Someone school me on this stuff

kyleandrus;

unfortunately there is no easy answers to your questions.

nowadays for me,when it comes to building a system [for friends for eg] these are the steps I follow:

1.start by installing a dedicated cuircuit and receptacles.Use Non-nickel plated receptacles,always;the brands are not important.

2.
Treat the room.minimum requirements would be bass traps at the corners and between speakers.

3.Get a good stand.I almost always recommend Finite elemente stuff;their benefits are just too great to ignore.

4.decide on a pair of loudspeakers:these depends on;

a.the kind of music you listen to

b.your room dimensions.A lot of time all you need is a good set of monitor speakers..

5.Choose your amps.The chpoice of your Sp will determine the type of amps you need.For me,If you have less trhan 10 K to spend on amp,it is better to stick with a well made intergrated from specialists company[Neodio,Lavardin'Gamut Etc]

6.Choose your source.As a starter I would suggest you stick with one,Digital or vinyls.

7.Control the resonance of your Speakers and electronics.This is a must for me...Again I like finite elemente stuff a lot.

8.Get a power conditioner.

9.Sort out your cablings.To me at least ,most money should go to ICs.

Sit and Listen to the Music!!!

For the sake of argument, no budget???

he must work on wall street.

I suggest you check the archives.

Unlike most integrated amps, separates give you the option of trying different preamps or power amp combinations to reach the desired sound. I have had a few integrated amps and was not completely satified with them. However integrated amps are space savers and it is one less pair of interconnects to worry about. I'm sure if you throw enough money at it, you could come up with an integrated amp that challenges separates.

It depends how loud you listen to music. If not very loud then integrated might be simplier choice - like Ultrasound Otello ($600,000) but if you like it loud then go with Goldmund 3kW monoblocks ($375,000). Goldmund is cheaper but needs preamp (another $375,000 or so).

Do you need speakers? There is a lot of nice speakers within $500,000 - we can find something. Let me know