__Current HT System includes:
Sony KV-24FV300 (Wega)
Kenwood VR-407 (Receiver)
Kenwood CD-324M (200 CD Xer)
JVC XV-S40BK (DVD)
JBL N28 (Front Speakers)
Panasonic ?- it's silver (VCR)
__Hopefully aside from what I have I will be purchasing a DirecTV/DVR unit in the next 6 months. Possibly the new Roku device to transmit MP3's from my PMac.
TV and VCR are there to stay.
I have owned this
Receiver for a couple of years now, it has great
audio clarity IMO but thats about all I am impressed with. My GF can't figure any of its features out and I have problems with a good deal of 'em too. The volume level for DVD's has to be set at almost 3x that of the CD which produces some low hissing. Granted it is only rockin' the two fronts.
Selling it.
The
200 CD player is really handy to have. I stuff that thing full and let it play the eclectic mix of genres I have compiled over the past 10 years and its great.
Keeping it.
The
DVD player let me down caues it doesn't play MP3's. We don't watch many DVDs so I don't expect much from the (or any future) DVD player.
Selling it.
The
Northridge N28 have some potential IMO, I just don't know where to fit them in.
Pretty set on keeping them.
__The front room is 15'x15'. We mainly listen to music, roughly
3 hours a day. We watch a movie maybe once a week, tops. Lotsa Baseball and Basketball too. I have been leaning towards a HTIB, sony specific or Onkyo, possibly Yamaha until I started noticing a trend that many/most of the HTIB are geared more towrds the avid movie watcher. Now I think I must redrect my search for a few components to satisfy my needs, which BTW are:
-Simplicity (both aethstetically and operational, most important)
-Quality intuitive remote. (Lazy as he//)
-Superb audio quality
-something that incorporates my N28s, and has inputs for expansion of components
-
my budget. . .

. . ~$600
_Being fairly new to the HT game,
what do I really need as opposed to what is really cool to have? I love music, Reggae, World, Hip-Hop (no, not Rap

), Jazz, and Funk. I am sorta thinking a new more intuitive receiver design and center chanel speaker, possible sub. Am I headed in the right direction??? Thanks for any input on this issue. Sorry to bore some of ya.
-Stu.