classical newbie

Rja... We had a long discussion a while back regarding which is the best Karajan/Beethoven cycle.

IMO and many others, the 1963 BPO cycle is the best, but it sounds like 1963.
There's the 1977 BPO cycle (ADD) which feature excellent performances, but it has that DG close-mic technique which I find a bit harsh sounding.
Lastly, there are the Vienna recordings (DDD, 1980s) which had such poor early digital sound that Karajan himself ordered that they be remastered and re-released. These have a good open sound and the Vienna plays very well, but as a whole, they are not as good as the first 2 cycles. (Karajan by this time was in his 70s). I like these remastered disks due to the unmistakable sound of the Vienna Philharmonic. I believe these are the only symphonies on CD that you can buy individually.

But now we have a remastered SACD box set of the 1963 Berlin cycle which is excellent.
http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Symphonies-Gundula-Janowitz/dp/B0000C03AH/ref=sr_1_12?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1386312070&sr=1-12&keywords=von+karajan+beethoven+symphonies

Expensive, so I bought mine used and now it's the only Karajan LvB that I play. Needless to say, I'm a Karajan fan.

update...I see that there are now some single SACDs from the 1963 cycle; these are the ones to buy if you want a taste.

Doesn't anyone listen to solo or chamber music?

String quartets: Guarneri, Budapest or Julliard quartets playing Beethoven, Bartok, Brahms, Ravel, Debussy, Mozart, Shostakovich, Borodin, Tchaikovsky--you almost can't go wrong with any of those combinations.

The Borodin recordings will be older and inferior overall to the other two groups.

Tostado,

You have thrown down the guantlet. Yes, there are those here who listen to chamber music. To your suggestions I would add the Britten, Mendelssohn, Haydn, and Dvorak quartets, the Beethoven piano trios, the Brahms sextets-- shall I go on? Not sure I would start a novice out on the Debussy, Bartok or Borodin quartets, although Bartok 1 and 2 might be suitable.

Some modern ensembles to be considered--- The Pacifica and Belcea quartets are my two favorites among those still active. The Floristan trio has recently broken up, but they have a strong catalogue of modern recordings. I like their Beethoven trios a lot.

Then, there is the world of solo piano-----

Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra performed the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fritz Reiner.

String quartets/quintets on the Naxos label is an inexpensive way for a newbie to explore chamber music. High quality DDD Redbook.