Would like some help with what to buy? for 4-5k$

Greetings,

You have a fun but daunting task, get the best for relatively little expense. I would seriously consider bypassing any mass market brand such as Yamaha, Dennon, etc. You can do FAR better sonically for about the same cost. I have to pay critical attention to how much I spend, but want to sacrifice nothing in sound. Here is what I've done...
Give serious attention to purchasing online/phone such components as Outlaw Audio's 950 surround preamp and 755 5 channel amp. Or, if you prefer to go only two channel, Outlaw sells 200 wpc monoblocks. You can get two, (or four, to biamp each main speaker, if cash permits - well worth it!).
Definitely try to listen to at least one brand of planar speaker, such as Martin Logan, Magnepan, etc. I went with Magnepan 1.6's; there are very few speakers with such a high quality to price point. They are quite simply in a much higher class than even more expensive speakers such as Klipsh produce.
Do not destroy your performance of the system with crappy cables. DON'T use Monster cables. They are garbage. Try Harmonic Technology. I switched out entire system from Audioquest to H. Technology. Extremely fine wire for cost. You can get them cheaply on Audiogon. Even their lower end Harmony or Melody wires are fabulous, and would do you well.
Better to skip a subwoofer and buy quality mains, for time being. Don't skimp and get bad speakers, thinking you've done well just because they create a ton of noise. You can always add a sub later. When you do, consider Vandersteen subs; extremely musical and relatively inexpensive when purchased used.
If there's one component to skimp on, it may be the cd player; I only say this if you are going to buy a DVD player and funds run short, it can double as cd player. Ideally, you'd want to get a quality cd player. Dennon, etc. would do you ok, but you can do better buying used. Or, check out the Ah! Njoe Tjoeb 4000 which is a great deal for tube cd player.
Have fun with the task; I just finished building my HT room, and added several components. It's fun to see a system take shape.
I would also check out audioreview.com to see what the ratings are for used equipment you might buy. You can definitely do FAR better than going to some mid-fi store!

Dakkon,
I agree with everyone else that Denon is the way to go for your receiver. I have the 3803 and I have been very happy with it in my HT setup. You may want to consider PSB when it comes to speakers. Their Image line is awesome with Denon and they are great for HT as well as very musical. For your budget, I think they would really fit the bill. Whatever you do, try yo listen to as many combinations as possible. Good luck and happy listening!

I am not a techy, but I do know what has served me well since 1986. At that time I was single and could have purchased just about what ever I wanted. I believe I paid just under $ 7K for my entire system in 86. It consists of a pair of Klipsch La Scala speakers, a DBX 10/20 equalizer (key to making the speakers sound the way you want it to sound in any given environment) , a yamaha M-80 amp and yamaha c-60 preamp, yamaha tuner and CD player. Today you should be able to pick this system up on Ebay for less than $ 3000.00. I don't care what kind of music you listen to or at what volumes - YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED! With the DBX, you can personnaly dial in the La Scala's to sound like any speaker out there only better. Also with the DBX, you can program 10 different equalizations into its memory ( It's like having 10 different sets of speakers at your finger tips ). Good luck!

"Dakkon":

I think that for your proposed $5K budget, unless you're going to go with someone like either Outlaw, or some used B&K gear, I think that you're not going to be able to get a separate pre/pro and matching power amplifier for $5K and still expect to get speakers to go with it. For your budget, I still happen to think that a receiver makes better sense. Now....... on the other hand, if you're going to spend about $10K or more, then I would think about a pre/pro and power amp then. But for $5K???? I don't see how that is doable.

But if I am spending $5K on a system, here is what I would spend my $5K on.

Speaker System: I would go with Paradigm (if I am going to go "omni directional") or Definitive Technology (if I decide to go "bi polar"). For the "Paradigm" system, I would consider a pair of "Atoms", right along with their matching center channel in the "CC-170", with the "ADP-70's" as surrounds. For a subwoofer, I would look at a "PDR-10" at least. On the other hand, if I want a "bi-polar" system, then I would look at a pair of "SM-450's", with a "C/L/R-1000B" for a center channel, right along with a pair of "BP2X" as surrounds. For a subwoofer (and with a Definitive Technology system, unless your room is exceedingly large, you're only going to need JUST one), I would start out with a "SuperCube II" just to see if this subwoofer will provide all of the "oomph and slam" you're going to ever need. If it does, then that's what I would stay with. If not, then you either go with a second "SuperCube II" later on, or upgrade to a "SuperCube I". Either way, I would figure on spending about $1,500.00 to about $2,500.00 on speakers.

Audio/Video Receiver: For an audio/video receiver, I would look at either Denon, Harman/Kardon, NAD or Onkyo's "Integra" series. Depending on how big your room is, I would go with at least a "Denon AVR-3803" or a "NAD T763", while on the other hand, if this is a smaller room we're dealing with here, then I would go with a "Denon AVR-2803", a "NAD T753" or a "Harman/Kardon AVR-430". Either way, count on spending at around $1,000.00 for a receiver.

When it is all said and done, you would've spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $3K for a system, and you still haven't thought about a DVD Player yet. Perhaps, you're already covered in that department right now. If so, then good for you. You're already ahead in the game. With the money left over from the options I just listed above, you can take that money and buy you a few flicks and take your new system out for a test drive.

Good Luck and Happy Shopping!!!!!!!!!

--Charles--

My first choice would be B&K, they make incredible equipment and they are upgradeable. My second choice would be Denon, depending on your price range, the 2803 or 3803 --- both have received great reviews.

Speakers: I'm going to recommend a small company out of Conn
Sourcetechspeakers.com
They make a floorstander model 266 and a bookshelf speaker 1.7cf and other surround sound packages that you might find right up your alley.
I recently bought a speaker not listed on their website and it's fantastic.
The website is terrible but the products are superb. Ask for John
Best of luck

Personnally, I would avoid Klipsch and Yamaha....UNLESS...thats the kind of stuff you're into. Yamaha packs a lot of features into their receivers, like DSP. Digital Signal Processing is Yamaha's claim to fame. It lets the receiver emulate certain musical venues eg: COncert Hall, Large Theater, Small Theater, Auditorium, Stadium etc... Unless this is something you plan on using often, it ends up being a waste of money. I'm a purist, so I don't like sending all that processing through my movies/Music. However, if you like that kind of thing, Yamaha does it the best. Klipsch Speakers all have a distinctive sound to them, because Klipsch always uses horns in their speakers. This gives them incredible dynamics, but it does make them sound a little brassy. However if you like the sound of horns...Klipsch does them best. B&K makes very good equipment. I used to own a processor and amp from them. The B&K REF 50 is a great processor. B&K sounds very clean and unauthoritative. Of course that may have been cuz I had them hooked up to cheaper speakers. But the do sound much like good high-end equipment. PLus B&K offers Upgrades to their processors, which you have to send it back to the factory for, but, oh well. Receiver wise, I would go with Denon or Onkyo Integra. Speakers are a very personal choice, cuz you have to like how they sound. I would reccomend the B&W CM series or 600 series, Def Tech is a good choice if you like Bipolar speakers. If you like bi-polar you might LOVE Omnipolar made by Mirage. Dynaudio makes some Affordable speakers that sound great, as does Monitor Audio. Both hit hard and have great clarity. Now Thats all I can think of right now off the top of my head