....expanding from car audio into home...need help

I just made the same step you might possibly make...I was always a big car stereo buff & swore by Nakamichis old stuff such as the pa304 amp and many other Nak components that made up my system. In the car audio realm, Nak is one of the better ones out there, however, in home audio, I dont think they will quite have the sound you are looking for and are definitely not really high end IMHO. I got rid of my prized car stereo when I sold my car in 1995 and have missed the sound ever since. I built a couple systems since then and still couldnt match the sound...however, since you are moving from high end car audio to high end home like myself you may find what I am doing interesting. I first bought a pair of decent speakers. You can find plenty of great speakers that you have probably never heard of used for 500-1000. I then bought a used Bryston B-60 on a Dr's recommendation (he has 4 systems totalling over 250k) The amp was a little over 800 and let me tell you...I would trade this 2 channel sound with home theater (since I use it for music equally) for any Denon NAD Nakamichi etc etc. I originally demoed my B&W CDM1nt's with a Denon AVR5800. The 60 watt (mine specs at 70) BLOWS the Denon away...I know that I have only just entered the realm of high end audio and am pretty close to the bottom of the ladder but If you think that car audio can be addictive, wait till you have a taste of this candy.

Enjoy

go check out outlaws reviews at www.audioreview.com most customers say that they beat any $1000 receiver at $499. Outlaws website is WWW.outlawaudio.com. If you go with the denon, try to get a used avr5600 or 5700...maybe now is the time to teach your friends that the best stuff out there is the stuff they haven't heard of. Check out the Rotel receivers too

OK...let me try to take one more stab at this. Since you are splitting the TV with a roommate (I hope you have decided who takes it with them when you guys move) I think that I have a good suggestion for the rest. SC53 had a good Idea with the Outlaw audio. I have read nothing but good reviews on it for the most part. You can get unbelievable bargains on NAD nowadays, but from what I have heard, old NAD (which I have) is way better than new NAD, (with the exception of the "S" series) One of you can get the outlaw and take it with them when they move.

For the Speakers, I wouldnt recommend running 4 ohm speakers from a receiver. Many high end speakers are 4 ohm but they require alot of power. When mass market stuff is run in 4ohm mode, distortion ratings rise significantly from what I understand versus high end separates some of which I have heard are stable, and clean down to a 1ohm load. B&W 303's have been getting great reviews and I think they are about $150 a piece...Get 5 of these and a powered sub and your place will rock.

With regards to DTS 5.1. Lots of dvd's are being formatted this way and Music is also leaning that way with many artists remastering their stuff in 5.1. Only a handful of titles are available in 7.1 and 10.2 just had it's release not too long ago (I dont even know if it's in private homes yet although I'm sure Bill Gates & the likes have it) If I were you, I would opt to be the one to buy the speakers since they might end up being the most versatile part of the package. I sure wouldn't want to have to lug a 50" big screen with me from place to place.

Hope this Helps

P.S.
When it comes time for speaker cables & interconnects, one of the most important things IMHO is to upgrade from the standard RCA patch cords that come with the DVD player to better interconnects...even entry level is a BIG step up.

ps...I also like Tireguys Rotel suggestion & dont be afraid of buying USED