surround processor?

Make sure what you get will do at least 4K video

Absolutely. Clarity of sound and clarity of image are the way to go. Substandard surround speakers are like a substandard center speaker; not recommended for those who appreciate quality.

Two channel needs its own dedicated system. There are many here that claim to have found the holy grail of doing 7-1, 8-1 and 2 channel from the same system. If they are happy with their system and the sound it is not my place to question them. I know from my personal quest it is different. I went into hibernation for 10 years on audio file 2 channel. Dove head first into surround sound ( current is 9-2). The in home experience watching a movie is fantastic and love it. I played cd’s through the dvd player, watched concerts and they all sounded really good to my ears. Then I got the itch to put my tt back into play and started listening. The more I listened the more I felt something was missing. I stopped by an old friends home and he has a great 2 channel system. It only took the first song for me to realize the injustice my system was doing to 2 channel. Left his home and started the journey of dedicated 2 channel and have never looked back. In summary my left side cabinet is surround and my right side cabinet is 2 channel. My wife hates it but as more time has passed I don’t even hear her any more. She is like the teacher for the peanuts! At the end of the day only one thing matters. Enjoy the music!

Agree with Vinylshadow on the Classe SSP 800.  The Classe Sigma SSP, that I have, was a newer, and less expensive model when it came out. However, it also has a great DAC for 2 channel.  The SSP 800 is a better choice if you prioritize multi channel as all channels are fully balanced, while the Sigma is only fully balanced for 2 channel.

Hello killervideo.  Emotiva makes a very reasonable unit, the MC-700. It sounds great and surpasses any of the receivers with preamp outs that can be used as a front end." (Although they will give you more surround sound synthesizing options.) If you ask for a refurbed unit, you can get a discount. It has room correction capability and works very well in my main system. Enjoy!

Look into a McIntosh av processor to start and as you move up your two channel game you can add a two channel preamp and use the home theater bypass option. I use an mx 120 for av and switch over to a c2300 tube pre for two channel. Great flexibility without sacrificing sound quality.