I seem to have caught a bug, that I need to get rid of. I keep wanting to replace things I already have, like my DVD Player(nothing wrong with it) and my speakers(again, nothing wrong). So what are your "requirements" for upgrading? broken? better? what?

When I first started, around 6 years ago, I used to upgrade all the time. But that was only on 2-channel stuff.

It's been a long time (3 years) since I've changed anything, at least on my main system. I have since built a pretty decent bedroom system in the mean time.

I'll probably buy a progressive/dvd-audio player and new preamp/processor in the next year or so. Then of course, I'll be needing a new TV to take advantage of the progressive output.

This is precisely why I've been holding off upgrading.

my current thoughts

Depends on the component

Speakers I buy for the long term. For instance, my Polk Monitor 10 mains I've had for 20 years. Needless to say, they'd be long gone if I wasn't satisfied

Receivers/amps I upgrade the most frequently, on average, every 5 years or so, mainly to take advantage of new technologies (Pro-Logic, DD/DTS, etc)

Anything else, I upgrade if it craps out and is not worth fixing, or if there is a clear performance bonus

Current upgrade plans revolve around a prog. scan DVD player and widescreen TV, but not for a couple of years. My 32" Toshiba is only a couple of years old and I want to see how the HDTV situation unfolds

It seems whenever I upgrade a certain component, the others kind of follow suit. First Dolby Digital, then DTS, then 6.1 (I swear I'm gonna stop here). I have gone through 2 DVD players (I recently upgraded to pro scan). Speakers, I will stay put with the mains, but am looking for a new center and new surounds since my current ones are from a Home-Theater-In-The-Box purchase I made a while back.

Well it all started 2 years ago when I got my first dvd player, a Samsung 709, now we all know how crappy that model was so within 4 months I replaced it with an RCA.

Before the second dvd player I picked up a used Sond MDP 333 laserdisc player for the Star Wars trilogy.

I already had a Dolby Prologic system but then I decided to upgrade to a Sharp DD shelf system.

Last summer I picked up a 27 inch Sony Trinitron with S-video input to replace my 2 year old Samsung 20 inch.

Then in November I bought a Sony 845 DD DTS reciever to replace my DD shelf system. The shelf system now acts as an amp for my sub.

The sad thing is I have been looking to get a Kenwood 509 to replace my Sony reciever. The thing has more S video inputs than my current reciever and it has DPL II.

The last "Sterio" I had I bought around 6 years ago, it was one of those old Sony tower things with a subwoofer almost big enough to be a coffee table, but I moved 3000 miles away and gave it to my sister

So now that I'm back and that system is too low tech for my tastes, I bought a Sony HT in a box like a year ago, and lately I've come to the conclusion that it's not good enough for what I need. Already got new speakers, now I need a new receiver, then I think I'll be OK for a few years till I buy a HDTV

I generally spend a little extra on quality equipment that will last a long time, and pamper it so it will last. Of course, this means I am frequently out of the "cutting edge", but I can live with that as long as the performance remains acceptable. Here are my guidelines:

Speakers: 10-20 years
Interconnects/Speaker Wire: 10 years
Television: 10 years
Receiver: 10 years
DVD player: 4-5 years? (obviously, this is a relatively new category, but I'm basing that on the time I kept VCRs).