small. - Amps, as long as they are power enough to drive the speakers, are much of a muchness. Avoid tube amps unless the speakers are engineered to match. A modern Class D or a 80s/90s Class A/B integrated amp is the way to go on a budget. - Sources, as long as they aren't terrible, are much of a muchness. Get an outboard DAC if playing from a computer if you must. The Beringer B2031P + used integrated amp + sub(s) is a combination that is very hard to beat for the price. I've heard a lot of $10,000 systems that aren't any better. Best advice: listen before you buy, with one or two reference tracks on CD. Don't just listen to things you plan on buying either. Listen to equipment that's way out of your price range, and listen to shitty mini-stereos too. You get a feel for how much your ears are "worth". My ears aren't able to distinguish, with any certainty, between my own sub-$1500 setup and my mates' $60,000+ setup. But the difference between my system and the "sound bar" in the lounge room is very noticeable to me. For a 2 channel setup, using a receiver is quite inferior to using a quality 2 channel integrated amplifier. Most recerivers are based around multi channel solutions or have unneeded video incorporated in. Secondly to that, the description of a preamp here is incorrect. A preamp exists in a system whereby you use a separate power