Speakers first and foremost like you said. Unless budget is unlimited it is best to focus on speakers and what he likes best (got to get out there and listen). The finest source and amplification will not help if the speaker does not match the listeners desires. Speakers can vary a lot in style of presentation. I recently heard back to back the latest top of the line B&W 800 series (don’t remember which exact model) and they could not hold a candle to Wilson Sasha for me. So personal taste is important as both B&W and Wilson make good stuff. Sasha were more articulate and accurate to my ears in the all important mid range even though the B&W bass had a bit of an edge.
An all Parasound system - Good idea?
My brother- in- law visited last weekend and heard my 2 channel system for the first time. Slightly ocd, he spent much time online and emailed me last night to say he was going to put his own system together and was planning to buy all of his components from Parasound, in part because he thinks a single brand will optimze performance and compatability, and because he is enamored by the John Curl connection. To that end, he plans to buy a JC2 Preamp, A21 Amp and JC3+ phono amp.
I have told him focus on speakers first, then source components. That notwithstanding, is the "All Parasound " a good idea to avoid the possibility of components not playing nice together or should he not focus on brand loyalty and shop for "best in class" components instead?