[nikko1974]

Haha that stuff about the femailes is amusing - alas mine is also of the "why do we need a new one?" mold.....if she had her way we'd have a 34cm rank arena and a betmax with wired remote!

Quickly on speakers....

* 2nd hand is fine - they're not things that wear out if not thrashed.

* Aim for Aussie speakers...due to the weight factor they can compete very well with OS ones. eg Whatmough, Richter.

* If you have to buy in PARTS due to $$$ get your fronts first.....then a centre (don't skimp on this as it will carry all the voices when watching video....then the sub...then the rears.

Bear in mind you'll want them to tonally match.....so not all speakers work with others perfectly.

* For AVR's...Yamaha are hard to beat value wise. I have one but personally like what I read about NAD AVR's but they're pricey and harder to find....ebay material.

* Don't rule out using a soundcard and a power amp - some experts tip this.I'm still unsure about onboard sound solutions.

* Make sure your AVR/AMP can drive your speakers.....so match the ohm level of the speakers to what the AVR can do.

* Good speakers last forever so don't be afraid to spend a lil more......

* Don't get tricked into getting expensive cable but use something reasonable - Jaycar's of the roll stuff is fine - no need for banana pins etc!