I have been browsing the site and have come up with some very useful info. I originally planned to get the Onkyo HTIB 9100THX but like many have become convinced I can put something better together for around the same price. I want something that I can hook up a 7.1 system to in the living room and run 2 separate speakers to my porch for outdoor listening. This would be a separate listening area and these 2 could be purchased later. I like movies but I want this for primarily music. Rockin' music. I know I'm not going to get a crazy system for the $800-1000 but I want to spend my money wisely and purchase the speakers I want the 1st time.

I'm alright with towers and have plenty of nice area to mount speakers near the ceiling. eventually I will move the Tv to go above the fireplace instead of the spot it's in. I don't have much of a preference on what type of speakers they are but more of what I can afford.

I'm terrible at deciphering what the numbers mean on all these things and I've never dealt with them before. I can set-up a system but am not the greatest at tweaking.

Room: It is setup up a little weird as the house is an open floor plan. The living room area is 25ft X 13ft (9ft ceilings)but it opens into the dining room area.

So Far:
PS3
42 in Panasonic Plasma

I like Onkyo AVRs and have seen some great deals on the energy speakers.
These are some that peaked my interest.
Speakers:
Energy C300 $119 a piece ($240)
Can't post the links

(4)C-50 5.0 Speaker Package with C-C50 Center Channel - $250
can't post the link

subwoofer PA-120 $230 ebay


AVR:
onkyo 606 or 607 I believe??I think I've seen this/these for $330 or so but I don't know what would match up well.

I would not be upgrading the system later. Instead I would like to purchase the Energy and AVR now and maybe wait a bit for a deal on a sub. I'm more than open to suggestions. I'm not sure how much the Energy C300 towers would make much difference with the C-50's or not. From the numbers I'm reading it looks like a lot. These are just things I have read reviews on priced out. I 'm all ears for any othe dependable pructs you think might be a better deal.

Search for HK refurbished products, you can get a great HK AVR for under $300 and then buy this

http://www.outlawaudio.com/outlet/atlanticHT.html

THey are selling them for $1000 off!!! (includes sub).

if towers are OK, this is a very nice sale on Jamo towers http://www.wwstereo.com/#/ecommerce/store/Speakers/33/144763// and you will need to add a subwoofer

also a factory refurb Onkyo SR606 sold by authorized reseller (factory warrant good)
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKTXSR606/Onkyo/TX-SR606-90w-x-7ch-HDMI-Theater-Receiver-BLACK/1.html

Thaos Jamo's look impressive and a good price. I'm not to familiar with them so I will do some research. Thanks

I don't think I have room for towers for the surrounds but I saw they have the 3 front speaker package and then I could try and find some sat's that would match them. Maybe the energy c-50's? they are a good price 47 a piece

Jamo is owned by Klipsch and it is a Danish company. Most reviews and comments from owners are very positive.

The C-50's would make good surrounds. They are small and relatively easy to place.

Thanks for introducing me to the Jamo's. I've been reading alot about them today and for the price they seem excellent. I better sleep on it tonight just to prevent an impulse buy:)

Acutally more so to decide on what surrounds I'm going to purchase with this. More searching. I am new to this but I think I've come along way since my intial plan.

if you like the Jamo's, please don't wait too long. Another bundle with 4 E660 (the slightly smaller towers) has already sold out.

I'm not saying that there isn't better out there and that you can't piece together something that is better than the Onkyo HT-S9100THX, but that HTIB is one awesome system. My uncle purchased the system and I did the speaker placement and all the setup and tuning of the system. IMO from what I have heard it blows anything else away unless you are willing to spend more than double the retail price. If you like that system watch on shoponkyo.com for a refurbished unit and one of the 10% off specials. I had $34 in points and my uncle bought the system for $640 which retailed at $1100. I promise you, you will not find better out there for under $640. The sub is huge and goes down to 20hz with little or no distortion. The THX certification and sound modes are great and DTS HD MA sounds out of this world. It may not be the best for music but for movies its gotta be hard to beat. Nice crisp clear sound nice punchy bass not muddy or boomy at all.

if you like the Jamo's, please don't wait too long. Another bundle with 4 E660 (the slightly smaller towers) has already sold out.


I put my order in for the 4-Jamo 680's! I did some measuring around the house and it looks like I have areas to place them.
These are bigger speakers than I was 1st expecting to get for my money so I am really excited. I will hold off on a Sub for awhile so I'm not taking such a big hit right away.

So now to find a reciever. Many have suggest a Harmon Kardon as they seem to be priced cheap. I really wanted an Onkyo 606 or 607 but I wasn't sure if I needed all of the features the 607 provided.

