Hello,

I FINALLY want to put together a home theater system. I purchased a pair of Infinity RS4 floor speakers and a cheap Sony STR-DE445 receiver years ago and then stopped the home theather process. Anyhow, the large 25'x17' audio room has a cathedral ceiling (16') which I would imagine is a factor in piecing the system together. As far as the system usage goes - I enjoy listening to rock/alternative music and also watching action dvds. I have an initial plan and a few questions.

1) RECEIVER - purchase a much better receiver.The Magnolia Home Theater salesman(Best Buy) had me listen to a Yamaha Model, RX-V1700BL. It certainly did rock. It was a bit pricey though ($1000!). Is this a good receiver or would a Marantz be a better bet? I have to start reseaching but some thoughts would be appreciated. I am hoping I can get a kick-A$$ receiver for $750 and everyone raves about Marantz.


2) SPEAKERS - I plan on retaining my 175w RS4 speakers. They seem to produce excellent sound and the forum posts are encouraging. I will need to purchase a sub-woofer and center channel speaker. For rear speakers I will want to purchase the in-wall type. The Magnolia store recommended SpeakerCraft MT-Series 120 watts speakers. I have never heard of this company. Any advice on the SpeakerCraft selection, retaining the RS4 floor set or another opinion on a center/sub-woofer speaker?

3) CD PLAYER - I was planning on retaining my Sony disc player (CD-C315M). I have been told that as long as the receiver is of good quality, that the CD player isn't really an issue as long as I have a particular output connector (?) on my player - is this true?

4) DVD: Retain my DVP-S360 player. I was planning on upgrading in the future but I thought the receiver and TV were the most important componenets.

5) TV - A huge chunk will go towards a new LCD TV. I will be able to research this portion but really need help on the audio end of things!

I was going to have the system professionally installed since it will have in-wall speakers and the complexity of a new receiver.... does this sound like a good decision?

Thanks for any input!

Jim