I think high-quality surround sound is actually more important than HD. I got myself a nice 5.1 Klipsch system while I was working at BBY (gotta love the employee discount), and it makes an absolutely immense difference. When you go from 480i to 1080p, you get more pixels, and you see more detail. When you go from a crappy TV speaker to Klipsch stereo, all the sound becomes crystal clear, you actually hear everything, and it doesn't get all muddied up anytime there's some bass going on. When you go from stereo to 5.1 with a good sub... words cannot describe the difference. I watched Pearl Harbor shortly after I set it up. During the attack on the airstrip, one of the hangars exploded, and I literally jumped and looked over as if there had been a real explosion in the house next to mine.
To anyone who is considering an HDTV, I highly recommend spending the money on surround sound instead if you don't already have a good system. Most people don't think of these things, but I can tell you it adds a LOT more to the experience than some extra pixels, for less money.
Also, shop around. The markup on speakers is HUGE, like more than 50% of the price is pure profit for the retailer.
And I do highly recommend Klipsch. Their speakers have 5 year warranties, and they sound simply gorgeous. The horns produce the clearest highs you will ever hear, the drivers hit the full range in the middle and leave nothing out, and the subwoofer is clean, tight, powerful, and never boomy or muddy. I'm driving them with a 600W Sony receiver, and I've been very satisfied, it's easy to set up and always produces good results.
