$1500 for a whole system, budding audiophile

What are the sources he has now? If he has lots of cd's and no vinyl or cassettes, then maybe you'd cut out the TT or cassette deck. Let's figure out what sources he'll need and then you can maximize the system. You can definitely get an awesome used system with vintage and new gear. Let us know more about his needs and we can direct you better.

I go the opposite of most people and put more into the electronics and less into the speakers. You can get awesome speakers for not a lot of money. I bought an $1200 pair of Celestion C100's for $200 in the past and have gotten other great deals on speakers. $400 for spkrs, $5-600 for int tube amp, $200 for 24 bit DVD player as cd player, $400 on TT

Thank you Pgawan2b, recently an old friend contacted me and told me her husband was looking for a pair of JBL 4311's on ebay and what I thought of it. He's an old school guy and has been out of audio for many years but has some nostalgia for these. I picked out about 8 speakers from the local CL that were much less expensive than the JBL's that would completely smoke them. I guess it's most important if you know what to look for. I think a lot of people these days are not that knowledgeable, it's a dying hobby that's being taken over by bluetooth speakers and convenience...or everyone just thinks the latest is still the greatest.