Strange how no body has added to the earlier posting.
The biggest single factor effecting your muisc replay system after the crappy AC mains and equipment supports (forgetting interconnects etc) is YOUR ROOM.
Put a 200 K AUD system into a batroom and viola, an instant crappy sound.
Put a Phillips mini system into a large vaulted ceiling balanced room and oh my God, it sounds reasonable.
Aussie rooms in general tend to be on the large size but they tend to be very reflective.
Surley other peoples experiances in achieving a good sound in these rooms is invaluable.
I am moving this link into a new one as I beleive you lot are short changing yourselves.
V