My broter is an audiophile, Mr Golden ear, I call him, because with any hifi equipment, there is an exponential rate of diminishing return on the amount of money you spend.
Many systems around the $1000 mark will give you sound at above 90% quality, double it to $2000, you may get a 1% or so improvement, and so on.
I have the privilege of hearing $50,000 plus systems often, and the extra .1% quality rise over the $40,000 system is great(sarc on : ), but seriously, when you are ready to buy, let me know your budget, and I can get you a list of the current New systems in that range, from a friend who reviews hi-fi and electronic equipment for the various media outlets, and all the "good" systems get sent to him for review, because of his expertise in the field.

From time to time he comments about particular units as being fantastic value for money, and having very good quality sound for the price.

If you want to go down the whole audiophile road though, then second hand is clearly the way to go, and some bargains do crop up in this area quite often.

You have the whole world of valve pre-amps, and amps, vs solid state, and old vinyl etc. but I can tell you from experience, that the convenience of dropping an Ipod into a quality dock, playing through a decent system, gets used about 100 times more often than the old vinyl gets dragged out, even if the sound quality may not be at the 99% level bought, and paid for.
Very often, 95% is pretty darn impressive, lol.
I can also tell you that small speakers can punch out a pretty solid sound, I have a Bose speaker system on my PC, it has a small sub, about 15cm speaker in a heavy box, that sits below my desk, and a pair of 6cm speakers I sit either side of my screen, and the sound it punches out is truly amazing. So a total of three speakers, puts out a very strong, and accurate sound, that puts to shame many syatems I have heard with bloody great hulking boxes in the corners, so be prepared to be amazed by what comes in small packages, and keep an open mind, and ear, to the sound, and do not be distracted by the hype, of salesmen.

So just work out your budget, and als what "type" of sound you like, whether you want big and bassy, or accurate, it makes a huge difference just what type of sound you want, (I like accurate so I mostly like small to medium two way speakers on a moderately inexpensive system personally) then let me know, and I will get some recommendations for you.

Mozzaok - I see more what you mean.
last night was at a guys house he has a HD CD player, valve driven.
Professional Sony AMP, B and W speakers.

I had never heard Ravels Bolero before last night.
What I had previously heard was ........ ravvelled  bordello

thanks mozzaok, I'ld appreciate that.

ravels Bolero on previous systems was repetative, monotonous, almost boring.
it was one piece of music I could not see why some people loved.

But on this system, it was delicate, subtle, alluring.
Is this what oral sex really is ? 

i'm researching building my own valve amplifier. I am an electronics tech so that side of it is fine.

thanks grendel - this one might be good for me.
I agree with your comments

http://www.audioproducts.com.au/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=CX1

denon cx-1

Great reply from Grendel there, which gives you a good indication about the choice you need to make, because it is not just about the sound system, it could be an actual lifestyle choice.
As he indicated, he takes an interest in this field, like many other people do, and if you go the route of researching speakers, amps, pre-amps, etc, then you may well find that you have just discovered a new hobby, which you can enjoy and make new friends from, for the rest of your life.

It is a bit like a computer game, where you embark on an arduous trek, in search of, "the Perfect Sound", you will discuss sound in terms you previously thought had absolutely nothing to do with audio, and you will be on this quest, for the rest of your life.

or, you just get a good all in one system from the shop that takes your fancy.
The difference between the denon, and any decent brand like yamaha, etc, can be huge, and these little systems are very hit and miss, and you can only tell by going and checking them out with your own two ears.

If you go the denon, haggle on price, you should be able to get at least 25% off RRP, often more, or are you ready to go down the rabbit hole, and get yourself a brand new hobby?