While it futile to argue what should be the top priority as far as speakers, amplification, or sources from a sonic standpoint, I think in the begining your most solid investment is the amplification. The most imporant thing in a stereo is balance and synergy between the gear (actually it's the room and recording quality, but we're talking about components right now).
I say the amplification should be the first thing at your stage for several reasons. Sources and formats come and go. Today's latest and greatest DAC chip is superceeded with next month's flavor of the month. Rooms pretty much dictate speakers. If you move in 2 years, or decide you want the stereo in the living room, your speakers may not work out well. Amplification does get better with new technology, but it's no where near the pace of everything else. If you're looking for a solid foundation to a system, I say start at the amplification.
I don't think there's a magic number to amplicication. Some say 100 watts. I've heard and owned amps with less than half that that had no problems in average sized rooms. My Bryston B60 is 'only' 60 watts, yet can get far louder than I care to listen to while still staying clean and in control. The Naim Nait 5i is only 50 watts per channel and pulls off the same thing. Both are solid state, not tube.
There's a ton of great sounding integrated amps out there easily within your budget. The best best advice I can give is to determine what traits you're after and start narrowing down the options. 'Clean and articulate highs and good bass' doesn't tell anyone anything. Some systems forgo some of the hifi stuff like precise imaging and hyper detail in an attempt to get better rythym, some trade warmth and smoothness to get more detail, and so on.
The ultimate reference isn't a stereo, it's live music. Don't have the preconceived notion of what a stereo is supposed to sound like. Think about what live music sounds like. Think about where you're favorite place to sit at a concert is so that the music sounds best - is it up front a few rows away, or is it in the back of the hall?
Try visiting a few hifi shops and see what they have. If you like what you hear after hearing a few different set ups, buy that. If not, we're not going anywhere.
I say the amplification should be the first thing at your stage for several reasons. Sources and formats come and go. Today's latest and greatest DAC chip is superceeded with next month's flavor of the month. Rooms pretty much dictate speakers. If you move in 2 years, or decide you want the stereo in the living room, your speakers may not work out well. Amplification does get better with new technology, but it's no where near the pace of everything else. If you're looking for a solid foundation to a system, I say start at the amplification.
I don't think there's a magic number to amplicication. Some say 100 watts. I've heard and owned amps with less than half that that had no problems in average sized rooms. My Bryston B60 is 'only' 60 watts, yet can get far louder than I care to listen to while still staying clean and in control. The Naim Nait 5i is only 50 watts per channel and pulls off the same thing. Both are solid state, not tube.
There's a ton of great sounding integrated amps out there easily within your budget. The best best advice I can give is to determine what traits you're after and start narrowing down the options. 'Clean and articulate highs and good bass' doesn't tell anyone anything. Some systems forgo some of the hifi stuff like precise imaging and hyper detail in an attempt to get better rythym, some trade warmth and smoothness to get more detail, and so on.
The ultimate reference isn't a stereo, it's live music. Don't have the preconceived notion of what a stereo is supposed to sound like. Think about what live music sounds like. Think about where you're favorite place to sit at a concert is so that the music sounds best - is it up front a few rows away, or is it in the back of the hall?
Try visiting a few hifi shops and see what they have. If you like what you hear after hearing a few different set ups, buy that. If not, we're not going anywhere.