Probably an age old question. I’m starting to shop around for a stereo system, built up from nothing. Mostly for music, I’d guess 95% for music and 5% for a movie once or twice a week. The budget is flexible, but here’s a rough estimate of where I’d guess things will come in: Main 2 speakers: $1,000-3,000, Subwoofer: $1,000-2,000, Rear speakers for movies: $500-1,000, Center speaker for movies: $300-600.

I have roughly $1,000 for a receiver, but can go higher if there is a compelling reason. Because it’s mostly for music, I’d guess I don’t need most of the fancy features all the new amps come with. But a 5.1 setup for the occasional movie would be nice.

So is it best to just get an AV receiver (e.g., Denon 3805, HK 635, etc.) or is this about the point I should be looking at separates?

Thanks.

-Jon