My recommendation for best bang for the buck set-up :

CD transport : any cheapo DVD player with digital output
DAC : DIY Paradise Monica 3
Passive Preamp : Promitheus Audio TVC
Amp : T-amp like Trends Audio TA 10 or DIY Paradise Charlize 2
Speaker : High efficiency speaker like Loth x BS1

This will give you a taste of the high end at slightly more than RM 5 K

bose22, yes for the DAC, passive preamp and T-amp (using old Celestion DL8 Series 2 for speakers and entry level NAD for the CD transport). The Malaysian made DIYParadise and Promitheus Audio products are truly superb and seriously outperforms any similarly priced competitors out there.