Reference System Planning and Comparison Worksheet
A fill-in sheet for allocating a 5,000 to 15,000 USD budget component by component and recording each candidate you audition side by side.
Reviewed for 2026, updated September 8, 2026.
A reference system is bought in a sequence, and the sequence is where most money is lost. Loudspeakers set the character and the demands; the amplifier has to meet those demands in your room; the sources feed the chain; the room and the supporting items decide whether the result is heard as intended. This worksheet gives each of those decisions a line, so the budget is allocated on paper before a single product is compared, and so every candidate you audition is judged against the same columns.
Fill in the planned budget column first, ideally after a pass through the Hi-Fi Budget Split Planner at /tools/hifi-budget-split/ and the Hi-Fi System Cost of Ownership Calculator at /tools/hifi-cost-of-ownership/, which adds the long-term costs a quote never shows. The example rows below are placeholders, not recommendations, and any figures you enter should be your own quotes. Our article on which component deserves the largest share of your budget at /blog/component-deserves-largest-share/ explains the reasoning behind the ordering of the rows.
| Component | Planned budget (USD) | Candidate under audition | Quoted price (USD) | Room and matching notes | Audition date | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loudspeakers | Your figure (typically the largest single share) | Your candidate, standmount or floorstander | Dealer quote | Sensitivity, nominal and minimum impedance, distance to front wall | Your date | Keep, shortlist, or pass |
| Speaker stands or isolation | Your figure | Your candidate | Dealer quote | Height to bring tweeter to ear level at your seat; floor type | Your date | Keep, shortlist, or pass |
| Integrated amplifier (or preamplifier and power amplifier) | Your figure (typically the second largest share) | Your candidate | Dealer quote | Rated power into your speaker load, headroom result from the calculator, built-in DAC or phono stage | Your date | Keep, shortlist, or pass |
| Streamer and digital-to-analog converter | Your figure | Your candidate, one box or two | Dealer quote | Services supported, wired network option, inputs needed | Your date | Keep, shortlist, or pass |
| Turntable and phono stage (only if you play records) | Your figure or zero | Your candidate | Dealer quote | Cartridge type matches the phono stage; isolated from footfall | Your date | Keep, shortlist, or pass |
| Speaker cable and interconnects | Your figure (a modest share) | Your candidate | Dealer quote | Cable length per run, gauge adequate for the run, terminations | Your date | Keep, shortlist, or pass |
| Room treatment and placement aids | Your figure (keep a reserve) | First reflection panels, bass absorption, rug | Quote or DIY estimate | First reflection points marked; bass problem notes from the room test | Your date | Keep, shortlist, or pass |
| Power distribution and surge protection | Your figure | Your candidate | Dealer quote | Number of outlets needed; dedicated circuit available or not | Your date | Keep, shortlist, or pass |
| Delivery, setup, and home trial | Your figure | Dealer service offered | Included or quoted separately | Return window, restocking terms, setup in your room | Your date | Confirmed in writing or not |
| Contingency reserve | Your figure (a small share held back) | Not applicable | Not applicable | Covers a stand upgrade, a second cable run, or a treatment panel after setup | Not applicable | Held or spent |
| Total | Sum of your figures | Your shortlist | Sum of quotes | Does the total sit inside the ceiling you set in the brief? | Decision date | Buy, wait, or revise |
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Also from Sonoholm
- Reference Hi-Fi Audition Day Checklist: A printable checklist for preparing, running, and scoring a dealer or home audition of loudspeakers and amplification before you commit a serious budget.
- Free calculators