best 5.1 speaker set-up for a $450-500 budget

Cant go wrong with the Def Tech pro-cinema 600

Then you might want to try the Energy Take Classics.....at Crutchfield
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_732TAKE...-0.html?tp=184

They should have an adequate subwoofer that will keep you in your price range.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_732ESWC...C8.html?tp=187

Does speaker size matter? Room size info would help too.

1. Energy C-50 5.0 package plus ESW-V8 sub.
http://www.wwstereo.com/default.aspx..._84__0_0_0_-1/
http://www.wwstereo.com/default.aspx..._84__0_0_0_-1/

2. Jamo E660 package and ASW-10.
http://www.wwstereo.com/default.aspx...103__0_0_0_-1/
http://www.thespeakercompany.com/ASW...oofer-P62.aspx

3. Polk Audio speakers and Bic F12 sub
1 pair Monitor 40's
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290010
1 CS1 center
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290022
1 pair Monitor 30 surrounds
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290094
1 BIC F12 sub
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846


4. Mirage Omni 550 5 speaker package $499. Get a sub later!
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it..._c=site_search

5. Athena LS-100 bookshelf package
2 pair LS-100
http://www.amazon.com/Athena-LS-100B...0640878&sr=1-2
1 Mirage 150 center (same as Athena LS-C100 center)
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it..._c=site_search
BIC F12 sub
http://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-F1...0641084&sr=1-1

6. Energy C-300 towers, C-C50 center, C-50 surrounds. Get a sub later
http://www.amazon.com/Energy-C-300-S...0641167&sr=1-1
http://www.wwstereo.com/default.aspx..._84__0_0_0_-1/
http://www.wwstereo.com/default.aspx..._84__0_0_0_-1/

Energy C-50/C-C50 package for $250 shipped:
http://www.wwstereo.com/default.aspx..._84__0_0_0_-1/

then add on the best subwoofer you can afford with the rest of your budget.

but it's hard to say exactly since you haven't specified what your needs are (e.g. towers, satellites, wall-mounted or floorstanding, etc.)

I can tell you there's a lot of chatter about it in the Mirage thread. Its probably the best bang for the buck too!

Several reviews of the black 550's on the Vanns website. Black is no longer available. In case you were not aware, there is a 2nd 6.5" woofer in front. You can't see it on the cherry model because the grille is in place.
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it...irage-omni-550

Comes with speaker spikes so the wood floor shouldn't matter.

Not a bad little system. You can probably go to your local Best Buy and check out nanosat speakers if they have a Magnolia Home Theater inside.

Probably no warranty on that Mirage nanosat ebay system since they're not an authorized dealer.

I'd rather have the 550 setup myself, especially for a 15 x 18 room. Vanns is an authorized Mirage dealer so you get the 5 year mfrs warranty.

Such is life, then look at one of the other options. or get a set of 150s which are all black. You can get two pair of those and the black center for under $300. Still have enough money for a sub.
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it..._c=site_search

Or how about some Energy C-100s, they have a nice pretty gloss black front baffle that she may like.
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ENC100

or the C-300 towers I linked earlier if she's okay with tower speakers.

How bout this package or will she complain about the size of the subwoofer
[http://cgi.ebay.com/Energy-Take-Clas...d=p3286.c0.m14

Or just get the Mirage Nanosat package your found on ebay.

Or this Polk Audio Speaker set with the Energy ESW-V8 I linked earlier
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290093
http://www.energy-speakers.com/na-en...w-v8-overview/

I'm looking for the same thing, a 5.1 setup for ~$500, for my basement (aka, Man Cave), aprox 14' x 20'
I haven't purchased a receiver yet, but it will probably be the Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K

I was checking out the Polk speakers on Crutchfield, if you get one of the 5 speaker setups, you can get a polk sub for $100 off, and if you buy $499+ worth of Polk speakers, you get a free pair of Polk OWM3 speakers, so you could do a 7.1 setup for $550.

I'm just not sure which way to go, cheaper surrounds and the better sub, or better surrounds and a cheaper sub, or go in-between

The following combos would give you 7 speakers and a sub for $550

Polk RM75 ($300) + PSW125 sub ($350) + Polk OWM3 (free) - $100 = $550

Polk RM85 ($400) + PSW110 ($250) + Polk OWM3 (free) - $100 = $550

Polk RM95 ($500) + PSW10 ($150) + Polk OWM3 (free) - $100 = $550

Or would I be better off with some of the other options already mentioned?

yuck, Polk subs are very mediocre and you don't want some tiny satellites in a "man cave"! the whole reason that crap was invented was to appease wives who didn't want big speakers everywhere.

in summary, be a man and get some big ass towers... those Jamo packages seem to be a great deal.

