msharpie

I am completely new to Hi fi audio as well. Since graduating college and where i passed the time researching which plasma tv i was going to buy once i obtained a job, i have narrowed down my desires. I have settled upon the fact that i constantly move around, have no need for a plasma let alone the theater system to go with it, and am perfectly content watching TV and Movies on my iMac. What is lacking though, is my sound system. Through talking to a local hi fi dealer, and doing a bit of dudiligence online, he has pointed me toward a pair of Monitor Audio RS6's. Next he said that NAD makes a killer integrated amp. But this is where i was lost... how to connect my iMac to my stereo. After finding this website, I learned can not just buy a magic cable with a usb on one end and RCA on the other, but that I need a DAC. Now, my constraints are my budget. I am open to all forms of suggestions and have taken in a lot reading this forum. Ideally I am looking to spend under two grand. I think it would be awesome to skip a traditional pre amp, so if I can get away with just having a DAC and AMP that would be ideal. Starcat, you stated above that a UD-10.1 and connected to a Lite DAC-AM would be a great way to go. Is there anyway of squeezing some sort of volume dial in there? Does anyone else have an opinion on this setup?