What kind of music does your friend listen too? What kind of sound is he/she looking for? Is this primarily for low volume listening? Is this strictly a 2.0 setup or would a sub be considered (given that monitors are preferred)?
I think for $25k whatever your friend ends up will sound good... how good depends on the room and the questions above. I would probably spend 40% on speakers, 30% on source(s), 20% on (integrated) amp, and 10% on cables, power conditioning, isolation....then again, I would buy analog actives and a real nice DAC/PRE (and a CD transport if I wanted to spin the silver discs) and call it a day. ATC SCM 19 actives (not bookshelf speakers, save $ on stands) for example. just my $.02.
I think for $25k whatever your friend ends up will sound good... how good depends on the room and the questions above. I would probably spend 40% on speakers, 30% on source(s), 20% on (integrated) amp, and 10% on cables, power conditioning, isolation....then again, I would buy analog actives and a real nice DAC/PRE (and a CD transport if I wanted to spin the silver discs) and call it a day. ATC SCM 19 actives (not bookshelf speakers, save $ on stands) for example. just my $.02.