I currently have a PS3 and a 1080p plasma so far. I don't plan on adding anything more to my set-up except a sub. I'm not familiar with the HK's or what aoptions I need on my reciever yet so I'll start taking a look at those

I have been reading up on the HK 254 and it really looks like their have been a lot of issues with it. I do have a PS3 also and many of the problems are between the 2. So I thin I 'm leaning towards the Onkyo 606-or 607. I don't know yet what all the differences are between the 2 so I'm curious if it's worth the extra $100. I figure it would take a little longer to be outdated and I can't see clearly if the 607 is even more powerful. It looks like it just has more features which I cannot understand.

I do have XM with my cable connection but I don't think it matters since it's coming through my cable box. So either system should work. I'm not ruling out the HK 254 yet but I'm not reading many great things about it.

One other possibility you might consider for an a/v receiver - the Yamaha V565 or V665 receivers.

I purchased an H/K receiver from their eBay store and have been satisfied with it, but I do not need HDMI audio on that setup and will have to replace it when I do, if I decide I want HDMI audio and HD codec decoding.

x fanatic , what are the main reason you choose Jamo instaed of Energy. I was also initially thinking of buying HTIB 9100THX . Then Energy . Now I bought Jamo :)

I saw many good feedback from owners in Jamo thread. So bought from wwsterio. Have you heard any music or movies on Jamo E680/E660 yet?

x fanatic , what are the main reason you choose Jamo instaed of Energy. I was also initially thinking of buying HTIB 9100THX . Then Energy . Now I bought Jamo :)

I saw many good feedback from owners in Jamo thread. So bought from wwsterio. Have you heard any music or movies on Jamo E680/E660 yet?

He just ordered them 2 days ago dude...;)

Those speakers look like a great deal and I myself would probably buy a set if I was in the market or had extra funds just to play with...

x fanatic , what are the main reason you choose Jamo instaed of Energy. I was also initially thinking of buying HTIB 9100THX . Then Energy . Now I bought Jamo :)

I saw many good feedback from owners in Jamo thread. So bought from wwsterio. Have you heard any music or movies on Jamo E680/E660 yet?



Pretty much cause of he reviews I read. They seem like a great deal on towers and the numbers blew away the 9100. I just got them today and they are sitting in my living room. I think I'm going to order the 606 tonight. it's a $75 difference but I don't see myself ever using height speakers. I probably won't even go 7.1 This is my 1st big system so I figure if I ever go bigger I'll have to take the next step and get a reciever with pre-outs.

These things are huge! in my living room. Time to make a purchase on an AVR!

thx xfanatic. From where you are buying 606? cnet reviews says not good for music. Not sure if you listen to music

guys, I'm not sure I would put too much worth in cNet as a hi-fi audio reviewer. Let's face it - the amplification circuits in most mid-priced amplifer/receivers are pretty much the same, the technology is just too well defined by now. The human ear will not notice any remarkable differences in a/v receivers.....the ears WILL notice differences in speakers. That is why common logic is to put 1/3rd of your budget into the receiver and 2/3rds into the speakers. Onkyo, Denon, Yamaha, Pioneer - all will sound the pretty much the same, but each will have different feature packages for the price.

thx xfanatic. From where you are buying 606? cnet reviews says not good for music. Not sure if you listen to music

I bought the Onkyo 606 from Acessories4less.com and the wire from monoprice. I went with the 14 gauge becuase I may due 2 runs to my porch for the 2nd zone. It could be as long as 35ft.

I should have it all next Wed so I can tell you how it goes

Well I have it all set-up but I have not had much time to mess with any type of settings. I'm only running a 5.0 system ( no subwoofer yet) but it still sounds great to me. It looks like some of the setting s are for 7.1 systems only so I need to sit down with the manual and read more about them.



A big thanks to M vanmeter for the suggestions and guidance

Can you post some pics of the setup for us??? Glad you like the system...What do you think of the speakers???

I can try and get some pics up this weekend. I think these speakers are huge! especially since I was looking at smaller ones before like the energys. I like them though, they really make a statment in the room. I wanted to have them set up first before i purchase my furniture so I can buy accordingly.

They sound great but I'm still adjusting. For some reason they were really loud when I set them up the 1st night but they weren't connected right. Then last night I set them up in the correct connections in the reciever and they don't seem as loud. But I'm still playing with them and reading the handbook. It could be becuase after I ran the audysee it made them quieter to. I just had to turn the volume up more.