No very little Compromise $20K 5CH System?

Actually the room situation is perhaps a little unusual....it's approx 22' x 12' x 8.5' adjoined by a large archway to another space approx. 16' x 18' x 8.5'h. I failed to mention that I've got JBL L65 fronts right now and if there's no improving on that aspect at this budget for 5CH, I'd just as soon stick with them. I've got my front speakers and 52" LCD on the 22' wall at present.

Googling for "L65" JBLs wasn't too encouraging... I found L65 sold for as little as $90 in a thrift store, and some LS65 which go for $2K per pair.

I'd hazzard a guess, the above listed speakers will outperform them.

natuarlly, you can outfit the electronics and find out for yourself if you feel the JBLs are indeed worth keeping or stepping up from. If 'kept, you've more budget for acoustic treatments.

Lots of options for 20$k.

I'd spend 7k$ on Conrad Johnson multi-channel preamp/amp combo (CJ Met1 & Met150, hybrid tube, analogue only)
and 500$ for a Pio bluray,or denon with analogue outs.

I have this setup and its great for music, TV and bluray.
Awesome preamp with very fine ARM that will allow your TT connection.
Add a Primaluna tube CD player for additional pleasure.

For speakers, your 1 foot from wall rules out the Dali Helicons I would suggest.

Triad InRoom Gold Monitors (sealed design, which will enable you to place just about anywhere)

Parasound Halo P7 Preamplifier (7.1 channel Preamplifier for music or movies)

Parasound Halo A51 Amplifier (5 channel amp)

Marantz UD8004 Universal BluRay Player (BluRay, CD/DVD, SACD,

Triad Gold DSP Subwoofer

Your under $15K and this system will rival any system well above your $20K threshold.

You might look into the high end of the Onkyo/Integra line for a pre-pro. They include Audyssey DRC which will allow optimum integration of the sub and room correction. The Audyssey can be defeated with a "Pure/Direct" switch that bypasses all internal signal processing. As a straight pre-amp, I thought the Integra sounded very, very good in a reasonably extended 2 channel audition at a local dealer.

Speakers for near/on wall use are trickier. I use the Vienna Schoenberg on-wall in my HT room. They look great and sound very good, but they don't stack up to the best freestanding speakers at the same price point. If you sit in the near field, you could also try studio monitors like Lipinski. Another interesting choice to investigate would be the Maggie on-walls, though I can't recommend them as I haven't heard 'em.

Amp choice is dependent on speaker choice. In any event, your budget will allow 5 ice power monos from a numer of brands (total app $5K and up), several of which will be a good choice for the more power hungry options out there.

For a "nothing fancy" Blue Ray player,you might want to think about a Play Station. My neighbor runs the Blue Ray product for Sony and was able to offer me a pretty steep discount on any Sony Blue Ray player, except the Play Station which is subsidized by Sony. He believes that it's as good as anything they make and recommended it over any of the units he could get. I bought one and am happy with it. The only downside is that it takes a bit longer to boot up.

Good Luck

Marty