What the... Huh? (lost noob in the world of audio)

[Scooby Blu]

Originally Posted by bruss01

Thanks, good advice and I intend to take it.

BTW there is ONE reason I bother to go to a theater for summer blockbuster despite the outrageous ticket prices and that is for the SOUND. That is where I recognize decent sound from, the actual theater. I don't expect to re-create it in my living room, I was just hoping to do a little better than we have now. Apparently (you noticed) some folks think you need to go all the way or don't bother, anything less is a piece of crap. BTW I checked out the Onkyo 605/606 unit that a lot of folks are raving about - folks say it doubles as a space heater (raised the room temp 10 degrees), and has a lot of issues such as popping noises, dropping cc subtitles if using something other than the HD connector (which I would have to do until such time as we upgrade our sat service). Sounds like a lot of problems, which I don't have now. I think the money can be better spent.

Someone said sound is 75% of the experience... NO, not for everyone it isn't. I've enjoyed plenty of movies while my wife was sleeping, using just the cc subtitles and ZERO sound. Sure, it's nice to have good sound but any sound or no sound at all you can still enjoy a good picture and a good story. Guess I'm just not the die-hard audiophile that many here are....

I'm going to sign off this thread now, ponder the good advice that has been given, weigh the pros and cons - and wait for that money to come in and how best to allocate it.

Thanks everyone who helped.

You are welcome Bruss01. It was a quite the experience reading this thread. BESTof luck to you and your wife !! Hope to hear what you decide on in the near or distant future !