Quote Originally Posted by bobsticks
Hey thone, welcome to the forums. All ideas listed thus far have merit. There maybe something to be said for looking into used equipment as well. Audio is similar to the auto industry in that initial mark-ups are quite high. You can often find a few year old item for a substantial savings...which is a pretty good deal when starting off.
I'd second that, as it is what I did, and i'm very happy.