Finally, a thread for those intrigued by the possibilities of piecing together their own budget HT, rather than settle for an all-in-one box solution full of various design compromises. The top priority here is sound quality over convenience, while remaining competitive with HTIB type prices.
This thread isn't to debate the pros/cons of true HTIB, rather, it is here as a gathering place for those who seek to share their experiences, knowledge, and benefits realized by by components designed to survive on their own merits in the A/V marketplace. Share your experiences, and feel free to add your own suggestions. This first post is by no means meant to be comprehensive, just some ideas to get started for those with a rough budget of $300 - $1000. For those at the low end of the budget range, you'll have to start small (think 2.0 or 2.1) and build over time. If you want instant 5.1 or 7.1 for less than $300, this is not the place for you.
Receivers:
Onkyo TX-SR 504 ($169): Onkyo 504
Panasonic XR-55 ($219):
Panasonic Digital Amp/Receiver
Pioneer VSX-516 ($169):
Pioneer 516
Yamaha HTR-5930SL ($199):
Yamaha 5930
Refurbished Harman Kardon AVR's ($200+)
Search the Harman direct store on ebay for daily auctions: H/K 140, 235, 240, 340, etc.
Speakers (Mains and/or Surrounds):
Athena AS-B1.2 ($99/pr)
Athena Bookshelves
AV123 X-LS ($219/pr)
AV123 Bookshelves
Polk Floorstanders ($69.99/ea):
Polk R50
More Polk Floorstanders ($49.99/ea)
Polk R300's
Polkr R150's ($49.99/pr):
Polk Bookshelves
Boston Acoustic CR-57 ($179/pr):
BA Bookshelves
HSU HB-1 ($109/pr):
HSU Bookshelves (Horn Tweeters)
JBL Monitor ($139/pr):
JBL Bookshelves
Infinity Primus P152 ($99/ea)
Infinity Bookshelves
SVS SBS-01 ($225):
SVS Bookshelves
Acoustic Research A2's ($50/pr)
AR A2
Center Channel Speakers:
AV123 X-CS ($139):
AV123 Center Channel
Athena AS-C1.2 ($149):
Athena Center Channel - Audition Series
Athena AS-C.5 ($75):
Athena Center Channel - Point 5 Series
Polk Audio RM6752 ($79):
Polk Center Channel
Polk CS1 ($159)
Polk CS1
Infinity Primus C25 ($99):
Infinity C25
SVS SCS-01 ($185):
SVS Center Channel
HSU HC-1 ($199):
HSU Center Channel - Horn Tweeters
Subwoofers
Dayton 10" ($124):
Dayton 10"
Velodyne VX-10 ($159)
Velo VX-10
AV123 X-sub ($199):
X-Sub
Bic Acoustech H-100 (~ $230):
***authorized ebay seller, make an offer***
please note that I am not a seller...you must search for auctions on ebay.
Hsu STF-1 ($249):
STF-1
Hsu VTF-2 MK2 ($399):
VTF-2.2
Elemental Designs A2-300 ($350)
A2-300
SVS PB10-NSD ($429):
PB10-NSD
Speaker Packages
Athena Micra 5.1 Package ($399)
Micra 6
Klipsch Quintet II 5.0 Package($299)
Quintet II
Klipsch Quintet III 5.0 Package ($399)
Quintet III
Velodyne CHT Front Row 5.0 Package ($199)
Available in white only....call (408)465-2824 to order directly from Velodyne.
EDIT/UPDATE 04-26-07
Links to great detailed info on wiring, speaker placement, and general HT tutorials. Thanks to Buzzy for the suggestion and links:
Wire:
Roger Russell's classic speaker wire table
Crutchfield on speaker wire
Placement:
Speaker placement
Lots of good general info:
Crutchfield Advisor
Aperion
EDIT/UPDATE 05-02-07
Excellent thread from the Audio Setup, Theory, Chat section of AVS with a massive amount of information. Thanks to Dr. PainMD for the thread and dbrowdy for suggesting inclusion of a link to this thread.
AVS Master Thread for Setting up your Home Theater
Setting Up Your Home Theatre 101
EDIT/UPDATE 06-03-07
Several links updated, with a few new products added that have been discussed at length in thus far in the thread. Speaker packages added 06-06-07.
