[KG-4s w/ what receiver/amp?]

Thank you for your reply! I am hoping to get a 5.1/7.1 setup by XMas as well, so it will have to be an A/B setup (KG-4 x2 for the 2ch setup, and another 5.1/7.1 setup).

[KG-4s w/ what receiver/amp?]

I have a budget of up to $1000, and I am thinking about buying either a new receiver that has pre-outs, or an amplifier. I currently own a pair of KG-4's. I listen to lossless music output via TOSLINK from a dedicated HTPC unit, but I also want to enjoy the AV experience. Right now I have a low-end Sony unit as a receiver (doesn't have pre-outs). I'm thinking of getting perhaps the H/K AVR-3600 or the MARANTZ 7100. Please advise; thank you!

[How should I rip my CD's to computer Flac wav ect?]

I have a dedicated HTPC system running Windows 7 in conjunction with an XBOX 360. In order to make the system In order to make everything interop as tightly as possible, I use WMA lossless. I used to be a FLAC user, but I had a difficult time getting it to work with Windows Media Center.

I am also an iPod user. However, for my iPod (which I listen to while commuting in the Metro, &c) I use MP3 or M4A, as quality is not as important nor pragmatic to me.

[Building a stereo system that will slowly upgrade to 7.1]

Does every component have to have HDMI capabilities? I'm not completely understanding this. So we have:

Preamp -> Processor -> Amp

So the preamp has to have HDMI inputs, but what about the other two pieces?

[Building a stereo system that will slowly upgrade to 7.1]

I'm looking to spend no more than say $200. It's more for the time being, until I start working in about a year after college.

[Building a stereo system that will slowly upgrade to 7.1]

Thanks for the quick reply and the welcome!

I am quite excited about all of this. What would be a logical purchasing strategy? Would something like the NAD 2200 be a good amp? Also one last thing... with things like HDMI... well how does that add to all of this? Would the preamp have an HDMI input?

[Building a stereo system that will slowly upgrade to 7.1]

Hi,

Admittedly, I'm not really sure what I'm doing. I've read many sites, and sort of figured out what I want.

I'm trying to build a 7.1 separates-system that grows as I get more money. All I have right now is a pair of KG4s. Mostly, I'll be listening to music now, but I'm shopping around looking for the best surrounds for movies.

What sort of amps, preamps, and processors should I be looking at?

If I want 7.1 with all those DTS goodies and other things, does that mean my amp needs to be 7.1 also? I heard from somewhere that you could use a 2 and a 5, but they didn't specify if it worked for things like DTS, &c.

Thanks!