Equipment placement advice please

I have read so much over the past month that my head is swimming in this stuff!


New (to me) house. Big basement, all mine, mine, mine. No kids. Mrs. Schwingding gets the upstairs, I get the basement (and to build my own woodshop on the property, too).


Walls are horrible bluish/white. TERRIBLE flourescent lighting in the drop tile ceiling.


Eventually this will become my prized home theater. Until then I need help with the start. Of primary concern at the moment is equipment placement as we're moving over the next week or two. Second priority will be wall accoustic treatment, then lighting, then maybe building in a wall.


There's this DAMNED pole sitting smack dab in the middle of the basement. It cannot be removed. Instead, I pretty much have to choose one side or the other of the 19'x25' room. Probably a pool table will go in the other.


I'm very concerned about what the accoustics will be like with one wall close and one far away, but I don't think I have much of a choice. I could build in another wall, but not right now. I can do all of the work, walls, lighting, etc.. In fact, I'm running two additional 120v, 20 amp circuits for the electronics. One will run the display, receiver and the satellite box, only, and the other two will split the 5 Outlaw monoblocks and the SVS subs.


I listen to a LOT of MC music and a good bit of HT, but almost no 2 channel. The rear surrounds are full size towers that match the fronts and center.


Linked below is a Visio drawing ( .gif ) of the floor plan and where I'm considering putting things. If you would please look it over and give me some comments, good or bad, and make suggestions on its merits I would very much appreciate it. You guys are mostly responsible for this "problem" anyway.. Thank you.

http://mysite.verizon.net/mikeschwing/HTroom.gif