advice needed on 1st real stereo system

Do not obsess over cables. Get high quality, well engineered, inexpensive stuff like those made by Blue Jeans Cables.

If you want to play the exotic cable game, sure. But some exotic cables cost more than components, and your money would likely be better spent on acoustic treatments for your room, or even better components.

That's just my opinion. There's quite a vocal group that believes cables make all the difference. Me, I strain to hear any difference at all.

Always keep an extra set of tubes.

My advice would be to slow down; don't make the mistake that I made and rush into everything. Second, the nova would be a far better choice in my oppinion. I just helped my brother put together a system and was looking first at the inova (80 watts into 6 ohms), then we thought about a nova 125 because of the superior power output. He ended up going with a nova pre and a peachtree 220 watt amp (paid $1800 for both from burt at seattld hifi). He bought a pair of kef qx5's for $900 so he put together a nice set-up for right at $3k.

Like I said, research it alot first. I only recommended peachtree to my brother because he's all about aesthetics. For $3k, there are a ton of options out there for you. Imo, all speakers sound better with more power, even at lower volumes. Also, imo, totems need alot of power to come alive.

Cables are important, but at first get some decent cables at the inexpensive end. I'd say $80-$100 on speaker cables, $50-$75 for interconnects. Think about some acoustic panels too. You can get 4, gik 244 acoustic panels for $375 at your door.

Look into jolida integrated amps and ZU audio speakers also. Blue jeans belden 10 guage speaker wire with no bananas, just raw wire, is a good speaker cable to start off with and can be had for around $50. They make some decent interconnects also for very little money.

Last, start searching here on agon for used speakers, integrateds, seperates (amp and pre amp) and dacs. Find something that you think might be cool then research it here in the forums section and also on line and see what the reviews say about it. Educate yourself and you'll be happier with your system in the end :-)

Good luck and have fun!!

Save yourself a lot of grief, buy a Bose something.

Again, buy used (or better, "recently discontinued")...plenty of upgraders are dyin' to unload their stuff on you, and this approach really works. Most of my gear, be it pro audio, guitar playing items, or hifi things in great condition have been relatively easy to find if you look around some. A couple of examples: A friend had a pair of Silverline Preludes bought new for $1200 or so, combined with a new small REL sub costing maybe $500. I thought that combo sounded sweet (and my speakers had "issues") so within a couple of weeks found the Silverlines for $400, and an older REL for $200. Just bought a new but discontinued Taylor guitar for $1000 less than the model that's now replacing it. Do this, and you will be happy.