Which came first, the chicken or the egg

Respectfully have to disagree.The two dont mix.
I dont care for the sound of Solid State amps.
They may distort less but when they distort its like nails on a chalk boeard.When tubes distort its still sounds like music.
I have A HT set up in my family room.I love it its great for watching movies and videos.
I still prefer my 2 Channel rig for music.
Dont hold your breath for the new formats.I went to one of the largest music chains in the area and they had no clue as to what I spoke of.
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When i go see live music it comes at me fron the front.It just does not sound proper to hear the drums comming from the back of me.They are not there in a real performance

Leafs, I don't think you would agree with your own comments if you were at my place listening to my 5 channel set up. Point is that with carefully chosen components and cabling, a 5 channel system can easily compete with a great 2 channel rig. Vinyl is alive and well, but a versatile 5 channel system is already competitive, and will overtake vinyl at some point. When 5 channel SACD or DVD-A is really fine tuned, stereo will seem lethargic. Don't get me wrong, I am a supporter of analogue and digital formats, but a reality check is in order. Blob, where you start is in the room. The size affects your choice of gear. What are the dimensions of the room you are shopping for? Many of the components J.T. mentioned earlier would serve well for two channel and multi- channel uses.

Bmpnyc,I get your point.You say it will over take viynl at some point.Well we have been waiting almost 20 years since we where told about perfect sound forever.
One more thing your 5 channel rig will be obselete or is allready 6.1 7.1 8.1 9.1 10.1 do you think they will ever stop trying to sell you stuff.

Leafs, not everybody wants the perfect sound. Some people want a compromise. Some people want a HT setup that will do a decent job on 2 ch. That's what I want. That's what I have. Will it match your tube/vinyl tweaked and tweased rig in 2ch.? No. Is it even close. Probably not. Is it exactly what I want? Yes. Have I been lied to? No. It's exactly what I want.

Hi Leafs, I think the point I was mentioning will be sooner than 5 years. I appreciate just how well served we have been by records and stereo equipment, but certainly that can't be the last word. Stereo itself was a compromise. If I am not mistaken, those who designed the first stereo set ups wanted a third channel, but though it impractical for public acceptance at that time. I have heard some fantastic vinyl rigs directly compared to SACD, and both had certain aspects that were superior to the other. Vinyl edged out the 2 channel SACD player by a nose. It is still early in the lifespan of that technology, and that was before 5 channel SACD was introduced. Of course there will be silly approaches to mixing for 5 channels, but engineers will get the hang of it , and when a recording is done from start to finish with 5 channel SACD or DVD-A in mind, with top artists and engineers I don't think even the best vinyl rigs will be as impressive. It just takes too much money for the average audiophile to get to that level right now. Yes, I can see the day coming when 10.2 channels will be the norm for high end Home Theater/surround audio, but should we stop progress just because it seems like overkill today? I bet in 30 years there will be a thin panel or two that hangs on the wall and excites the room, reproducing absolutely realistic audio, kind of like Star Trek (pardon the analogy), and all those bulky speakers will go in the trash, but until then, I am planning my 5.1 system for growth, and am ready for two more channels or 5.1 more channels if needs be. I get a real kick out of sounding better than any theater I've been to, and having a damn good 2 channel playback when I am in that mood, (which is quite often) I just hope I have a bigger apartment by then! By the way, I doubt anyone ever bought a CD player thinking "now I have perfect sound forever". Also the last time heard 140 watt Vac monoblocks run out of steam when really cranked, the distortion was as annoying as any obvious distortion. What kind of distortion are you talking about? The only obvious solid state distortion I have heard is when it starts beating up an anemic speaker.