Matching an amp to speakers for beginners?

OK, here's some answers to your questions. I waited a while because I thought I might have a set of speakers, but that sale fell through so I am starting from scratch again.

1. My budget... as little as possible, as much as it takes. I'm sure you've heard that before, but basically I'd like to spend around 1500-2k for the amp and the same for the speakers. However, if it is worth it I'm willing to throw in 2 more thousand for excellent speakers. So, in total, on the low side it would be great to spend about 3-5k, but I'm willing to go up to $7000 or maybe even 8 if I'm convinced it's worth it.

2. I usually lean towards new, but I am open to buying used as I have heard that used high end audio stuff is usually in pretty good condition. One of my problems is that I've recently moved to the Charlotte, NC area and I don't nkow of any high end audio dealers around here, so I may be limited to having something shipped.

3. The room is about 16x13.5. It will be also used for a home theater, but I don't want to sacrifice stereo sound quality for that fact. It has wood floors and two windows, and my listening position will have my front and back facing the long way of the room.

4. As I mentioned, I've been on a classic rock kick lately. However, I do have a medium sized classical library that should sound good, along with some blues, funk, metal, newer alternative type stuff, and various strange CDs that don't really fit a category.

5. I will be in a home theater, so if the speakers can be used for the front channel of my 5.1 sytem, that would be great. However, I don't want to compromise my stereo sound for that - I will retain seperate speakers for theater if it is necessary. My home theater system is why I am in this boat (I think it sounds like garbage for music).

6. Floorstanding or bookshelf - I've gone back and forth on this several times. At this point I think I would like to go for nice bookshelf speakers, this way I could use them for my home theater and eventually upgrade to more expensive floorstanding and move these to the rear channels. That's my theory but I don't know if it holds water.

7. Solid state or tube - no idea.

8. OK, this one may get me some flames. Basically I have been spoiled with my CD changer. I can't bear to going back to storing all my CDs in jewel cases or otherwise, and I don't have a vinyl collection, so I'm hoping to stick with my SONY CDP-CX90ES CD changer. I also plan to daisy chain up two more changers off that one (you can control them all from it). If you guys tell me that this plan is complete crap I may change my mind, but the convienience for me is soo great I'm hoping it won't be too bad.

That's it. I spent some time looking at the Odyssey web site and it looks interesting, so I may give them a call. Any suggestions or advice is very welcome. If you think I should just go away and find speakers then come back and ask about amps that's fine too - I'm having a little trouble getting started and all this time with no music (because I moved and haven't set anything up yet) is making me batty and I'm afraid I may just run out and buy something rashly.

I will say that I think I've convinced myself to go with floorstanding speakers it's what I initially wanted anyway). Also, much of this may be moot since my purchasing options around this area seem to be limited. That said, I'll play 20 questions :) Much of this is stuff I haven't even thought about, so it should help me just to rate these things. Rather than write a huge book, I'm going to rate each item on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being high)

1. Timbre (the natural sound of voices and instruments). This is important, I'll give it a 7.
2. Clarity & nuance (you can hear all the details). This is very important, I'll give it a 9.
3. Dynamic contrast (impact and liveliness). I'm not sure about this one... I'm going to leave it alone.
4. Superb soundstaging for a single listener. I'd rather it appeal to more than one specific location in the room, I'll give this a 3.
5. Good soundstaging over a wide listening area. This is what I'd like, although the room is not so large, I'll give this a 7.
6. Natural-sounding bass. Medium importance, I'll give it a 5.
7. Extreme deep bass extension. This is not super important to me, I'l give it a 4.
8. Unobtrusive size and/or visual appeal. This used to be very important, but now that I've decided to put these speakers in the same room as my HT, I'll put this as a 2.
9. Sounds great at low volumes. I'm not sure if my ratings for these three will be mutually exclusive, but I do want it to sound good when it is on low, I'll give this a 6.
10. Sounds great at medium volumes. A 4.
11. Sounds great at high volumes. Imoprtant, but not as important as number 9, I'll give it a 5. Actually, I want it to sound great all the time! :)
12. Forgiving of less-than-ideal recordings and sources. This may be somewhat important to me because my source probably won't be up to snuff, at least at first. I'll give this a 7.
13. Ruthlessly accurate and revealing. Not that important, a 3.
14. Freedom from little colorations that remind you you're listening to boxes, not live music. This is important, I'll give this an 8.
15. Works well in less-than-optimum room or location. Hopefully my room will be ok enough, but I dont want this stuff to sound like junk if I ever move it - I'll give it a 5.
16. Non-fatiguing over long listening sessions. That would be bad! I'll give this a 7.
17. Recreates the immediacy of a good jazz club. I love this effect, I'll give it a 9.
18. Recreates the lushness of a good symphony concert hall. Nice to have, but not as important as seventeen, I'll say a 6.

The only thing I'd like to add is that a big consideration for me is availability. I welcome talk or suggestions about the perfect system for me, but if the only dealer is in Texas and they don't do internet orders, it probably won't be that useful (except for the interesting reading), unless you think there's a chance I can pick it up used somewhere.

Thanks again for any discussion or advice.

Regards,
PeteQuad

Thanks for the suggestions. I actually did call Klaus today and he was very informative and helpful. He has given me something serious to think about, especially with the full money back guarantee.