Nucleus 1.4%
Speaker cables 11.3%
Interconnects 8.3%
Power cables 7.0%
Misc 1.4%
Speaker cables 12.1%
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At list price, my preamp was 25% of my very happy system.
I just made the leap to a pricier Preamp and I am elated with the results. It was one of the reason I created this post because I am thinking many folks might think like I used to that a Preamp does not matter that much. I would have not made that leap but for the honest guys at Audio Perfection in Minneapolis. I was thinking of an amp upgrade and they told me to spend more on a preamp. So now I have an Audio Research REF 6 in the house and will spend the extra $3k to get the SE upgrade when my spot comes up in the AR upgrade line.
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I’ve said it before: I believe the preamp is the heart of the system.
Recently, I bought a Decware SE84UFO tube power amp. It has a volume control and I’ve tried it a few times without the preamp; the designer, Steve Deckert told me that it would likely sound best without a preamp. Wow was he wrong.
BTW, that preamp is wonderful. What would the SE upgrade get you?
Percentage wise, my preamp (BHK) doesn’t account for that much of the total (just over 8%), but it made a huge difference in the sound. I thought I got almost all out of the system with the DSS, but adding the BHK to the mix made such a difference. Not only in drive, but more than anything else, in space.
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You’re not alone. I had a very similar experience when I added it to my system after running the DSJ direct to amp.
Back when I was able to walk 9 steps and bug Paul while he was in his office, I would ask what he’d recommend for a customer’s system. I’d tell him the customer has this, this, and this. And unless the customer didn’t already have a PowerPlant, 9 times out of 10 Paul would recommend the BHK pre. Paul LOVES this pre and is very proud of what BHK was able to pull off.
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