It sounds like MrSandman has things well in hand here. My guide may be a good place to start, but it may also generate questions -- this forum and a few others around the 'net can be good places to get some answers, so ask away. Most of all, though, find the gear that you prefer; people's tastes are different, and you may like Paradigm speakers where a friend prefers B&W (for example).

(Oh, and if Smart Little Lena happens through here, you might appreciate an addition to the "cables" section that I cooked up a couple weeks ago about cabling/connections after some of the discussion in the 950 forum about connections between components -- something that I think many people just getting started in home theater sometimes wonder about.)

------------------
Gonk