Quote Originally Posted by JonW
Oh, I could easily do that. No, it's just regular, plain, old 2 channel music for me most of the time. And the budget is flexible- I can spend more if I really want to. Those numbers were initial guesses. I'm just starting my shopping around now. Just auditioned my first speakers recently (Dynaudios- not super impressed).




I'm no bass freak- I'm pretty average, I'd guess. Actually, I'm considering building an infinite baffle subwoofer into the house. Could be a fun project and provide some very nice bass. My old house has a hole in the floor that is pretty far from where the main speakers will be (5-15 feet away). So I still have to test the location to see if an IB might be suitable. It would add a very fun DIY aspect to building up the system. We'll see.



I'm just learning, so... what's an integrated amp mean? Versus a pre-pro or a regular amp?
Thanks.
JonW:

An integrated amp is basically is basically a 2-channel stereo receiver (no processing) with no am/fm tuner. It usually consists of the same components a manufacturer uses in their pre-amps and amps, but all in one box. Saves a bit of money, but usually you have less power than separate amp/pre-amp combos. With power being equal, I don't find a decent integrated any less capable than separates.

Pre/pro is just a pre-amp with a/v processing, as opposed to a pre-amp's 2-channel stereo limitation.
And are you suggesting to get a cheap $400 AV receiver for all the inputs/outputs/electronics/etc. and then just add amps to that?
Yes. I have a $700-ish receiver running only my center channel. I use 3 separate external power amps connected via the receiver's "pre-outs" to drive the front mains, and 4 surround speakers.
Even though my power amps ratings are lower than my receiver's, they are more powerful and sound noticeably better.
I could very well get by with just the receiver, but at higher volumes, the receiver gets a bit strained, and my receiver has something like 55 real watts/channel when all channels are driven...my amps deliver more between 80 and 90 watts/channel...not much of a difference in max output, but the headroom is nice during busy movie passages where 3 or more channels are firing away. For my multi-channel audio indulsions, it's a must.

Someday I'll pony up for a nice pre-pro, and I won't need to buy the whole receiver. Then I can probably do away with my integrated in my 2nd system and just have them all in one room. Where I find receivers cheap out on the pre-amp stages (and amp stages to an extent) pre-pros have better quality throughout.

Yamaha, Denon, etc usually have receivers in the $300-$400 range with pre-outs. They have all the HT processing you need. Add 2 power amps to this and you'll have all the power you'll need. Add 1 integrated amp on top of that to drive your front mains, and you'll likely get a step up in stereo music quality over the inexpensive receiver's output.
This of course assumes you are okay buying used.