I would agree with all that's been said so far.

Having said that I'd say go to some concerts/gigs and TRY to recall the sound. What did you like/dislike? Were the voices too sibilant? Too much bass etc?

Then try to get as near as possible to the sounds you liked (It could be that Classical music and 'Pop' music need slightly different equipment to achieve that aim).

Examine the room your stuff is going to be situated in. Is it well damped?(Curtains, carpets etc. Concrete or wooden-suspended floor? All can have bearing). Size?

Budget? What is your ideal split? (eg 'speakers 50%; amp 25% sources 20% Connects 5% etc. Please note I am NOT advocating this split necessarily) If your main source is to be a turntable then obviously sources may go up to 40-50%; the excellent Raspberry Pi (digital) would be one hell of a lot lower, so more could be spent on the other items etc.

Are looks important?

Can you DIY?

By all means look at What HiFi - but use it only as a guide.

Hear as much stuff as you can... draw up some lists and then get back to us!

Best of luck. (it's not really a minefield ... more a smorgasbord.. when you don't know what the dishes are - or how they are going to interact!)

BW

Bonky