In reply to:
I feel like Data when he would interface with an unknown computer.
Man what a geek!
A man after my own heart! My own geek credentials include seeing the midnight show opening day of all 3 LOTR movies, wearing a black trench coat and sunglasses to the opening of "Matrix Reloaded", listening to Pink Floyd and Mike Oldfield almost daily, having seen just about every episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation", still listening to prog rock (Porcupine Tree, anybody), being able to recite all the dialogue by heart whenever watching any of the original Star Wars trilogy, and having a geek wife (who owns every episode of "The Highlander available on DVD), and 2 geek kids (my daughter went with me to see the new Harry Potter movie yesterday, and the first words out of her mouth after the credits rolled were "When can we see it again").
That said, you will find a wonderful world of information here and elsewhere that will allow you to put together a sound system that will deliver movies and music more beautifully than you can presently imagine.
I do have a couple of suggestions.
1. Make sure you get a DVD player that can play SACD's and DVD-Audio. The currently available recordings of "Dark Side of the Moon", "Tubular Bells 2003", and "In Absentia" alone make this a must.
2. Get the best speakers you can. Speakers are going to be the most expensive component in your system, and also have the most influence on your sound quality. The difference in sound quality between competing receivers is nonexistent to negligible, The difference between speakers can be great. You can do a lot worse than Axiom for speakers, and you'd be hard pressed to do better for anything less that twice the price.
3. Get a receiver that has the features you want at a price you can afford. All mid to high range receivers should be fairly transparent soundwise. The idea that certain components blend better with certain speakers is unsupported by any objective evidence.
4. Don't buy into the expensive wire idea. Buy decent quality interconnects and Home Depot speaker wire, and use your savings to get better speakers.
5. As soon as everything is set up, toss the SACD of "Dark Side of the Moon" in your universal player and prepare for a profound spiritual experience.
Mark
