I hear ya, on the fact that this isn't probably isn't the best place to find this info and that this project is like anything else, in that you can spend as much as a new truck if you wanted to.
Having said all that, I am so lost in this arena that I don't even know where to start and this is the only place I hang out at all on the web. I've seen all manner of topics come up in the pit and most times people get solid advice.
I would like like to accomplish the goals I set in the beginning of this thread for the least amount of money. I'm not concerned about attaining the highest quality sound but like I stated earlier, don't want to put the time and effort into doing this and it end up sounding like I'm listening to a 1940's am broadcast.
Want to know about home audio I suggest avsforum.com