Alright, so I am not very knowledgeable about speakers and audio so its definitely my weak point. I really like how there is a lot of VERY knowledgeable people on this forum and they are always willing to help. So, here's the deal; I have a 23' by 15' 1/2 great room, vaulted ceilings, and with 4 speaker wires pre-installed in the corners of the front wall and back wall (the long end). I know that 5.1 puts the surrounds on the sides, not the back wall, but I'd either deal with it, or think about going to 7.1 to utilize the back wires and just add some side speakers. So, at first I was thinking about going Bose……..Let just say, my mind has changed. I still want to have wall mountable speakers but I really want to get the best my money can buy and the size doesn't have to be Bose cube size. I plan on having a 58-65 inch plasma, PS3, and a good power conditioner. As far as speakers and receivers go, I'm lost….. I would like to stay in the 2000-3000 dollar range, but I'm will to go a little higher for more quality…. What do you guys suggest???? Help build my room!

I would like to stay in the 2000-3000 dollar range, but I'm will to go a little higher for more quality…. What do you guys suggest???? Help build my room!

I would recommend the following steps:

1) Check out Dolby's website for room diagrams to ascertain the proper position in you room for speakers for 5.1 and 7.1 configurations. If your seating is against the back wall, stick with 5.1

2) Break up your budget. I would recommend $500-700 for the receiver, $700-1000 for the sub, and about $200 each per speaker. Normally I would recommend more of the budget go towards speakers, but in your case, since you want small wall mounted speakers in a big room, your best bet would be a good sub with a higher cross-over.

3) Pick individual gear:

Since you have a PS3, if you want the receive the HD audio codecs, you'll need a recever with accepts LPCM over HDMI. The new Onkyo 706 would be a great choice, although the 606 or 806 would be viable options as well, depending on what you want.

Since you have a big room, you'll want a good sub. Some to consider would be the new SVS PB12-Plus, av123 MFW-15, an Epik Castle or others. You need to decide how large a sub you can fit, and how important the aesthtics are. Can you tolerate a huge black box, or do you want a more modest sized sub with a nice wood veneer?

I don't really know what to recommend for small wall mounted speakers, as I've always had towers or bookshelfs on stands. Ideally, you want at least 5" drivers in the front three, but your size constraints may limit this.

You can get more recommendations for specific pieces of equipment if you post in the individual forums (speakers, subs, receivers...) and ask for advice. Once you have everything in hand, if you have any problems setting it all up, come back to this forum.

Good luck and have fun!

As far as receivers one of those you mentioned seem pretty good, would most lean toward the onkyo's before others like Yamaha and what not. I'd rather not have a HUGE black box, like 3 feet by 4 feet, (if they're even that big), but I can deal with a good size box. Any specific suggestions as far as speakers/ (surrounds, center channel, fronts) Sub woofers, all amounts to that 2-3 thousand dollar range. (realistically I'd like to stay on the lower end, rather than the higher) Thanks in advance.....

Pioneer is closing out the Elite VSX-92TXH receiver. It's a $1,500 AVR that you can get for less than $800 right now. A great buy.

Are you planning on wall mounted speakers or in-walls?

Any more suggestions??!.....Thanks in advance..........

A $7xx receiver is not a great buy for a 2-3k budget. Get the Pioneer 1018. Leave the power conditioner out and just get a Panamax or APC surge protector for ~$30.

For you, Ascend 170 SE are easily wall mountable, and 7 of them will fit easily into budget. That's what I might recommend.
Use the remaining half of budget on dual subs, placed up front, one near each main. Then you will hopefully reduce localization issues from higher x-over points, and allow other future possibilities like shelving filters.

OTOH, if it was me, I wouldn't care that my place was already pre-wired. I would get three identical towers for my front stage. The display high enough to allow the speaker to fit underneath. You simply will not beat this setup in audio terms.

Then I'd hide away my components, anywhere, even if just off to the side. Cleaner look IMO, less distracting lights for visual immersion's sake, less mass in-between speakers that can ruin imaging. Just add $200 for a vertical modular rack, $75 for a URC RF-20 remote, and $43 for a 35 ft Mono HDMI cable. Bit over $300 gets you a setup that you typically might see only in the finest dedicated systems . . . but such a setup is rather easily attainable for a "normal" budget.

People don't know any better, and for some reason everyone sets it up so that it resembles the cover of an IKEA magazine or something...