Hello Jacob,
Thank you for the article. I appreciate your advice about considering the motivation end goal - personal listening, home entertaining etc. as well as keeping the setup and layout in mind.
Your article underscores the importance of thinking things through - something I hadn't done when I bought my first stereo system as a young man. I believed that bigger was better and impulsively bought a cheap receiver and huge 3-way, big box store, twin tower set of speakers. They were loud, with muddy, bloated bass and an unwieldly aesthetic - and there just was no space in the first house I later bought with my wife in NY.
We were looking at flat screen TV's and found that they were a couple of thousand dollars for a big screen with crappy sound. With a little bit of research I figured out that we could counter that cost with a basic HT setup: an Epson projector + screen , the Energy Take 5.1 system and a Yamaha RX-V477 to handle it.
A modest setup to be sure but it was very enjoyable.
Over the years, I've learned more, beefing up the speakers (looking for far more than just size), added a pair of sealed subs, and purchased a newer AVR. Our house in Texas gives us a little more room, but I have also learned more nuance in the setup - like how to keep the equipment present but discreet, keeping wire runs neat (or hidden altogether as needed). We have more power, and clearer, dynamic sound but it's in harmony with the environment.
I agree that proper planning is as much part of a satisfying media experience as procuring cool equipment.