This thread isn't to debate the pros/cons of true HTIB, rather, it is here as a gathering place for those who seek to share their experiences, knowledge, and benefits realized by by components designed to survive on their own merits in the A/V marketplace. Share your experiences, and feel free to add your own suggestions. This first post is by no means meant to be comprehensive, just some ideas to get started for those with a rough budget of $300 - $1000. For those at the low end of the budget range, you'll have to start small (think 2.0 or 2.1) and build over time. If you want instant 5.1 or 7.1 for less than $300, this is not the place for you.
Receivers:
Onkyo TX-SR 504 ($169): Onkyo 504
Panasonic XR-55 ($219):
Panasonic Digital Amp/Receiver
Pioneer VSX-516 ($169):
Pioneer 516
Yamaha HTR-5930SL ($199):
Yamaha 5930
Refurbished Harman Kardon AVR's ($200+)
Search the Harman direct store on ebay for daily auctions: H/K 140, 235, 240, 340, etc.
Speakers (Mains and/or Surrounds):
Athena AS-B1.2 ($99/pr)
Athena Bookshelves
AV123 X-LS ($219/pr)
AV123 Bookshelves
Polk Floorstanders ($69.99/ea):
Polk R50
More Polk Floorstanders ($49.99/ea)
Polk R300's
Polkr R150's ($49.99/pr):
Polk Bookshelves
Boston Acoustic CR-57 ($179/pr):
BA Bookshelves
HSU HB-1 ($109/pr):
HSU Bookshelves (Horn Tweeters)
JBL Monitor ($139/pr):
JBL Bookshelves
Infinity Primus P152 ($99/ea)
Infinity Bookshelves
SVS SBS-01 ($225):
SVS Bookshelves
Acoustic Research A2's ($50/pr)
AR A2
Center Channel Speakers:
AV123 X-CS ($139):
AV123 Center Channel
Athena AS-C1.2 ($149):
Athena Center Channel - Audition Series
Athena AS-C.5 ($75):
Athena Center Channel - Point 5 Series
Polk Audio RM6752 ($79):
Polk Center Channel
Polk CS1 ($159)
Polk CS1
Infinity Primus C25 ($99):
Infinity C25
SVS SCS-01 ($185):
SVS Center Channel
HSU HC-1 ($199):
HSU Center Channel - Horn Tweeters
Subwoofers
Dayton 10" ($124):
Dayton 10"
Velodyne VX-10 ($159)
Velo VX-10
AV123 X-sub ($199):
X-Sub
Bic Acoustech H-100 (~ $230):
***authorized ebay seller, make an offer***
please note that I am not a seller...you must search for auctions on ebay.
Hsu STF-1 ($249):
STF-1
Hsu VTF-2 MK2 ($399):
VTF-2.2
Elemental Designs A2-300 ($350)
A2-300
SVS PB10-NSD ($429):
PB10-NSD
Speaker Packages
Athena Micra 5.1 Package ($399)
Micra 6
Klipsch Quintet II 5.0 Package($299)
Quintet II
Klipsch Quintet III 5.0 Package ($399)
Quintet III
Velodyne CHT Front Row 5.0 Package ($199)
Available in white only....call (408)465-2824 to order directly from Velodyne.
EDIT/UPDATE 04-26-07
Links to great detailed info on wiring, speaker placement, and general HT tutorials. Thanks to Buzzy for the suggestion and links:
Wire:
Roger Russell's classic speaker wire table
Crutchfield on speaker wire
Placement:
Speaker placement
Lots of good general info:
Crutchfield Advisor
Aperion
EDIT/UPDATE 05-02-07
Excellent thread from the Audio Setup, Theory, Chat section of AVS with a massive amount of information. Thanks to Dr. PainMD for the thread and dbrowdy for suggesting inclusion of a link to this thread.
AVS Master Thread for Setting up your Home Theater
Setting Up Your Home Theatre 101
EDIT/UPDATE 06-03-07
Several links updated, with a few new products added that have been discussed at length in thus far in the thread. Speaker packages added 06-06-07.