new system for beginner

I say get a good digital source first. Sonic Frontiers Dacs are available used on Ebay for 600, and Cal Delta transport are available for 350 on Audiogon. Hook it up with a Bettercable digital for 70bucks. That leaves about a thousand. Get some interconnects for about 100 from JPS, Homegrown, or Mapleshade connected to... Amps? Go integrated: Acurus DIA150, used Creek gear, or, my personal sentimnetal favorites, the old nakamichi SR or TA series receivers, and they should run about 300-500. Then get some speaker cables, and you can get some used Audioquest Midnights for about 150. Lastly, the speakers with about 500 left, get some NHT 2.5i, Vandy 1C, or even some used Maggies. It's sort of exciting to start on a fresh note. Good hunting, althought, I don't think the person starting this thread will be paying any attention.

personal testimony:

My system, up until a few years ago, cost me a lil more than 2000, which consist of:

KEF 103/4- Got it used from a client for 600
Aragon 8002-Store demo for 1200
Marantz 63se-New for 400
Free Audioquest Argent/HF Midnight/LF and Quartz cables.

My achilles heal in this set up has always been my CD player, so I have personal bias towards starting off with a good digital front end.

Maggies available for 500bucks available direct from magneplan.com. MG12.

Just so all of you know, i am paying attention and i check this thread almost everyday. i am serious about putting together a system, so be certain that your time and energy is not wasted. I appreciate all the comments and diferent viewpoints. i have another question now. a friend of mine listens to very similar music and he recently got a pair of JM Lab speakers. they are not floor models or on stands but they amazing to my ear. i am not sure of the model number. so i guess my question is, just how good are JM Lab speakers? are they something i should consider? thanks again.

You answered your own question, they are amazing to your ear. Concensus statistics aren't what sit in your chair and listen. Of course you can't always hear a component first hand in your system, so you have to trust them sometimes, but first hand experience will always trump them. First hand in someone else's sytem isn't *absolutly* ideal, but it's still your experience.
Oh, and if you haven't already, take a look around the speaker forums. If you haven't found the advice you are looking for, ask, and make sure you mention your system (or proposed system} and price range. You'll get a wider response starting a thread in the designated forum.