New to this hobby please help me

I would look into these video reviewers mentioned above and research the different flavors of speakers and the pros and cons of each. Do not buy anything in the short term.

If you need something in the short term, get a used KEF LS50 meta or the original for $400 to $700 and a very low-cost integrated amp ($500) to tie you over (a few years even)

After you feel confident you have some basic understanding of what sound you may like, go to Los Angeles and check out the stores there. LA is a gold mine for audio.

My personal favorites and affordable are

- KEF 

- Magnepan (I have had LRS+ and now have Mini, used is under $1000) 

- Yamaha NS5000 (my final speaker, end game and expensive)

In terms of gear, it is hard to beat Schiit Audio. Dumb name but the gear is great. I am selling one of the best DACs under $20k, the Yggi+ OG. There is no other company that can sell this DAC at the $2.8k price point Schiit can. They have a $200 DAC that is supposed to be a great starter DAC. Head-fi is where the Schiit fans hang along with many company principles. They do not sell speakers.

* Schiit Wotan amp at $2k which is comparable to 8k amps from other companies. It can drive almost anything, including Magnepan speakers.

Check out Audiogon for used gear.

There are dealers also on both sites. Dealing with private sellers can be an issue but intuition will help you here.

@wizzard    You will get a lot of specific product recommendations from various posters but the issue is they have biases/preconceived notions against or for promoting brands that might not meet personal expectations. My point is you need to do your own homework not to depend on paid reviewers or other opinions. No one can take the final exam for you!

i will add that i want great separation of musical instruments in my listening i like it when every instrument is so defined that i cant figure out which one to listen to !!

What you’re talking about is imaging and 3D soundstage, and there are some speakers that do this better than others.  I’ll point to ProAc, Joseph Audio, Vandersteen, Usher, and Fritz just to name some in case you can find dealers for any of them they’d be well worth searching out.  One idea is the Joseph Audio Prism that’s $3700 new but there’s a used pair available for about $2k from a reputable dealer who allows for returns, and you’d be hard pressed to find a speaker with comparable imaging/soundstage near this price.  It offers a lot of their highly-regarded $10k Pulsars at a fraction of the price.  Just one idea FWIW.

https://tmraudio.com/fresh-arrivals/joseph-audio-prism-bookshelf-speakers-burgundy-pair-s6ig/

Incidentally, if you’re serious about 2-channel you’ll wanna add a good stereo integrated amp you can easily integrate with your Marantz that will up your performance considerably.  The Marantz is a huge bottleneck to good stereo performance, and although something like the Prisms can sound good with your AVR you won’t be getting all they’re capable of (or any good speaker for that matter) until you can upgrade your stereo preamp/amplifier situation — something to look forward to though!  Hope this helps, and best of luck. 

https://speakerchoices.com/

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. . . i will add that i want great separation of musical instruments

Easier said than done. 

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Check out Virtual Systems here.

I have Goldenear Triton One Rs and am very happy with them. I went to the Orange County audio show this summer and have listened to music at multiple stereo shops and audiophile friends homes. I would buy the Triton One.Rs again. I think the t66s are just a little smaller but still with a powered base.  $3,800 for a new pair is a great deal.I have no affiliation with Stereo unlimited, the San Diego dealer I assume you are talking about,  but can say I like dealing  with them.