Newbie looking for system suggestions

Yes, Steve, you've stumbled into a scary website. My suggestion is to find a store that specializes in hi-end audio and begin listening to just speaker/sub combos in the 4,000 range. Decide what speaker/sub combo you think sounds best and then match them up with electronics. (Speakers by far determine the overall sound of a system, and the majority of your budget should go towards them.) Remember to ask yourself one question when determining what to buy: Do the speakers I'm listening to REALLY want to make me continue listening? If the answer is no, keep looking. Good luck.

If you're just starting out I'd target good-named used equipment you can turnover with little loss of investment. That way you can get your feet wet, see what you like and dislike, and adjust from there. Understand that listening to equipment at a dealer's place is just a first-brush sorting exercise as things will sound different once you get home. You won't really know where you stand with a system until you live with it for a while.

Off the top of my head:
>Tube Audio Design 150 Signature preamp ($650-750 used & not much more new)
>McCormack 225 amp ($1400-1700 used)
>Vandersteen 3a Signatures (maybe $2200-2500 used)
>source & cabling of your choice

Do some a-gon research on any of these pieces. You'll be hard-pressed to find anything less than positive comments.

Thank you for all of you responses!! I have actually registered on this site now, and have been doing a LOT of reading. Today, I went out on my first audition to a high-end specialty shop and auditioned:

Exposure 2010 integrated
Exposure 2010 CD
Verity Taminos speakers

The combination sounded fantastic to me, but then again -- my ears are accustomed to older Denon/Klipsch gear in an improperly set up room. The total would be around $8k all included -- wondering what you folks have to say about this setup, and whether or not you would recommend something else in particular to one of the above items!!

Thanks again!!!
Steve

By the way, the exposure gear completely blew away Arcam and a Rotel that I had listened to previously (the 1070)

I should say that the Exposure was the Exposure 2010S