Is my buddy about to waste a ton of $$?

Price doesnt necessarily dictate that it is a good receiver. What model was it? Was it any Onkyo, Denon, Pioneer, or Yammy, Marantz? Need just a little more detail then you are providing.

Not really enough information really. But it all comes down to if he likes the sound from these B&W speakers. Maybe he should bring his Onkyo in (if that's allowed) and try and see if he can hear a difference between receivers. Perhaps that could save some money.
And again, certain brands can sound kind of different IMO (laid back, bright etc). I think if he doesn't like the *sound* of certain brands of receivers he should shop around before dropping that kind of cash on equipment.

Is your buddy trying to put together a home theater system or a two channel stereo system for listening to music?

IMO, Best Buy can equal expensive, but not "high end".

No such thing as a solid 80-90 being better than one specd for 140. Some companies will give you the rated power for 2 channels driven but the receivers found in MHT are not them.

As far as speakers, if he likes the way they sound, isn't that what matters?

I guess that applies to all audio stores then.

Have you listened to the speakers he is considering?

I have a buddy who told me I was crazy for spending as much as I did on a TV. So I asked him what was his favorite hobby and he told me RC cars. I asked what was the most he has ever spent on one and he told me 3k. I told him he was crazy and walked away. He got the point.

Also, 1k isn't a bad price for a new in box SC27 with full warranty.

If he is going to drop $1500 or $3000 on fronts he really should go listen to a TON of other options that are available at that range. I spent $3000 on my fronts but it was after listening to a plethora of choices in that range. I was certain I was buying what I wanted at that price. I could also hear the difference between lower models from the same company. For what it is worth they sounded better to me than speakers that cost more.

It isn't crazy to spend that much money on fronts. You better know what you are buying though. I can only imagine the salesman at MBB telling him the storied past of B&W. They are very nice speakers but I don't really care for them. I have always found a brand or two in each price range that I liked more. Everyone hears differently and it is important to bring your own demo material so you are hearing music that YOU will listen to. Who cares if Jazz sounds great if you don't listen to it! It also helps if you can bring a pair home before a "final" purchase. Your friend may LOVE these speakers more than any other he has heard. He won't know until he listens to other models. MBB should take a return for a full refund but I would check. It is common that speakers will sound very different in your own home compared to the demo room.

Edit: The Pioneer unit he is looking at is very nice and gets rave reviews. It isn't the newest model but its MSRP is over $2000 if I am not mistaken. That unit is one that I would strongly consider if I was in the market to upgrade my AVR.

Thing about SQ is that it is extremely subjective. Many would argue that there is 0 evidence to prove differences at all since they are measured to have a flat response (I am not one of them but I do believe that many exaggerate the differences). WPC has no bearing on SQ either, it is the parts inside them such as DACs, power supplies, SNR, etc etc.

When looking at the amount of power needed, we do not look at the receiver/amplifier first, but our speakers, listening position and desired levels.

What the Pioneer will offer is a better compliment of features including room correction and updated HDMI switching which for many are worth the cost of admission.

I understand you are trying to help, but no one can say how much is too much for speakers as we all place priorities differently. Ask my wife if 3k is too much for a purse and her response will be absolutely not, but 500 bucks for a bluray player is a complete outrage.

One more thing, when you ask for opinions on what speakers to buy on a public forum, for the most part, all you will get are people recommending what they own, which is why you should let him make his own decision regarding the speakers. The amp isn't a bad deal but if he doesn't need the features, then no, he shouldn't get it.

Edit: I forgot to mention that the Pioneer receiver has a feature that tries to restore information that is lost due to compression from MP3 and AAC files. Considering that is the bulk of his listening, it may be a nice upgrade for him all in all.

If he is not considering the financing from BB, he may do better in terms of pricing from another dealer on B&W speakers if they are unwilling to haggle.

No, his original supposition was accurate. It is generally better to sacrifice ultimate power output for quality of amplification. There is an insubstantial difference in acoustic output between 90w and 140w, however, there can be a substantial difference in sonic attributes. Where this can become glaringly obvious is when you are trying to drive lower impedance loads. The mediocre 140w amp might be able to drive a nominally 8ohm load very well, but sound anemic when trying to drive a 4ohm load. However, the 90w amp may very well be completely stable and capable of driving a 2ohm load with amazing sonic results.

I think the main scheme of things, this is a really nice higher than "mid range" receiver. It has Pioneer Ice Digital amps and is a very strong AVR, its got the latest HD codecs if he watches bluray, now its only HDMI 1.3 but if he doesn't care about 3d then that really doesn't matter. MSRP on this was 2200, This receiver is NOT mid range that 140wpc is ALL channels driven per the company website. so it can give out a true 140wpc which most "mid range" avrs can't do.
I'd vote that you just let him spend his money the way he wants. and what sounds good to him.. with regards to the speakers he should go out and try and find some local audio shops if he's willing to spend that much on speakers so that he has a better well rounded view of what's out there.. if he still likes the speaker at Best Buy magnolia( which are no slouches by any means) then great. but its all about what sounds great to each person..

I am a fan of B&W but agree with the people who suggest that your friend listen to a variety of speakers before pulling the trigger, why not? It's fun! That said, he could do worse than B&W (I'd look at the CM7 or the new CM8 if he's pairing with a sub). They are priced at a slight premium to comparable speakers but not unreasonably so.

One piece of information is that if your buddy is considering a matching center channel the CM center is much better, the 600 series center is considered by many to be a weakness.

The receiver is an upgrade in every way but if this upgrade frequency holds perhaps he should consider separates.

Ron

Simply put:

The receiver? Yes -- solid deal on a great AVR.

Speakers? No, he needs to do more auditioning and shopping in that price range. The B&Ws are nice, but I think he can do better for the $.

The SC27 is a great receiver, but the SC25 has the same power and a few less features, that would be plenty for him. They've been at BB/Magnolia for 650 or so. If he finds one he should jump on it.

+1 on the SC-27 or the SC-25.
Best Buy is closing out the older Pioneer models from last year and the prices on the SC-27 and SC-25 are very good right now. Your friend can not go wrong with either of these rcvrs. I have the SC-25 and would highly recommend it.

As for speakers, I am a fan of the B+W. I think they are very nice speakers. But when it comes to speakers, as suggested by others on this thread, best to go try out different speakers and make a decision for yourself. I listed to both B+W and Vienna Acoustics and felt the Vienna's were more to my taste.

Best Buy is also closing out Vienna Acoustics - amazing speakers. They have stopped carrying this brand when they started carrying B+W. Your friend could pick up a pair of VA Mozart or Bach Grands for front channel audio / 2-ch. These are usually $3000 a pair - down to $1600 / half price now.
The Vienna acoustics Haydn Grand / Waltz Grand as well as the center channel Theatro are also on sale for some impressive prices - until stocks run out. They are probably the best bang for the $$$'s at any best buy Magnolia right now.