home theater for 3000

Sean was posting at same time. He made all the assumptions that I asked about GMTA ;~) and gave you some good advice. I'd take Sean shopping with me ANYTIME.

Start with the Outlaw receiver, which now costs just $499 direct. It performs better than many $1000 Japanese A/V recievers, and will allow you to spend the rest of your budget on better speakers, sub, etc...

Wow. That's good to know "E". I have not been in the receiver market, let alone HT receiver, for a LONG, LONG time. Out of curiousity, how much power per channel is that "baby" rated at and how many channels ??? Sean
>

65 w/pc with all channels driven -- pretty low for most receivers today (though Outlaw rates the power pretty conservatively). I'd be sure and get some pretty efficient speakers if you get your heart set on the Outlaw.

B&K AVP1030 Dolby Digital Tuner/Preamp Item: 1003079453
$495.00

B&K AV2500 Multi channel Amp Item: 1003450313
$450.00
Then I would go with Sean's suggestion on the speakers. That sounds like a great deal, and in case it wasn't already mentioned, you want at least the Left/Center/Right speakers to have the same drivers.
Now, for what I feel may end up being the most critical component, the source! In his case, it sounds as though the DVD player will be doubling as his CD player. I will assume for a minute that your friend's television is not Progressive-Scan capable - go get a Sony DVP-S7700, they can be found new on the internet for around $500.00. If he has a Progressive-Scan TV get the Sony DVP-9000ES, new on the net at $1000.00. Either way you're under $3000.00. Sure there is tax, shipping, etc. And believe it or not, cables ( speaker-wire, interconnects, power cords ) can make a significant difference, but start with the cheap stuff and upgrade as your finances permit.
The used amp and pre/pro may or may not still be available, but I was just using them as examples of what can be found, if you look. Heck, if your friend does a little searching he will learn very fast about the HT/HiFi world and maybe be able to make some of these decisions on his own. Either way he'll have some fun. Good Luck!