confused and don't know what to do


We would like to buy a nice audio system and also have this double as a surround sound but listening to music is the priority. We have listened to many speakers but have settled on the B&W 804's. Now the challenge is to select a receiver and all the other accompaniments we require. We have a little challenge in that our home is a condo and the outside wall is all glass. The space is combined kitchen, living room, and dining room all open with hardwood floors and hard tile on the walls of the kitchen and a lot of granite counter tops. It seems that every where we go, the recommendations are different depending on what the store is selling and of course, the sales people would like us to buy the most expensive. What would give great sound without going crazy. We are thinking about 2 tribe sub woofers and space is limited and an in wall center B&W speaker but we don't know what we are doing and don't want to throw our money away. Help! Too many choices and we don't have enough knowledge. Thank you so much.
raw33
Hi raw33,

So what is the latest?  Have you auditioned anything or gathered any beneficial information? I like to hear about other people’s thoughts and experiences.


If you shop around you can purchase excellent stuff for under 60k, even well under.  Remember to negotiate pricing which will save you 20-30% of retail for certain, just stick to your guns.  Also, keep in mind there is a lot of used stuff that is in excellent condition. If you go this route ask questions before purchasing including return policy if any and this will save you a lot of money.
Thank you for checking in. We auditioned the Kef Ref 5's and decided to purchase the ones on sale. We really enjoyed their warm sound and felt it would be appropriate considering our constraints. I certainly have been gathering an education about the pros and cons of associated equipment via everyone so kindly sharing their knowledge and experience. We are planning on pursuing serious listening at the end of this month in an effort to make further decisions about our wants and desires within a budget.
Awsome....  So you did your first purchase based on your own opinion and likes, kudos to you.  Since, I am not sure if your going to separate your Home Theatre from your music listening, I will give you a piece of advise.  The Kef’s can be a bit bright at times, so my suggestion is to buy gear that lean to the warm side like McIntosh, Pass Labs, etc. for your music side. Hey, keep having fun...