I want to second what mapman said above--you can get very good sound these days for not a lot of money. amplifier technology is such that there is essentially no audible distortion on any decent SS amp. speaker technology has trickled down to lower cost speakers (though you still have to get something better and more expensive than sonos ones, say). So if you're new to building a system, do your HW and you will get a great system for not a lot of money. How do I square what I just wrote with buying a couple of 7b3's? I don't know.