7.1 HT under about 3k

Point noted -- $3k for the HT processing/amplification only is much more realistic. The concluding point I should have made in my first post is: trust your own ears. Ultimately, what YOU like is more important than adhering to the "prevailing wisdom".

6.1 and 7.1 are alot more involving than 5.1, yes it is more money and effort, but isnt your pleasure worth it in the end? These systems also will do a very good job at adding the extra material to the back channels from 5.1, so really everything can be 7.1 and is in the end alot more involving. I sometimes question why folks push 5.1, yes there are valid points to consider, but it also makes me think they bought a good 5.1 and cant or wont go to 7.1
anyways it is all just opinion in the end.
Trust your ears and enjoy whatever you decide.

Unless you're totally sure that you don't want/can't fit the center rear channels, I will not get a receiver/processor that doesn't do 7.1 processing. If you've got the room, for movies encoded with a 6th or 7th channel, having that 6th or 7th channel is definitely a more pleasurable experience.

With that said, the rear centers have very little information and so I definitely won't worry too much about it. I would use the funds to build the best 5.1 system you can. You can pretty much throw any old speaker in the back and it'll still improve your experience IMO. Timbre matching is really not needed for those rear centers, although obviously, having speakers that match the rest of your system will make a subtle difference. So you can always add those rear centers as budget permits.

Joncourage,

7.1 provides a much more enveloping surround environment than 5.1. I've tried both, and am firmly committed to 7.1. I think you are making the right decision to go with a 7.1 PrePro/Receiver, as long as it has DPLIIx and/or Logic 7. (Note, DPLII is only 5.1, DPLIIx is 7.1).

The number of speakers does not have to match the number of channels in the source material. For example, both DPLIIx and Logic 7 do an excellent job of spatially redistributing the 2 surround channels in 5.1 sources to the 4 surround speakers of 7.1. They don't create information, just redistribute it. These processing modes work with various sources, so you always have the option to listen in 7.1 independent of input format.

I would avoid 6.1. I would also look at the suggested speaker placement diagrams on the Dolby web site for a 7.1 set up; e.g., you do not want rear speakers placed in the center of the back of the room.

Thanks
Bruce

I would avoid 6.1. I would also look at the suggested speaker placement diagrams on the Dolby web site for a 7.1 set up; e.g., you do not want rear speakers placed in the center of the back of the room.

7.1 is better than 6.1 but 6.1 is better than 5.1 if you're watching Star Wars or something. Also, he actually might want rear speakers placed in the center (or near center spread out a bit) of the back of the room. Check out the suggested speaker placement diagrams on the THX web site. They recommend something different from Dolby. Just so you know, there are different ways to set up your system.