I have very similar musical tastes (heavy on ambient/electronic), and about eight months ago I was in the same situation -- knowing little about stereo gear, and finding myself more confused with the more research I did.

To simplify your search, you should focus first on what kind of speakers you want. Assuming you have a decent source (and that's easy for your budget), the speakers will have the biggest influence on the sound, and your choice of speakers will also drive your amp selection

For your musical tastes, I would give serious consideration to planar speakers (e.g. Magnepan 1.6qr):

http://www.magnepan.com/_mg16.php

That's what I chose, and let me tell you, they do ambient/electronica beautifully! They are very high resolution speakers, so you get the most out of the well-produced, detail-oriented, layered sound like modern ambient offers. They're also perfect for jazz/classical/acoustic stuff.

If you can at all find a place to audition them, definitely check out the Magnepan 1.6qr. They're well within your budget, and if you decide you like them, that simplifies the amp selection process considerably (basically you just need something with lots of current, delivered cleanly and with finesse).

They're a great value too. You'll hear from lots of Magnepan fans on this forum, and for good reason. Florian will back me up on this!