LLippman,
This is a difficult problem because I do not know what type of sound you are accustom to. You maybe a person who would be happy with a receiver and some mass market speakers for 2 channel setup (and maybe HT setup as well).
It is not difficult to do a decent HT setup for around $10k. Getting decent (what I would call decent) 2 channel sound is a totally different ballgame. Your $10k HT setup may in the end have a decent digital setup; however, in the areas of preamplification and amplification it would probably leave something to be desired.
Personally this is what I would aim to Budget:
$3000 for the TV, for HT what you see is pretty darn important, I would not skimp, Get a rear projection TV that will do 1080i and 720p if you can, I personally like Sony sets
$1000 for a DVD/SACD/DVDa/CD player, in 10 months you should be able to get something that sounds pretty good for $1k
$2000 or so for a good receiver, I just picked up a Pioneer Elite 49TX for $1750, For HT this Pioneer is quite nice, high end receivers have come a LONG WAY in 3 years
$3000 for speakers, Good Luck with this selection. I hate auditioning speakers because they can be so very different. Personally, I would look at Aucoustic Vienna speakers. They make speakers that are both great 2 channel and HT speakers.
$1000 for everything else, includes VCR, power conditioner/protection, cables, interconnect
The above system will be a good HT setup, and will have 2 channel capability. In the future you can upgrade your 2 channel capability by getting seperate 2 channel preamp and amp for the front left and right channels. When you have a decent preamp and amp, you can get a good redbook digital source for an upgrade. Next you will want to upgrade your front 2 channel speakers.
Good Luck!
KF
This is a difficult problem because I do not know what type of sound you are accustom to. You maybe a person who would be happy with a receiver and some mass market speakers for 2 channel setup (and maybe HT setup as well).
It is not difficult to do a decent HT setup for around $10k. Getting decent (what I would call decent) 2 channel sound is a totally different ballgame. Your $10k HT setup may in the end have a decent digital setup; however, in the areas of preamplification and amplification it would probably leave something to be desired.
Personally this is what I would aim to Budget:
$3000 for the TV, for HT what you see is pretty darn important, I would not skimp, Get a rear projection TV that will do 1080i and 720p if you can, I personally like Sony sets
$1000 for a DVD/SACD/DVDa/CD player, in 10 months you should be able to get something that sounds pretty good for $1k
$2000 or so for a good receiver, I just picked up a Pioneer Elite 49TX for $1750, For HT this Pioneer is quite nice, high end receivers have come a LONG WAY in 3 years
$3000 for speakers, Good Luck with this selection. I hate auditioning speakers because they can be so very different. Personally, I would look at Aucoustic Vienna speakers. They make speakers that are both great 2 channel and HT speakers.
$1000 for everything else, includes VCR, power conditioner/protection, cables, interconnect
The above system will be a good HT setup, and will have 2 channel capability. In the future you can upgrade your 2 channel capability by getting seperate 2 channel preamp and amp for the front left and right channels. When you have a decent preamp and amp, you can get a good redbook digital source for an upgrade. Next you will want to upgrade your front 2 channel speakers.
Good Luck!
KF