ADVICE PLEASE


Novice guy here so be Nice.

I recently came across a brand new in a box Yamaha Rx-V861 that my brother purchased some time ago. He never got around to even opening the box and now its mine.  I purchased a pair of B&W tower speakers 600 series and I need advice on speaker cable and anything else that you feel I should add?  My original plan was a budget of $3000, I got the receiver for free and spent $1800.00 on the speakers.  Thoughts?  Used amp? Cd player?  What say you?


kdogone
Don't spend any money on cables right now.

I'd focus on speaker placement, and room acoustics. See GIK Acousutics website.

Find the manual to your speakers  and follow the instructions carefully about ideal placement.

Listen for the instruments being able to transition smoothly from L to R without gaps. Leave enough space to the outside of the speakers so you don't have early reflections. Throw carpets/throw rugs around the floor between and behind them and listen again.


That's where you should start.
If you want to spend money on surge protection, the $180 Furman is the best value and most reliable I know of:
https://amzn.to/2PG40Fi


I agree with erik, that Furman is an excellent unit and is very hard to beat for the money. I'll so far as to say it's better than many power conditioners in the $1000 to $2000 range.
Sell the receiver and get a better amp that suits your needs. Do you really need or want a monster 7.1 channel amp? What are your sources?