New Speakers/Amps

If you think you might get more serious about this down the road I agree with the others who said ditch the sub for now and get the best monitors/floorstanders you can afford (some good ones listed above) along with the best NAD integrated you can fit into your budget (used would be a good idea for the amp -- speakers are a little more risky used).

If this is really just for casual and/or background type listening you could save some $$$ and just buy something like this that should be more than fine...

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/value2pkg.html

Best of luck.

Dweller nailed it, try to stick closely to his recommendations - they will result in a *very* good sounding system...

do more research than just hangin' out here. you should listen to various systems if you have a possibility. a local high-end dealer may be a good start

Ipod advice: Make sure you are not using MP3 quality. Lossless audio makes a world of difference.

Thanks so much for all your inputs.

This will help me get started on setting up my first system. However, a few more questions...

I started researching right away from the first thread and realized the +ive reviews on NAD and am inclined to pick up a preowned one. Ive also found a few dealers here in Plano, TX (DFW) that carry NAD and plan to visit them soon. Some of the speakers that i can hear at the dealer's location are-

Magnepan, PSB, PMC, ProAc, Monitor Audio, GoldenEar, Linn, Speakercraft & Epicure. Ive not listed a few as they are a gazillion bucks! :)

Any thoughts on the above speakers? I forgot to mention in my initial post that i am looking for floor standing speakers only and the system will be set up in my living room area, which is a large area with 20 ft ceilings.

Vandersteen has great reviews but no dealership here to demo.

Thx again for the advice and look forward to more...