Those Jamo speakers look interesting, but I'm wondering if having 2 tower speakers is overkill for rear fill?

I also noticed they are 6 ohm impedance, which would place a heavier load on the receiver amp since most are rated at 8 ohms

The Definitive Technology ProCinema 60.6 is a better fit "budget wise". [But someone else will have to comment on their performance...]

Look into these ... JBL CS6100BG Complete 6-Piece Home Theater Speaker System (Black Gloss) for $414.89 w/FREE Prime SH



Read over the 17 customer reviews for more INFO & consumer level opinions about the JBL's.

Its not overkill for that price!

I've got E680 towers up front and E660 towers as surrounds. I think its awesome. It'll be better than any of the satellites listed.

Any decent receiver should have no problem with the 6 ohm Jamos. I've used them with Onkyo, Denon, HK and Newcastle receivers. No problems with any of them.

I have been using these:

http://www.klipsch.com/na-en/product...-5-1-overview/

for almost a year now. They do well on movies and come with wall mount brackets or small stands to place them on a desk or bookshelf. The 8'' subs get down relatively well too. I paid about 450 for this setup and its hard to beat for that price. I have the bookshelfs all running off of my onkyo SR606 receiver and the sound quality improved dramatically over the built in amp. I picked mine up on ebay for about 400 but I've seen some on there recently for 2-300. Might be worth looking into. I'm keeping mine to use in another room in the house.

I spent about 2 hours in Magnolia last night - the Nanosats were rather disappointing in the showroom, though their room is much larger than the space you are considering. Even the larger Mirage OS3-SATs were not as good as I was hoping for.

I'm in the same boat as you - 5.1 system, ~$500 budget, visually and audibly appealing. And unfortunately, I'm finding that something has to give, and it's probably going to be the budget (by a long shot).

My advice if you're on a sub $500 dollar budget is just get the best front three you can for that, L/R/C. Then add a sub as your budget allows (I think a good budget sub would be around $200 by itself). Then add the rears on down the road as they are the least important part of the system. If you're anything like me, if you start out with a budget 5.1 system you'll get the upgrade bug pretty quickly and wind up spending more.

I'll throw in my recommendation for a good L/R/C that I use at home. Really good speakers and the dual 6 1/2 on the towers give out a nice amount of bass until you add a sub.
2 infinity primus p362 towers, and a c350 center, $450 not including shipping. (shipping on this site is high though, so would come out to $530 with shipping for me)
http://www.theaudiovideosource.com/InfinityPrimus.html

I've also heard good things about the jamo E680 towers and matching center, I think they'll run you a little less at www.wwstereo.com if they're still available.

I'm sure others may have better 3.0 or even 3.1 recommendation that may make more sense for you budget.

Two Jamo E680's and the S60 center will run your $350 shipped but you'll have to call wwstereo.com as it is no longer on their website. And I believe they only have dark apple color now.

Other front 3 options would be the Energy C-300 and C-C100 or C-C50 center.
http://www.amazon.com/Energy-C-300-S...0793730&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...0793853&sr=1-1

http://cgi.ebay.com/Energy-C-C100-Ce...d=p3286.c0.m14

I'm running this set-up. It's about $50 over your budget but worth the stretch IMO.

4 x Polk Audio R150 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MGNDHE) $200
1 X Polk Audio CSR (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...QMP31H0XVW3CJ1) $100
1 x BIC Acoustech H-100 (http://www.shop.com/BIC_Acoustech_H_...l?sourceid=298) $249

If you're gonna do Polk bookshelf speakers, go with these. Better tweeters than the R series.

Monitor 40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290010
CS1 center
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290022
Monitor 30 surrounds
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290094

Total is $329

You can still get this Bic sub and be close to your $500 total.
http://www.audio-discounters.com/f12.html

^^ Definitely a good alternative if the OP has room for the Monitor 40. I mention this because I didn't and, having listened to the similarly sized Monitor 30s and R150s side by side, decided on the R series.