I own the MAXX myself and drive them with Krell KPS-25c playback unit and Krell 650 mono blocks. I am biased and love Krell sound, but have also heard Wilsons with Mark Levinson equipment and with Jadis tube equipment and have been impressed. My suggestion is to buy the best front end possible, CD or analog, in addition to a seperate DVD player for your dvd playback. You will want the best of each, a cd for two channel and a good dvd for movies. In my opinion, there isn't a good enough all purpose player available. I disagree with the above statement that the pre-amp is most important, it is the second most important piece after your front end. Nothing along the way will improve the signal the front end sends down stream. In terms of cabling, there are numerous brands, however, Wilson likes the networked cables such as MIT or Transparent and uses them while designing. I run Transparent Reference XL. (Buy it used to save some money)The synergy with Wilson is excellent...very quiet background with great detail, low end control and soundstage. I disagree with Cornfedboy about the Nagra...I was very unimpressed with that tube equipment when I listened to it four weeks ago. It was brighter and more irratating than my Krell has ever been. I was surprised. BAT is my preference for tubes. By the way, the efficiency of the MAXX makes them easy for tubes to drive. Good luck and congratulations on choosing one of the finest speakers I have ever heard. Just be sure to feed them with similar top quality components and you will be in heaven.