Will be listening to everything in the living room of my new apartment. The floor is carpet and there will be a couch and a loveseat in a fabric material. Couch will be on 10.5' wall, media center and speakers opposite, loveseat on the window wall. The other thing to note is that the ceiling slants up to a somewhat open loft area that is on what would be the right of the couch if you were sitting on it.
Will be listening to all sorts of music (pop, movies, movie soundtracks, musicals, etc) at whatever volume doesn't get us in trouble with the neighbors. [Y] But seriously, I don't think it will be super loud.
On the seperate vs integrated issue, most of my research has been about seperates, but I am open to suggestions for either!
In terms of budget, I am probably looking for bang for your buck starter equipment. If I like tube sound, would be nice to enjoy the system without getting an upgrade bug for a little while. I'm sorry this is a somewhat vague answer. I will be actually starting my new job soon and will know more as my finances and expenses settle out.
Thanks for all the responses so far!!!