[degarmo]

Hi all,

I absolutely love good music but am by no means technically or
electronically savvy in terms of understanding all the electrical
jargon, e.g., I am just now learning about 4 ohms versus 8 ohms etc.,
but want to learn more of the basics, which leads me to my first
question. 1.) What is a good online resource that someone would
recommend as a good place to learn about the technical side of hifi
audio?

In the past I have used Rotel and paradigm and then upgraded to B&W
keeping the rotel. I am in the process of researching what to buy to
build a new system as I sold my former system. For the past few weeks
I have been researching various hifi companies and their gear to try
to determine the best bang for the buck. Obviously, one is limited by
how much one can afford to spend. My question to you is, what is the
best bang for the buck in terms of sound quality? To give you some
idea of the level of gear I can afford, I am looking and comparing the
following brands: Rotel, Arcam, Parasound, NAD, Adcom & Marantz. From
your own knowledge and experience, are there other comparable brands
out there that I should also be including in my search for the best
sound for the money, and if so, which ones?

Also, it should be mentioned that I prefer an integrated to an amp/
preamp setup. Please let me know what your top three picks are (brand-
wise) in terms of best sound for the money.

Thanks and I look forward to reading your suggestions.

Michael W.