@wojo79
Since the setup is strictly for surround sound movies or HT I will have to agree with soix about getting good quality active powered speakers system and a very decent or great preamp surround processor. ATC & Meridian makes pretty awesome active powered speakers. All Meridian speakers system are all active powered anyways.
The Anthem AVM60 is a great choice and at $3k brand new retail price you can’t beat that in terms of surround audio performance, plus equipped with a spectacular ARC (Anthem Room Correction) which will make big difference when used for surrounds. Other 4K capable processors worth highly considering are : Marantz AV8805 (current) & AV8802 (discontinued); latest Krell Foundation 4K; NAD M17 v2 (4K capable); Classe Sigma SSP Mkii (the Mkii version supports 4K) but this model has been discontinued and from time to time can be found in used markets at massive discounts; Arcam AV860; Audio Control Maestro. The Arcam, Audio Control Maestro & NAD M17 v2 use a phenomenal Dirac Live room correction calibration. McIntosh MX122 processor might be worth looking at and it supports 4K.
As far as ATC active powered speakers system vs B&W 800 series D3 speaker system for surround (HT) applications I’m not sure which is better as I had never listened to the active powered ATC surround speakers system before so can’t comment. I have listened to some passive ATC driven by some Naim stereo separate gears for two-channel music before and was pretty impressed. They were very musical and I liked them better than any B&W but have no idea when used for surround sound movies (HT) using those active powered ATC.
Since the setup is strictly for surround sound movies or HT I will have to agree with soix about getting good quality active powered speakers system and a very decent or great preamp surround processor. ATC & Meridian makes pretty awesome active powered speakers. All Meridian speakers system are all active powered anyways.
The Anthem AVM60 is a great choice and at $3k brand new retail price you can’t beat that in terms of surround audio performance, plus equipped with a spectacular ARC (Anthem Room Correction) which will make big difference when used for surrounds. Other 4K capable processors worth highly considering are : Marantz AV8805 (current) & AV8802 (discontinued); latest Krell Foundation 4K; NAD M17 v2 (4K capable); Classe Sigma SSP Mkii (the Mkii version supports 4K) but this model has been discontinued and from time to time can be found in used markets at massive discounts; Arcam AV860; Audio Control Maestro. The Arcam, Audio Control Maestro & NAD M17 v2 use a phenomenal Dirac Live room correction calibration. McIntosh MX122 processor might be worth looking at and it supports 4K.
As far as ATC active powered speakers system vs B&W 800 series D3 speaker system for surround (HT) applications I’m not sure which is better as I had never listened to the active powered ATC surround speakers system before so can’t comment. I have listened to some passive ATC driven by some Naim stereo separate gears for two-channel music before and was pretty impressed. They were very musical and I liked them better than any B&W but have no idea when used for surround sound movies (HT) using those active powered ATC.