Being given 2 custom systems but what to ask for?

How does the settlement work? Do you have to buy from a particular store? Are there any limits on what you can chose - new vs. used? How much do you want to be involved as an audiophile, maintaining, tweaking and trading up, vs. just having a reliable system that you set up once and enjoy for many years to come?
Many of us here love trying new things and fiddling with stuff. If this is not for you, I would stay away from records and tube equipment. Some of us replace our equipment more often than we replace our toothbrushes - if this is you, you might want to consider buying used here (if your settlement allows it). If not, buy new gear w/ warranty, and be done with it.

So, Carrie, has this been helpful? Are these the kinds of responses you were expecting? What are you thinking of doing next?

I owuld definitely stay away from tube gear - you do have to replace tubes every so often, and it's not like 40 years ago when you could run down to a local store and plug the suspect tubes in to a tube tester. Sometimes, when a tube blows, it damages resistors in the amp, requireing a repair. For great sound, simple plug ang play reliability, and customer support, I would highly recommend Pass Labs amplifiers and pre-amps. Of the speakers listed, I like vandersteen adn Magnepan, although the planar speakers Magnepan & Quad) can be tricky to get to sound right due to the way the interact with room acoustics. Of the magnepans I have heard, I liked the 1.6QRs better than a couple of the more expensive models. To my ears, the more expensive ones had exaggerated cymbal sounds.

So what did you do?

So does anyone else think this was a troll? I kind of suspected it all along - How many fantasies are touched on here? A woman entering a predominatly male group for assistance, a completely inexperienced woman admiring us for our knowledge, the sudden ability to get a high end system beyond your wildest dreams. And she asks about the most controversial things - cables and tweaks. And why a "non-cash compensation" in which she has to specify everything? I could be wrong, but I'm wondering what others thought. If this was a troll, I think we handled ourselves quite well, and didn't take the bait.