[quote name='BlueScrote']I'm looking for some advice from home theater experts.
I have a TV with an optical audio ouput. I'd like to get a receiver(?) so that I can eventually get a surround sound system and be able to plug in a standard headphone jack and listen to my TV's audio.
Currently this is the only audio output my TV has.
Is a receiver what I want? How much should I be expecting to shell out for something like that?[/QUOTE]I've been drinking and am very sleepy, so I'll try to be coherent.
Well, there's a ton of options.
If all you want is to be able to use headphones for your TV, then you can get a little device to turn that optical into a regular headphone jack. There's some that even support Dolby Headphone which will take the 5.1 signal from your TV for virtual surround in your headphones.
If you want a full speaker setup for surround sound in your room,then, yeah, a receiver is the way to go.
They range in price of course for the features and quality, but if you just want a basic one that has video and audio inputs/outputs, maybe $200-$300. And have at least two speakers, for Left and Right.
Then just build and add to that.
It's better to spend the majority of your budget on quality headphones or speakers than it is on the electronics.
Sorry if none of this helps.