Opinions please on a starter audiophile system?

The sound of the system ends with the speakers, it does not begin with the speakers. If anyone is going to start new they should begin at the beginning of the audio chain.
Dealers will allow you to audition electronics in your home before you buy. That way you can evaluate the changes in sound with known speakers and note each improvement. If anyone thinks speakers first, they should give a rational reason WHY?

Seems pretty simple to most of us, Orpheus - the speakers have by far the greatest effect on the sound of the system, along with their interaction with the room they are in. Even in these sorts of friendly arguments, I don't recall anyone trying to deny this fact. So I repeat, if you don't like the sound of your speakers, you won't like the sound of your system no matter how good the rest of the components are. If you disagree with that statement, I would sure like to hear WHY? :)

Listen to as many different speakers as you can. It is really about your taste in sound not what others tastes happen to be. Be careful though check the amp/preamp driving the speakers. Tube units will color the sound, some like this some don't, just be sure you are hearing the speaker and not the coloration. Spend a lot of time doing this - box speakers, actives, planars, and, if you can find them - horns. Once you are convinced that you like a given set of speakers and they are indeed an improvement over what you have, only then start looking for the electronics. Your speaker choice will drive your options for the amplifier. Worry about your source last and the only real choices there are digital vs analog and then if you choose digital - standalone cdp vs pc based with DAC. If you choose digital, particularly a standalone cdp there is no reason to spend much of your budget here. Do not spend any significant amount of money on cables. Blue Jean cable is a good choice for interconnects speaker cables etc. Mogami is also a good source for speaker cables. Any power cord will do. Realize that your room acoustics will also play a large part in the sound so be prepared to make adjustments there.

If you start with speakers, you are adding a huge unknown quantity at great expense. When you add new unknown electronics, you have absolutely no idea which component is contributing what, to your overall sound.
His present speakers are a very well known quantity. He can evaluate, each time he adds something new. How would a reviewer be able to make a valid statement about any component, if he threw in a basket of new components?

Without a lot more feed back from the originator of this thread; we are passing gas in a high wind. This is quite irrelevant.