What's up, guys? I'm newly-graduated, and looking to get my own place to live. I'm a gigantic music fan (that's why I'm on this board) and I am hoping to purchase my first sound system. I've got all my music on iTunes, and I have an iPod. With that in mind, what do you guys think would be a nice, clean way of playing music through a home sound system?

Also, I don't know much about sound systems, so I am very open to suggestions for what to purchase. I'd like a multi-speaker setup, perhaps capable of covering two or three rooms. If it can double as surround for my tv, that's a tremendous plus as well.

I'm no audiophile, but sound quality does matter to me. I really don't want a system that can't handle what I throw at it.

Welcome to the Forum Rossome. "I'm a gigantic music fan (that's why I'm on this board)", you have many kindred spirits here. I think a sound system is an excellent idea, but have no knowledgeable suggestions. That is a good thing for you as there are many Forum members who are knowledgeable on this subject and will probably steer you in the right direction shortly.

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

Well...to suit all of your needs, you could go with a surround sound package, which will work well for both music and TV/DVD sound. I have the following system in my living room ( http://www.crutchfield.com/p_580HT5400B ... rand|Onkyo ) and it is a pretty good 7.1 system. However for music, would rather have my 2 main speakers to be a bit larger as they will carry the bulk of the load when listening to music.
If music is your main focus, mixing and matching components will probably be your best bet.
To build a quality surround sound system, you'll need:
A receiver:
For TV/DVD surround sound you'll probably want something at least 5.1 capable, but these days 7.1 is better but not necessary.

CD player: I notice you said you listen to a lot of mp3 format music so a cd player of course would only be needed if you're still in to that archaic ( ) technology.

Speakers: 2 front main, 1 center channel, 2 rear main, and one powered sub. 2 side fill speakers if you want to build a 7.1 system. Make sure the speaker's RMS power handling rating is at least as high as the per channel output of the selected receiver. And the subwoofer power should be at least as powerful as the wattage output of one channel on the receiver, about double that number is my preference.

As far as multi-room systems, most receivers will have 2 or more sets of speaker outs and you can easily choose speakers A, B, or Both. HTH...good luck.

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Check out my new FB music page!

https://www.facebook.com/TheDevilandMe.Music

I believe in old school stereo; no surround sound, just two great speakers with a wide, balanced frequency response and a great amp with decent power, simple controls and low distortion values. I am not a fan of the muddiness of the delayed signals inherent in surround systems. They work very well for home theater special effects but for iPods, CD's and vinyl they provide equipment generated signals that were not present at the time of recording and are therefore not a purist's idea of good stereo.

There are a variety of docking stations available to connect your device to your stereo with remote control, charging abilities and more or you can make it as simple as just plugging the device into the stereo directly through the phone jack.

The following may not be the most popular opinion but I find digitally recorded music is already quite noisy, not in terms of clicks and scrapes and hiss but in terms of distortion so I feel it's important to try to avoid adding distortion by using software generated effects.

In my opinion the important thing is to try to get flat sound; sound that is true to the way the music was recorded. That means I stay away from systems with artificial so-called "enhancements" like extended bass, Q-sound and such schemes designed to create the illusion of better sound than the original.

Unfortunately, old school stereos cost significantly more money than the ones with all the bells and whistles and they weigh a lot more too.

If I were in the market for a new stereo, I'd go to a very high end store, something exclusive that has one owner and one location, no chain stores. I'd tell them I want a very simple system of just an amp and a set of speakers and I'm on a low budget and see what they suggest. What they suggest will likely cost twice what the Pioneer, Sony, JVC systems cost but it will be better sound and will very likely last a lot longer too.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

I too am an old style stereo fan,there's something about a good analogue stereo system that a digital surround sound can't capture that has to be experienced rather than explained.I've picked up some top shelf stereo gear at pawn shops for bargain basement prices and also through local want ads.The demand for surround sound is a boon for stereo fans as the price has dropped right out of the used stereo market.I recently bought a 200 disc Pioneer CD player for only $60 and a Nikko 5 disc for only $40 and a pair of JVC Tower Speakers for $50.This is top quality gear that will last years take care of my gear.

If you keep your eyes open and make a list of what you need you could have a sound system that would be the envy of any audiophile for real cheap.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.