This was my original intended post. It exceeded the stated forum limits, but it seems to include a lot of the information that people are asking me about.
What am I looking for: Two COMPLETE audio systems. A stereo system for listening to music and a 7.1 surround sound home theater system. We're pretty much an all acoustic music family, a lot of piano and violin concertos. My son is also really into swing-era big band music. We have a lot of cassettes, a lot of albums, and a lot of CDs and DVDs. I know that some people scoff at 7.1, but I actually have a nice collection of classical concert DVDs (starring me) which were recorded in 7.1 with a special recording system that our hall invested in. It would be nice to experience this the way it was intended. Loudness isn't that important. In fact, I would prefer that these systems sound best at lower volumes. If I had to chose between a setup that could reproduce the visceral impact of an orchestra and a system that could perfectly present the scratch of a bow across a an E-string, then I would always take the latter. A system in which all of the components are in balance would be preferable over having to have the "best this" or a "specific type of that". Perhaps above all else I would like a system that is easy to use and doesn't need tons of fiddling. There will be a 17 year old and a 70 year old making use of both systems plus myself. I am extremely welcoming of tube pre-amps and power amps, but I know nothing about them. However, people seem to love them so much that it would seem to be a mistake not to incorporate it somehow. Speakers that have caught my attention for the stereo include Coincident, Quad, Magnepan, Reference 3a, Acoustic Zen, Vandersteen, and Kharma. For the home theater, I am kind of smitten with B&W and think that the a system populated by the 800, 700, or even CM series speakers would be great, although I am totally dissuadable/persuadable. Brand pairings that have caught my attention include Manley+Coincident and B&K+B&W, but once again, I am totally dissuadable/persuadable. I am also intrigued by the Resolution Audio Opus 21.
I am looking for recommendations of complete systems: cables, speakers, stands, powerline conditioners... everything that's required needs to be on the list. I need to specify every item needed to complete the system, and I'd hate to submit my invoice, have my items delivered, and realize that I still need a $500 widget to make the system functional (see below). I won't have the $500 to buy the widget.
Price range: This is a little flexible. I'd gladly take recommendation for systems each costing under $10,000, under $30,000, and under $60,000. If you want to make up your own pricepoint too or go crazy with a recommendation then that is fine too. In all honesty, I'd love to kind of get a sense of how much of both kinds of systems I can get within those price ranges and then decide what to ask for. If push comes to shove, the stereo is WAY more important than the 7.2HT, and we as a family may chose to forgo the HT all together or just get the cheapest nice system that you all can come up with and allocate the rest of the asking to the stereo. I know it's all kind of weird, but I hope that helps.
Background
This is a very intimidating post to make. I know almost nothing about audio gear, and yet I am in the enviable position of bringing some high-end equipment into my household. Without going into too many details, my family is on the receiving end of a very large settlement. Lest you think that I am blowing our entire windfall on hi-fi gear, we're actually being very responsible with the financial award. Really, we're too poor of a household not to be. However, as part of the deal we have been given the opportunity to receive a little non-cash considerations. Now, we don't actually have a lot of nice stuff, and the prospect of having something "higher-end" in our lives is pretty exciting. We talked it out as a family and decided that it would be nice to "invest" in some high-quality audio equipment. A deep love of music is the one thing that the three generations who live in my home have in common, especially my father who has a large collection of classical recordings on vinyl and audio cassette. This will be quite a treat for us.
So, I thought that this was going to be really easy. but I was wrong. I figured I'd hit the mall and the big box shops, find the most expensive stuff, and write up the inventory. While I was running that errand, I also stopped into a local "stereo store". To be honest, until I went in there I figured that it was just a place that sold all of the same stuff that Big Box sold but with higher prices. Of course, what I discovered was the world which you are all experts and enthusiasts in. I was understandably overwhelmed by what I saw both in terms of unfamiliar brands and components. The experience also shattered my assumption that I should just request the most expensive thing that I could find because I hadn't anticipated just how exotic and expensive things could get. Like any hobby, being a practicing audiophile seems capable of absorbing all of the time or money that you have. I was also very annoyed by the salesman who had attached himself to me. When I got home, I jumped on-line to try and learn more about what I had seen.
I spent the weekend pouring over the Internet and have been grateful for the information and helpful members on boards like this. Although I really thought that I could figure out exactly I should ask for, I am ready to admit that I am in WAY over my head. With my asking deadline coming up next week, I kind of need to either give up or ask for help. I have learned a lot already, but this is a vast hobby that I neither have the time nor effort available to become an expert in everything before making a final inventory. I kind of have a sense of speakers and amplifiers right now, but then there are things like cables, powerline conditioners, special footers, which I am still lost on. I basically have until the end of next week to make my final request. So, I am turning to the community for help and placing my situation in your wise heads and hands.
Other considerations:
* I know that one typical suggestion made to newbies on this board is to buy used. I know that this won't work in my situation and that new gear purchased from a proper retailer is my only option. Besides, that suggestion is usually made in the interest in keeping initial expenditures low, which is not the primary concern for me.
* Similarly, I know that another common piece of advice is to get a modest initial setup and then expand. Once again, keeping the expenditure low is not the concern right now. This purchase is basically going to be a onetime event in our family, and if we're "going to get" something then it's got to be now.
* It doesn't need to be TOO nice. After all, we don't really know any better, and we're not trying to impress anybody. I would imagine that anything that you all can come up with is going to be a major upgrade over our current junk. As a violin teacher, I always give prospective students the same advice on buying an instrument, buy cheap or buy used until you know it's for you. Once you know it's for you, then buy the nicest setup that you can afford that will stay out of your way of enjoying your studies. If on the other hand you have a rich uncle footing the bill, buy the nicest violin that he'll pay for. So, we have a rich uncle in this case, and even though we're going to have something nicer than we probably deserve, I hope that we will grow into it and enjoy it all the same.
* I prize reliability, which includes manufacturer support, and resale value. Once again, if something goes terribly wrong then we may not necessarily have the cash to fix it. There's also always a chance that we'll feel that the niceness of the equipment is lost on us and that liquidating the assets is the better move.
Thank you!
