Flooring for HT

[nukeman]

Hi all,

This is my first post on this forum. It's a great place to get info and ideas. Seeing pics of some of your HTs is inspiring.

I'm finishing my basement right now, drywall is up and will soon begin taping & mudding. The primary space will be a HT area with an ajoining bar/kitchenette. Waiting patiently for the new Panasonic plasma 58 PZ800/850 in the fall It's a walkout basement so this room has 3 large windows and a patio door on one wall. My wife and I have been discussing flooring options. We like really like the look of hardwood and the ease of cleaning and it would be in keeping with the rest of the house. Bad for HT sound though. Is it an absolute no-no? Will an area rug make any real improvement? The other option we like is berber but more upkeep with kids going in and out.

Any personal experience/regets from a HT point of view would be appreciated.