I think it's great that you want to help your Dad assemble a new audio system. I wish my Dad was still able to hear music -- he's 87, and is nearly deaf.
While I have been a 2-channel purist for most of my audiophile life, I have come to enjoy HT surround as well. My system, however, is definitely built around 2-channel music enjoyment.
Given your Dad's age, it's unlikely that his hearing is acute as in past years -- infact, it's unlikely that he hears frequencies above 10 kHz, and maybe nothing much above 7-8 kHz. It might be useful to have your Dad take an audiology test before you spend a lot of money on equipment that will be of no benefit to him.
Having said that, I think you should strive to get the best value you can for your Dad. (I owned a Fisher 500C as my first receiver back in the mid-1960's, and wish I still had it!) If your Dad prefers to stick with 2-channel audio (and I think the benefit of 5-channel surround will be largely lost on him), then one of the setups you should consider would be a pair of Vandersteen 2CE Signatures, or Vandy 3A's, with a Bryston 3B-ST/SST or 4B-ST/SST power amp and a good quality tube preamp. While you could go with a good integrated amp, my concern is that most of the reasonably priced integrated amps don't have enough power to adequately drive the Vandies at the volume levels you Dad may want or need.
The two Vandersteen speakers I listed have the added virtue of reasonably extended low frequency response, which are in the range where your Dad's hearing is likely to be best. My bet is that your Dad has gotten used to a relatively "warm" sounding audio system (given his old equipment), and the Vandies plus the tube preamp and the neutral Bryston amps will retain those qualities while also providing more detail than his old rig.
While I have been a 2-channel purist for most of my audiophile life, I have come to enjoy HT surround as well. My system, however, is definitely built around 2-channel music enjoyment.
Given your Dad's age, it's unlikely that his hearing is acute as in past years -- infact, it's unlikely that he hears frequencies above 10 kHz, and maybe nothing much above 7-8 kHz. It might be useful to have your Dad take an audiology test before you spend a lot of money on equipment that will be of no benefit to him.
Having said that, I think you should strive to get the best value you can for your Dad. (I owned a Fisher 500C as my first receiver back in the mid-1960's, and wish I still had it!) If your Dad prefers to stick with 2-channel audio (and I think the benefit of 5-channel surround will be largely lost on him), then one of the setups you should consider would be a pair of Vandersteen 2CE Signatures, or Vandy 3A's, with a Bryston 3B-ST/SST or 4B-ST/SST power amp and a good quality tube preamp. While you could go with a good integrated amp, my concern is that most of the reasonably priced integrated amps don't have enough power to adequately drive the Vandies at the volume levels you Dad may want or need.
The two Vandersteen speakers I listed have the added virtue of reasonably extended low frequency response, which are in the range where your Dad's hearing is likely to be best. My bet is that your Dad has gotten used to a relatively "warm" sounding audio system (given his old equipment), and the Vandies plus the tube preamp and the neutral Bryston amps will retain those qualities while also providing more detail than his old rig.