Ideal Complete System for $5000

I like Robr45's suggestion for using powered speakers .

I believe that you will get better sound reproduction than using an A/V receiver or seperate pre/pro & amp , in that price range . Also , you will not have to worry about the synergy between the amp and speakers and can consentrate more on the quality of the signal processing and unit features .

The only real downside is speaker placement in relation to wall recepticles for power . And the I/C's for the back speakers might be tough to find , economically .

Good luck .

i like the idea of building your system a bit at a time as well. Frankly on a bang for the buck standpoint not all elements are equal. If I had to do it I would go 2.1 to start with. Add surrounds later to go 4.1 and finish with a center last to hit 5.1. If you start with a compromise now that you are not exactly happy with you will always be bugged and now you have a built in hindrance to getting where you want to be, that is to say you will need to dump the old and get all new. Note that a good 2.1 system will serve you well as there is not really that much content on the rears (in most films) and good fronts will easily deal with the dialog tracks.

Dude, this is easy.

Buy all from A'gon:
B&W 805S (~$1,800)
Emotiva XPA-5 ($799)
Marantz SR8001 (~$500) This is an older received I'm using as a processor and it works beautifully for everything I've thrown at it to date.
B&W CMC ~$400
B&W 686 for surrounds ~$600

That will put you at about $4k and you can spend the rest on wires and shipping.

I like staying with the well-known brands (i.e. B&W, Dynaudio, PMC, etc)because they tend to hold their value well enough for you to sell later if the upgrade bug comes around. Stay away from speaker brands you've never heard of.

yes, buy used, save money

Snell is great for HT and also music. Try the Snell C7