Help me put a system together for under $1k.

Far be it from me to make any suggestions on parenting, but when I wanted my first "stereo" ($400 box system when I was 10) my father said that he would match me dollar-for-dollar on any stereo I wanted. I scrimped and saved and did lots of token chores to earn the $200. The stereo sucked but I used it for the next six years or so and enjoyed countless hours of music. In fact my mom still uses it though only one channel works.

I still work my butt off to buy new toys (and pay bills).

Bignerd100, with all due respect, if I wanted that kind of advise, I would be asking for help on parenting.com not adiogon.com. My kid pays his dues with straight A's in school not chores, that's the direction I am pushing him in. There will be plenty of time for him to work his butt off for the rest of his life, hopefully he will be getting paid handsomely through power of higher education. That's what my parents did for me and so shall I do for mine. Now back to topic....

All appologies if my comment was out of line.
Just an anecdote. No criticism intended.

:)

With responses like "give him the 1k and let him figure it out. otherwise he learns nothing" and "I agree. ask your son. Chances are he knows what he wants and what will work in the life he lives in. The best place to start is with respect.", it's no wonder the HIFI dealers are quickly going out of business being replaced by small home theater dealers which in turn are also going out of business. Pretty soon there will be nothing left but BestBuy and Circuit City. If this hobby is to have any chances of survival, it is our duty to teach the youngsters everything we know about HIFI, keep them involved and interested in music both current and of the past. It does not take much effort to go and buy any system off the shelf from local electronics store, but the rewards and memories of picking your own first system with your Dad and then enjoying the great sounding music for years to come are priceless. Don't you guys have any memories of your childhood where your parents actually participated in something that was important to you? Those memories do not fade away!

I think you're on the right track with your original ideas. The 540A integrated would probably be ok too especially as your son will likely be using his system in small rooms for years to come. I'm wondering if he might want a tuner. A lot of young people listen to radio frequently. If so a nice receiver along the lines of the Denon DRA-395 might be a good choice (there is a review in the product reviews you could check). I'd also consider a dvd player for a digital source. Most kids like video and the ability to play concert dvd's might be a welcome feature. A system like a Cambridge/Denon amp/receiver, Epos speakers and say a Pioneer multi-format dvd might be just the ticket and leave some bucks left over to get some starter source material too! Anyway I think your son is a pretty lucky young man and I hope you guys enjoy choosing and playing his new system.
Gary