I'm basically a newbie like you, but I have what I believe to be a damned nice system. This is my very first home theater and I have the M60's, QS8's, VP150, and EP175. The more dvd's I watch and cd's I listen to, the more I'm happy with my decision to have the upgrades of the VP150 and QS8. I didn't get to compare the others mind you, I'm just saying that what I have sounds incredible.