Lloyd,
You have to make these decisions for yourself.You will get lots of well meaning posts but they are all that persons opinion with their gear in their room.You can already see by the posts that there are as many reccomendations as there are posters.What works for Joe Blow might be totally unacceptable to you.I can't imagine a city the size of Houston,does not have several dealers that will give you an in home demo.Maybe your best bet is to find a local audio club/society and get to know some members(try a search here on A'gon).Most people love to show off their gear!!You might also consider buying used and trying some different things out to find something you can live with.Buying and selling used is a great way to try different equipment and usually pretty "dollar wise".Good luck in your journey.
You have to make these decisions for yourself.You will get lots of well meaning posts but they are all that persons opinion with their gear in their room.You can already see by the posts that there are as many reccomendations as there are posters.What works for Joe Blow might be totally unacceptable to you.I can't imagine a city the size of Houston,does not have several dealers that will give you an in home demo.Maybe your best bet is to find a local audio club/society and get to know some members(try a search here on A'gon).Most people love to show off their gear!!You might also consider buying used and trying some different things out to find something you can live with.Buying and selling used is a great way to try different equipment and usually pretty "dollar wise".Good luck in your journey.