I am in the same situation as the OP and a novice. I found a great article that gave me a good starting point. Using the other links provided above you can definitely get in under 2.5K for a 4K system.
https://www.audioholics.com/recommended-systems/2500-5.1-channel-recommended-system
Question for the forum - as I evaluate some of the smaller receivers (50W per channel vs. 100W per channel) how can I evaluate if I will over power or under power a selected set of speakers?
Additionally, as I look at future expand-ability are there any concerns buying a 5.1 channel receiver and only hooking up 2.1 channels (or 7.2 and hooking a 2.1 or 5.1 speaker set-up)?
My next biggest concern is dual voltage equipment as some of the places I live have primarily 220V... Still researching that one.
Sam
https://www.audioholics.com/recommended-systems/2500-5.1-channel-recommended-system
Question for the forum - as I evaluate some of the smaller receivers (50W per channel vs. 100W per channel) how can I evaluate if I will over power or under power a selected set of speakers?
Additionally, as I look at future expand-ability are there any concerns buying a 5.1 channel receiver and only hooking up 2.1 channels (or 7.2 and hooking a 2.1 or 5.1 speaker set-up)?
My next biggest concern is dual voltage equipment as some of the places I live have primarily 220V... Still researching that one.
Sam