it's funny that you mention HT... I have a home audio system that's nothing special, but I always liked it.. a nice Cambridge Audio cd player and preamp, and a Sonic Frontiers tube amp.. the speakers are Axiom Audio M3ti's, but they were moved over to my front home theater speakers after I acquired a new Cambridge Audio HT setup.. the audio system has sat unused for over 6 months.. until today
I decided to move the speakers back because I picked up the latest Cowboy Junkies cd, and wanted to hear it on the better system... after reconnecting the speakers to the audio-only system and letting it warm up, I popped in the cd.. there was barely a perceptible difference between the two audio systems.. while the tube amp provides a slight warmth, the older cd player and preamp detracts from the system just enough to make it a wash.. I'm amazed at the sound quality in a home theater package.. granted, it's no Audio Research or McIntosh, as bobofish mentioned.. but since I don't have the space anymore for a dedicated audio-only system, it'll do