Hey everyone... I am lost as to what speakers to take a look at when purchasing... mainly due to the fact that I have to order them from the US since the prices are SO much better, so I dont have the luxury of actually listening to them first....

I currently have an Onkyo TX-SR875 on Order, coming shortly. I have a PS3, PVR Digital Cable Box, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 w/ HD-DVD Drive... these are pretty well whats going to hooked up to my TV which is a Aquos 52" LCD TV...

What speakers will give me a great home theater experience and a decent gaming experience as well as a decent music listening experience?

I am looking to purchase 2 floor standing speakers, 2 rear bookshelf or wall mounted speakers, a center channel and nice loud subwoofer. I'd like to keep it all under $4000 if possible.

Thanks!

http://www.aperionaudio.com

Man that's a lot of money to be spending blindly on speakers. There aren't any local shops where you live where you can audition some speakers?

For under $4000 I'd look at Revel loudspeakers. They make reputable subwoofers as well as excellent floorstanding and bookshelf speakers.

What speakers will give me a great home theater experience and a decent gaming experience as well as a decent music listening experience?

Thanks! I'm going to copy, paste, and edit a reply I made earlier today to a similar question in another thread.

Any responses you get, including mine, are merely going to be someone's opinion. My opinion of "great" could be your opinion of "yuck!" Asking a question like yours usually results in a bunch of folks jumping in and, understandably, merely recommending the speakers they own (pride of ownership and/or the need to validate their purchase) without taking into consideration your specific circumstances, needs, and desires.

That being said, there is nothing wrong with asking for opinions as long as you understand that, due to individual biases, they should be regarded as suggestions for investigation rather than a recommendation to buy, and should be only a starting point in your search. For, in the end, the only opinion that matters is yours.

The good news is that, with a $4000 dollar budget, there are a number of wonderful choices, and your chances of ending up with a system you really like are excellent.

It would be helpful to know the dimensions of your room (LxWxH), particularly for recommending subwoofers. It also would be helpful to know if you've recently heard any speakers that you liked and, if so, the brand and model.

However, based on the information provided in your post, there are a few companies whose products I have hands on experience with and feel comfortable mentioning.

av123 (http://www.**********/). They have two speaker lines I would suggest you investigate. The high value X-Series (http://www.**********/products_category_brand.php?section=speakers&brand=55),
and the more upscale Rocket Series (http://www.**********/products_category_brand.php?section=speakers&brand=3).

DISCLAIMER: I own and enjoy the Rocket series. For that reason, I feel comfortable in suggesting you include them on your "to investigate" list. However, you might want to take my "ownership" bias into consideration.

Axiom (http://www.axiomaudio.com/). I have owned and enjoyed these as well.

Ascend (http://www.ascendacoustics.com/). I've heard, and was impressed by, the Sierra-1s.

The Audio Insider (http://www.theaudioinsider.com/). I've heard and liked the Swan 2.1s, and (I believe) the Dana 630s.

These, in no way, should be interpreted as the only ones worthy of consideration. There are many more.

When it comes to subwoofers, Your options are even more diverse than with speakers. Here is a list of ratings compiled by a very knowledgeable, and dedicated forum member who has extensively tested and experienced these subs. Criag himself has stated that his ratings are not presented as the "last word" on subwoofers, and should be used to only narrow your choices. The final investigation and ultimate selection is up to you.

The Official Craigsub Rankings Thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9164136#post9164136)

The thread is incredibly long, but contains a lot of valuable info if you are willing to plow through it.