Building a 2.1 system in the $2500 range

[CKRT]

Hi guys. My experience is mainly with vintage gear (I'm lost at the start of the '80s), but my friend is wanting help with building a home theater system for around $2500. I'm like 99% sure this is the right subforum, but please move it if not.

His space: 12x15 apartment living room (3rd floor, walls are fairly thick)

Usage: 70% movies 30% music. He's not a serious music listener though. No vinyls, lossless music sources but I assume in this price range anything he gets is going to slay anyway.

He plans on moving into a house with his wife within the next two years, so something that gives him room to grow into a full surround system would be solid. He went to a Best Buy near his place that has a Magnolia room with higher end gear, and here is what the best buy salesman was showing him:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZPTBNXY
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00422L39Y
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MHYFKUC

Obviously the Atmos stuff is a luxury, and not something that's make or break for him. Is this a decent modern build? What would you get with $2500?

 

[sqlsavior]

My friend has a very good sounding home theatre, with Definitive BP-2000 towers as mains. He just got one of these on sale:

http://www.amazon.com/Marantz-SR700...qid=1456812264&sr=1-1&keywords=marantz+sr7008

It's the best I've heard his system, better than a Rotel pre-pro/power stack, which slaughtered an old Pioneer Elite something.

 

[ictwoody]

I'd look at the new Elac speakers by Andrew Jones. I think they would work great for him. I don't know jack about AV components though.

- Woody

 

[sbaradaran]

That Denon is going to struggle to get the dynamics and bass out of those def tech speakers. I actually had an older denon and it sounded awful with def tech Bp8b speakers. That being said. I'm not really a fan of surround sound speakers and their AV receiver counterparts. Maybe check out Marantz (below). Above recommendation of Elac speakers is a good one. He can start with some floorstanders and add in center channel, rears, later.

http://smile.amazon.com/Marantz-SR5...e=UTF8&qid=1461954699&sr=1-2&keywords=marantz

http://www.amazon.com/ELAC-Debut-To...6?ie=UTF8&qid=1461954878&sr=8-6&keywords=elac

Two floorstanders and the amp is less than $2K

 

[rxonmymind]

Leave the Denon. If that remote breaks can you operate that without it or will it be a brick?
Go Yamaha. I had a Yamaha RX-777 that could be operated exactly the same as the remote. Every function of the remote was on the receiver.
Something to think about.

Also I'd really look into Klipsch. I won't tell you it'll out play those def techs but worth a listen to if nothing for it's very highly efficient speakers. 98db sensitivity.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00S...6_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=klipsch+speakers

 

[PAGS]

Also I'd really look into Klipsch. I won't tell you it'll out play those def techs but worth a listen to if nothing for it's very highly efficient speakers. 98db sensitivity.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00S...6_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=klipsch+speakers

Second on the Klipsch Reference series. They're very decent mass-market, do-it-all speakers.