Posts in this particular forum always seem to descend into bickering because certain posters are too overly aggressive in putting their opinions forward. At least its on topic I suppose
Can't really recommend specific receivers or speakers in that budget i'm afraid but a few things I would suggest.
Whatever receiver you do get make sure it has 4k60hz passthrough i.e. it has HDMI 2.0a+ or better ports. You may not have 4k yet but this feature is easily available on most cheap/newish receivers and will save you replacing in the future should you get a new TV which will 99% be 4k. It just simplifies things and isn't hard to come by.
Ability to decode HD audio TrueHD, Atmos, DTS-MA etc is desired, if you ever decided to upgrade the speakers again this would be beneficial - also most receivers made in the last 5 years can do this so would imagine it would be harder to find one without than with.
For your laminate floors if at all possible i'd recommend getting a nice big rug
Even if its just in front of the front 3, it will reduce sound reflections which could create distortion. Also with the sub you could look into a platform to stick it on, you can either make one yourself fairly cheaply or purchase a pre made one but you will pay a premium such as the SubDude (
http://www.auralex.com/product/subdude-ii/) something like that should reduce rattle and boominess of the sub but even a few well cut pieces of carpet or thick underlay attached together should help.
Don't spend loads on cables but don't go uber cheap. Van Damme Blue is recommended a lot, is reasonably priced and very rugged - however it is quite thick, thinner versions are available but it depends on your ability to hide the cables, obviously as laminate you can't really stick it down the side of the carpet.
Re the technical speak that can be very overwhelming. A little bit of simplification - certain AV receiver brands are known for having a certain 'type' of sound, whether it be a 'warm', 'sharp', 'clinical' or even 'neutral' sound. Speakers also have similar properties. So people have discovered certain brands work well with others, you don't really want a Warm sound receiver with Warm speakers otherwise certain things may not sound right in certain film scenes etc. Most AV retailer package deals you look at will likely be fairly well matched unless the retailer in question has a lot of stock of certain mismatched items to shift and doesn't care about their reputation!
The best recommendation is always to ring the store first if your able to get there (or even another more local store that only has a few of the items or even just brands your'e interested in) say that you are wanting to spend around £xxx and would like to come in for a listen to a few setups in that price rang. They should be accomodating although it may not be that day etc if you have to go to a store that doesn't have the actual stuff you want but just to have a listen to how they sound it doesn't matter if you just say 'i'm going to have a think, thanks'.
Lastly for the sub, don't be afraid to purchase a seperate sub not included in the package. I don't even own one but will always recommend BK Subs -
http://www.bkelec.com/ especially in your price range their £200-£300 sub's tend to perform as well or better than sub's twice their price. You can order one to your exact specs or simply go onto their ebay store and have a look at their pre-made ones. Something like the XLS200 would be the right level. These are about £330 so it's whether you can fit it in, its not a necessity and if you haven't had a proper 5.1 setup before you may be perfectly happy with the included sub's in the packages you are looking at but bass is not about how boomy it is but how quick, clean and sharp it can be.
Best of luck with your decision
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