Solid speaker package on a budget

for 500 bucks might want to stick to 5 speakers. Would probably sound better.

After your TV is installed and calibrated, what are your expectations? What kind of experience would you like to have when you pop in your 1st DVD and your room fills with sound? Do you just want something better than the speakers in your TV, or do you want thrilling, heart racing, adrenaline pumping excitement?

If you truly want a system to compliment that beautiful new TV, you might want to reconsider your approach. FIrst, do you have the appropriate room for all 7 speakers. You really need, at the very least, 3 ft. of space behind your listening position 6 ft. or more is optimal.

Second, depending on how you answer the first few questions, you might want to start with your main speakers, and build a system. Add a sub, then a center, and finally the surrounds. This way wil take a while, but, trust me, it's much more satisfying and fun in the long run.

It all depends on what your expectations are!

You want to spend $2000 on a TV but then you want to cheap out on the receiver/speakers?

Maybe you should re-evaluate your budget and/or choices.

There are a LOT of threads on here discussing your options -- all you have to do is search.

Maybe you should start out buying a quality receiver and 2 decent front speakers...then buy your other speakers as your budget allows.

At that budget, like you expect, it's pretty tight. Like a poster commented above, I'd stick with 5.1 with that budget, in a year or so when you have some more money you can add some nice front speakers and move your other speakers to the sides and back.

All prices from amazon.com
A Velodyne VX-10 sub is a nice 10" sub that comes in around $150.
Polk Monitor 30 bookshelf speakers - $125 a pair (2 pair = $250).
Polk CS1 center channel speaker - $100

Voila - $500 for 5.1

Yeah, a 7.1 receiver can do 5.1 or 7.1.

A refurbed Onkyo TX-SR605 can be had pretty cheap. And the new ones might be cheaper since the 606 is out. The 606 adds more HDMI and a few other bells and whistles, but otherwise is roughly the same as the 605.

I second this.

For that budget I'd look at the used market and get a decent set of fronts + and add to them as budget allows. Just from looking at what you have purchased so far I wouldn't think you'll be happy with a $500 surround setup. But everyone will have their own opinion on this.

I completely agree. With a $500 budget, you can forget 7.1 or a 5.1. Take that money and start building your Fronts. Frys.com are clearing out the Cherry RTi8 for $300/pair. You can chose to add a few more dollars and get yourself the center or a BIC H100 Sub. Build from there.

What about something like this:
http://www.acousticsounddesign.com/c...pid=1197&sc=27

Well if it was my money it would look online @ frys.com the PolkR50 for 120 a pair plus shipping then the matching cherry center is always floating around for 80-100 so for there is a front stage for 220 plus about 50 for shipping. Find some CHEAPIES for the surround like 20 dollar craigslist specials or open box.

Now we are under 300 for 5.0 now we need .1 200 dollars doesn't go far in a sub so ill let the others tell you about under 200 sub. Ill tell you to go another 115 and get a A3-250 from Elemental Designs. Its 315 shipped and every one will tell you it cant be beat to 400-450 price range.

Dude, you are better off on getting 5 speakers for $500.00, The branks I would look at are Bang-for -the back brands like, Sony, KLH, Polk, JBL, and infinity, I would reccomend you order through amazon so you can afford speaker stands for the front and rear speakers, you can get speaker stands for cheap on there too but shipping is another story.

You could do 5 of these (if you can use one as a center vertically).
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ATLS100

Polk R50's - $118 for a pair
Polk CS1 - $98
Polk R150 - $ 98 for a pair
BIC H-100 - $250

A little over budget but you won't be dissapointed.

It is your money. I did exactly what you are about to. I have replaced the entire set now with the speakers I should have bought in the first place.

Impossible

NOW! Having written that, there are some options you should consider. My favorite option is to buy your system one piece at a time so that you can afford to eat from time to time! I am not rich and therefore consider myself an expert in this field. You may think that this would be a long and painful process, but consider the fact that everyone in this forum is constantly upgrading their systems. Once you have the core system built, the rest is just upgrading. If you spend 200K on your HTS, there will be something else you will want within weeks of completion. Trust me, that's how it works. Ask any golfer how many drivers and putters they have in their garages. You are in the right place for advice, but you have to love the units you buy or you'll never be satisfied.

superunknown0305 -- TRT's last post is exactly correct. The best advice is to get a good AVR, with HDMI 1.3 switching capability (a 7.1 channel unit - it can always be used for anywhere from stereo, 2 channel, speakers to a full 7.1 system). Then get the best stereo speakers you can afford. When more money becomes available, get a decent sub-woofer. Next is a matching (to the L/R speakers) center channel speaker. You may want to get the center channel before the sub-woofer (it depends on how good the stereo main speakers are). Later, you add the two surrounds for a 5.1 system. Finally, you add the rear channel speakers.

