| I can't wait to see the responses on this topic...there are some real ardent supporters of various receiver manufacturers in here.
Morgon, I recently helped a friend out with his install. He was wireless. Wireless tech has come a long way. But I think that until there is a solid set of wifi speakers on the market it won't be something that I really want. I think that there are a few emerging. But nothing that has caught my eye lately. Correct me if I am wrong.
One of the things that I noticed about wireless is that the systems that I have seen aren't truly wireless. The rears need to be wired to a receiving unit. They also need power…
So all you are doing is saving yourself from running a set of speaker wires to your rears.
If you are in a location that you can’t drill walls there are ways to do a quality install and still mask your speaker wires.
The system that he had was an all inclusive set, and wireless.
My first system was all-inclusive.
Both were underpowered.
There are some good systems out there. But breaking things into components seems to me a better solution in quality and in a long term investment in your system, with a greater degree of flexibility. There are good sounding inclusive systems, but you can often get better results by getting a really good system.
I personally bought my receiver 1st then saved some money for speakers that matched well with the system and I didn’t bust my bank.
I shopped and got deals on everything. I did the same for my friend and he is very happy.
What I do is shop all of the retailers for open box items and haggle. I ended up getting him a $1400 receiver for $600 and a quality set of speakers for a killer deal. Or you could just shop online.
I am still using my Yamaha RX-V1400 receiver and Energy Encore system and it has been about 5yrs since I picked them up. My inclusive box system lasted about 6 months before I upgraded. Main thing is matching the capabilities of your speakers to the output of your receiver and match your speakers.
I ended up buying my speakers in a set with 4 satellite speakers, a center, and a sub. Then I added 2 more matched satellite speakers. I feel that I have an excellent soundstage and I can hear people breathing hard in Halo 3 when the sneak up to assassinate me.
Most quality receivers will have Zone 1 and 2 capabilities. The thing to look for is a powered 2nd zone that runs off you’re your main amp. Some of them require a 2nd amp. Keep in mind that you usually need to figure out how to run your IR for remote control back to the amp from the 2nd location. Mine works this way, but will only run it off of analog inputs.
As far as optical inputs are concerned, make sure that your receiver has enough of them. Also, keep in mind what you will be using for HDMI audio as well. You can always get an optical switch. But I think that my receiver has at least 5 optical inputs.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions about any of this. | 
