Welcome to the forum and to the world of beginner's audio. A fun place to be actually, even with a modest (but not skimpy) budget. Nice room layout you provided BTW. Off-hand I suggest setting up the speakers on the East wall- any place else and I think it'd get too cramped.

I used to think "bank everything on the source component", but after almost 20 years in the audio game I've reversed my thinking and believe it's all about the speakers. Then amp, then source. Not that you want anything too far out of alignment, but cheap speakers can really sound it, yet luckily there are some cheap source components out there that are actually pretty good.

England has a wealth of good, reasonable gear- so I'd listen to Epos for speakers and Creek for amplification if you can. Maybe the ELS3 speakers on stands, the Creek Evo amp and everyone seems to think the Oppo DVD/CD player is the best bargain around. That setup should meet your budget needs and work with your space. Obviously there are others out there, but it's a good palce to begin. Avoid floor standers in that space 'cause you'll just overpower the room. Cheers-----

The good news is, you couldn't be in a better place to buy hi-fi. The UK knows how to make stuff sound musical. Also, you don't have to pay with a weak dollar.

I'd be looking at bookshelf speakers. Given your budget and room dimensions, they're a good bet. Rega and Epos make nice, small, affordable speakers.

On the amplification front, I highly recommend the Rega Brio3 (I own one! ) It's pricey for your budget, but I think it's worth the investment. It's $695 here - not sure what it goes for on native soil.

If you go for the Brio and the speakers I recommended, your budget is pretty much devoured, so you'll need a source that's cheap, but good enough to do the downstream components justice. I really don't think you can do better than the Oppo DV-980H for the money ($169 - and I own one, too!).

While you're enjoying your new system, save your pence for a really top-shelf digital front end, such as the Rega Apollo ($1195).

If you're feeling adventurous, stick with the Oppo for digital and invest in a nice turntable. The Rega P1 is on the low end (but still good). The P3-24 costs about as much as your entire budget, but does it ever rock! I really can't say enough good things about Rega.

Happy listening and welcome to the forum!

I like my English speakers (manuf'd. in China, but designed by Wharfedale/Quad), so don't be afraid to audition some of the famous brands from home. You've got several choices with your budget.

I think stand mount speakers would get you the most for your limited
budget and they would fit the room better. You can always add a sub
at a later date if you need more umph.

On the plus side, you don't need a lot of power to fill your room.
An integrated from Cambridge Audio's Azur line, along with their
CD player would be my starting point. You have a lot of fine speaker
companies to choose from over there. Maybe pick up a copy of What*Hi*Fi
and browse their suggestions? Don't forget to budget for stands. They
are an absolute must if you want decent sound.

I suggest you buy used:

Amp NAD c370 Integrated amp

NHT 2.9

And the Oppo player puts you right within your budget.

Other good options may be Rotel RA-1062 Integrated, Musical Fidelity A3 Integrated, Adcom 575 CD player and Monitor Audio Silver series speakers or Monitor Audio RS 6 speakers. All good choices.

Wow, I think you're probably the only newbie who's provided a diagram of the room layout along with the request for recommendation. Very cool!

With the $1195 budget, how about this tactic? Go with Playstation 1 as CDP. I got mine for $25 here. The model to get is the SCPH-1001 (I think the # in England is SCPH-1002), any other model #s, you can forget about it. I use it as source in my system, which is fairly upscale, and it's just fantastic. The hype is very real.

The obvious advantage is that you'll have almost the entire budget left over for an integrated and speakers. If you get the itch to upgrade, you can save up for a CDP down the line, but I assure you, the PS1 will not let you down in the meantime. You might not want to upgrade at all, even, save the cash for a turntable set-up or something.

A lot of good recommendations here on integrated amps and speakers. With your budget, I'd look into something like Cambridge Audio 540. If shopping used, definitely look into Creek, but I have to say, I prefer the sound of Atoll, the French integrated amp. Not written about as much as other models, but I really like how Atoll amps sound. I also hear good things about Arcam models, but I haven't heard them yet, and of course, Exposure.

Epos really does seem like the sensible choice here. If you end up splurging on the amplifier end, though, you should also look into some ~$200 options, like PSB Alpha or Infinity P162. You'll find these speakers excellently reviewed in the "Budget Components" section of Stereophile's site.

Good luck & have fun!