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- 100 watts per channel. this gets to you mid-level (about $800) from a good receiver maker. in truth a receiver with 70-80 wpc from a company that honestly measures power is all you need. this is because you surround yourself with an array of speakers so you dont need huge power numbers for 1-2 seats.

- subwoofer: in general the subwoofer output is an rca jack and is un-powered. you run a rca cable to the self-powered subwoofer.

- gauge wire: go to www.partsexpress.com and get a spool of good oxygen-free 12 ga and use it everywhere. you should pay less than $1/ft. the ''''''carol'''''' brand from home depot is also decent.

receiver:

i like the yamaha rx-v line. anything by dennon is good. sony makes hundreds of so-so receivers so only consider a used receiver from sony in their es line. try to find one with the audssy calibration feature.

speakers:

my best advice is to only buy speakers from companies who make speakers as their main business. no speakers from yamaha, sony, philips, etc. are decent. these are usually poor-quality throw-ins to get you to buy the electronics.

all 5 of your speakers should be from the same make & model. but the subwoofer can be from some other company. in fact -the best subwoofer companies often do not make or sell the other 5 speakers.

some advice: music is about accuracy, but home theater is about impact.

this means a set of 5 small, inexpensive speakers with pressed-wood cabinets and clips instead of binding posts, matched to a decent subwoofer can give you a great home theater experience. it may not do well with music.

for speakers look into sets by polk, klipsch, definitive technology, energy, etc.

for subwoofers: look into svs woofers and hsu research.

hope this helps.


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