It may take 5 years to get to a 5.1 system, but you will be able to really enjoy the audio at every step of the way.

PS -- The most important speakers are the L/R mains. That is where you should put your money to start with. You can always get cheap speakers for the surrounds (leaving out the center channel, until you can afford one that matches your mains), and replace them later too.

I made the same mistake. I couldn't wait and I bought a Yamaha HTIB. The receiver is really good but the speakers are crap. Now as I replace the speakers one by one, I feel I wasted money because the Yamaha speakers are doorstops now.

It is better to have patience and really shop around.

dont listen to too many of these guys I have a modest set up now used to have m&k speakers, paradigm, Klipsch, wharfedale I have had alot and for 500 dollars you can put together a real nices system that to most people who have never heard of hometheater will sound incredible, get a good receiver and try to get a 5 speaker system instead of 7.1 it will sound better than crappy speakers, Im one of the few that actually did not like 7.1 it was overkill but I have space restraints, I purchsed the athena ls line from audio advisor and are very happy got all the speakers for under 250 had a receiver and sub, if you have to go hometheate rin the box my friend has this set up thx select certified and can be had at J&r world for for a little over 600 bucks thats a pretty good deal

http://hometheatermag.com/hometheate...990/index.html

vanns.com has mirage nanosat and klipsch reference sat system for 299.99 thats a good deal
audioadvisor.com has athena ls100 for 99 bucks a pair
lc 100 for 100 bucks center channel
or ls 300 for 99 bucks each tower speakers that is a steal

What it comes down to is nitpickin in most cases every time you go a big step up you have to upgrade much of your system to squeeze that bit of jice out of it, for 500 I could make up a nice system you can be pleased with

I have a Harmon Kardon 5.1 system that I got on the cheap from JandR about 5 years ago. I think I paid about $250 and for that price it is amazing. 4 satellites, 1 center and a powered sub. Thanks to the sub it is capable of fillinf a medium to large room. Hardly audiophile worthy, but nothing for that price will be.

BTW, getting ready to replace it if you are interested in used...

"Pre-Outs" are line level audio outputs for use with external amplifiers. Some owners use the main (L/R) pre-outs and an external stereo amp to drive their L/R speakers instead of the internal amps, since their mains have impedances that can drop to 4 Ohms, or less, which these amps can't really handle well (they're designed to work with 6-8 Ohm, minimum, speakers).

Personally, I would prefer the Pioneer VSX-1018 over any of the others you mentioned. It runs cooler and has a better build quality (IMHO only). I believe that the only way you could improve on it is to go with an AVR that is over $1K in price (again IMHO). I have used Pioneer AVRs for years, and have found them to be very reliable.

If you are looking at the Yamaha 663 you should look at the Yamaha HTR-6180. It is the same as the yammy 863 but for $500-$600. It has all the bell and whistles and latest HDMI. Check amazon and Ebay for deals.


http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/p...ETYP=ATTRIBUTE

Hi,

Just installed last Sunday an Onkyo TX-SR606 with a 7.1 "budget" pack of speakers INFINITY BETA HCS.
I broke in the speakers during approx. 20 hours, further to some advises.

It sounds great on both movies and music.

I am not sure if the Infinity Beta HCS pack is available in the States. If yes, try to get one as it is going to be soon unlisted.
The closest Infinity setup would be PRIMUS THEATER PACK II + Subwoofer PS28 but I believe the satellite speakers and the center speaker from the PRIMUS Theater Pack II have a lower acoustic quality than what their counterparts from the Beta HCS have (or better should I write "had". Just comparing their respective weights and sizes, as well as their frequency ranges.

An other option at Infinity would be 7 bookshelf speakers Beta 10 + 1 center speaker C250 and a subwoofer SW10 but it would be make the setup more expensive.
In same category, you may find affordable speaker systems such as Wharfedale, Monitor Audio, or Mordaunt-Short.

I am very happy I made this choice.