New with lots of questions (1 Viewer)

[ChuckW]

I joined the board last October, but this is my first post.
A little background:
I am new and have a lot to learn about HT. I decided I wanted something to play with while I learn so I bought a home theater in the box and an inexpensive DVD and VCR.
It is better than just watching TV, but from reading the messages here I feel that I will increase my enjoyment as I become more knowledgeable and upgrade my equipment.
Here is what I have now.
Toshiba 36A50 TV
Sharp Home Theater System HT-DD5000
DVD – Sharp DV-710U
VCR – Sharp VC-H813U
2 – KLH Model TW-09 Satellite Speakers
Home Theater Master Remote (SL-9000)
I’m sure by now most of you are thinking, this guy just thinks he has a HT.
Anyway now it is time to upgrade. I have a couple of other hobbies, bass fishing and golf. That will limit me to $300 - $500 a month for my HT upgrade.
My problem is I’m not sure what to upgrade first. Here is what I think
1.A good receiver
2.Speakers (Fronts, Center, Sub, side & rear surround)
3.DVD
4.VCR
Am I correct with my order?
What are you recommendations for each?
What else should I add?
Any suggested reading material to improve my knowledge would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
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Take Care & Be Safe
Chuck

 

[Brad Ems]

The order looks about right, but I'd probably forego a new VCR in favor of higher-quality HT components unless the one you have now is on the blink or of very bad quality.
I'd save a couple of months for a decent receiver. Pioneer, Denon, Sony, Kenwood...all make very nice receivers in the $600-1000 range. My preference would be a Denon 3802 which can be had for around $750-800 or so online.
If your TV doesn't display a progressive signal (as opposed to interlaced), there's no need to spend more to get a progressive DVD player. Toshiba and Panasonic make some good models. I personally have a Tosh SD-3109 and am happy with it for now. I like the dual tray feature, too. You can get these for about $200 now.
Speakers...wow. You can spend as little or as much as you want on speakers and they're a very personal thing. I have the Klipsch Reference series, which cost about $2000 for a full 5.1 configuration. But Definitive Tech, Paradigm, PSB, Polk, Niles, Mirage, etc. are all very good speakers that come in a full array of quality and price. A word to the wise - audition as many as you can to get the sound you want.
You left off TV, so I'm assuming you are happy, or at least resigned, to the unit you have. You'll get plenty of recommendations for that here if you ask.
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"Nothing is quite so permanent as a temporary government program."
- Milton Friedman