Hi Phil, we love fresh meat. We can get you all confused while helping you spend money.
Seriously, educate your ear to music. Learn what types you like and what sonic attributes you gravitate towards.
Determine where you'll be listening (alone or with family, in a spare room or in a shared space). Some of us have man caves for listening that are insulated and properly sized/shaped.
Find a local audio club (most are friendly, many are made up of guys with differing systems/priorities). You can find tube amps, vinyl lovers, and any number of speaker types. Ask questions, and decide for yourself what floats your boat.
If you're in/near a big city you should be able to find good/dedicated audio shop, avoid the home theater/audio shops (that invariably sell at best mid-fi consumer gear that's perhaps a small step up from the big box stores. The gear you'll find here is sonically at least a couple of steps up from any of that stuff.
Google is your friend so read, read, read. Learn to read between the lines and find reviewers you click with. But avoid trying to keep up with the latest fads.
Set a budget for your first system. Roughly figure on spending 35% for two speakers, 30% for pre/power or integrated amplification, 25% for source (turntable/cartridge or digital/analog converter - DAC), and 10% for wiring and some sort of stand. We have a Cheap and Cheerful Circle for $1,000 USD systems, but $2,000 USD can get a satisfying system for the long haul.
Take care and hope to see you around.
