1.      What is the most important component of a system if my primary taste is music and not movies?

The front-end or source

2.      Why is the front-end so important for music lovers?

Garbage in, garbage out

3.      How do I choose my speakers if I already have an amplifier?

Your choice of speakers must be relevant to the power and current that your amp is able to deliver.

If your amp is a 100W integrated amp with current capability over and above 30AMP (amperes), you can buy almost any speakers. The more sensitive the speakers the more headroom your amp will have to drive them. For instance a speaker with a 85DB rating will be a lot harder to drive than speakers that are rated 92DB. The higher the DB rating (92+) the easier it is to drive. The lower the DB (below 85) the tougher the load and the more demanding those speakers will be on your amp.

An 8W per channel amplifier will sweat to drive 86DB speakers, however give the same amp speakers rating at around 92/95 or 102DB and the amp’s headroom gets bigger in relation to the sensitivity of the speakers climbing higher to the bigger numbers.

4.      What is High-Current (High Amperage) in amplifiers?

Not all sales people in an audio store have a good understanding of electrical theory. They could, sometimes unintentionally mislead their customers, even audiophiles.

A high-current amplifier is simply one in which the power supply and output stage can pass enough current to drive low-impedance loads. The "high-current" label is pretty much a marketing label, it gets tacked onto even entry-level receivers with slightly beefier power supplies than one usually sees at that level, but not much else (there is still only one pair of output transistors per channel, driving low impedance loads with a single pair can push the transistors out of their safe operating area - this is why many receivers have a "4-ohm" mode, it limits the supply rails and engages current limiting in the output stage to keep from blowing outputs.) When an amplifier attempts to swing a given voltage into the load, the load will attempt to draw a certain amount of current, and if the power supply cannot provide it or the output transistors cannot safely pass that current, output either sags (and the amplifier clips, and you can toast your tweeters if the distortion harmonics are strong enough) or you toast outputs (and if the protection circuit doesn't trip, possibly your woofers as well since up to 30-50VDC could pass through whichever transistor shorted to the speakers.)

To deliver large amounts of current, you need a beefy power supply, multiple output device pairs, and GOOD heat sinking. The amplifier can be class A, AB, B, D, whatever...the physics still apply. Also, you really can't divorce power in watts from current in amperes, since P = IE (P is power in watts, I is current in amperes, E is potential in volts.) If an amplifier cannot deliver the current a speaker asks for, the power in watts dissipated into the load will not be there either. Check this link?

I'd like to emphasise that "power can corrupt", and It is a fact that what's important here is that the 1st WATT is the most important factor, clean low power is by far way better than tons of grainy, unrefined power.

5.      How do I choose an amp after I've bought the speakers?

That’s a tough one! And usually a very bad approach. If by poor luck you ended up buying 86DB sensitive speakers with a 2 Ohm impedance, you will have a hard time finding something that will drive them effortlessly at low prices, most amps with massive power and high’ ish current capability cost a lot of money.

If however you bought speakers that are fortunately rated over the 89DB and with an impedance of 4, 6 or 8 Ohms, you’re in luck! You won’t need to fork out a fortune on an amp and you will get away with a decent low power gem like a tube amp or even a hybrid or nice little low powered class A amp.

6.      Please explain Class D, Class A, Class A/B and Triode and Single Ended amplifiers in laymen terms?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_amplifier (simple as that!).

7.      What is a Media Server?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_server

8.      What is DLNA?  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Living_Network_Alliance

9.      What is a DAC? Or Digital to Analog Converter?

A DAC converts an abstract finite-precision number (usually a fixed-point binary number) into a physical quantity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital-to-analog_converter

10.      What is a CD transport?

A CD transport is a dedicated device designed to transport the bits (0’s and 1’s) from it’s laser to its digital output and into a DAC. It’s like a CD player but without the built in DAC commonly found inside all CD players.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Disc_player

11.   What is high-def music and why do I need it?

·     MP3 is compressed (can even be compressed as low as 128 kbps!)

·     CD’s are 16 bit encoded and less compressed than MP3

·     High def music is the less compressed than CD’s

·     High def music is usually available through these formats, FLAC or AIFF in 24/96 or 24/192.         

You only need high-def music if your system warrants it and your ears are up to it. The average person can’t even tell the difference between MP3 and CD quality.

Here’s an example…

Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l8xKUjqKOM