I need help putting together a budget system

sorry to hear about your loss

Apple Lossless is terrific and the only way to go if you are a Mac guy - nothing else makes the least bit of sense. If you are a PC guy you will probably want to check out FLAC as well

I personally would go with a Mac laptop or tower (depending on what else you need to do with it) driving a Keces 151 USB DAC. Really a great sounding unit for $250 - made in Taiwan. I have had five (5) DACs and this may well be the best one - and its dead easy to use

I would use this to feed a beefy integrated amp - huge range of choices new and used for under $2K. The rationale being that you save a ton of money over separates not buying things like interconnects, power cables and tweaks. Plus it takes up a lot less space and most come with a remote which is nice.

As fpeel points out, recommending speakers is difficult without some more particulars about your space and taste.

As far as interconnects and power cables, keep it simple and stick with someone like Harmonic Tech or Analysis Plus. Both have a broad offering and have a lot of product out there. Buy used. All you need is one great pair of ICs, two power cords and speaker cables in the appropriate length.

Enjoy the process and your new home

I get the joy of the active speakers approach but unless I am missing my engineering, multiple sources (say DAC and phono preamp) are going to be pretty unwieldy.

A lot of nice integrateds out there with very respectable MM/MC sections which would give you the option of adding your TT when you were ready.

Also there are a whole lot more choices in passive speakers then active.

BTW since you mentioned you enjoyed designery looking gear, you might look for a used pair of the Gallo 3.1's. Cool looking, easy to drive and they should give you plenty of the detail and intimacy you crave.

Hi MacDad - that's exactly what I was missing - we have a newb here asking for specifics... the pre is a critical piece and will need a significant piece of the proposed budget.