Recommendations for Better Setup then this?

Are you looking for a 5.0 system with toweres or keep it samall with bookselfs?

Check out www.newegg.com and look into some Polk Monitors. They are very affordable starter speakers, and do a good job with movies and gaming.

Two suggestions (both from internet stores):

I don't have a problem with Polk or Energy but I think the budget suggestions below would provide better sound.

Ascend Acoustics setup (internet only, no middle-man CA based company-all products made in USA with parts occasionally sourced from other countries)
2xCBM-170SE Front R/L
1xCBM-170C Center
2xHTM-200SE Rear R/L
$668+$68shipping=$738 (Just above your budget but worth it I think)
You could opt for 2xCBM-170SEs for rears that would increase total to $764.
www.ascendacoustics.com
30-day satisfaction guarantee which is great since you can't listen to them in a store.

Infinity setup from Harman Audio
2xPrimus 163s Front R/L $278
1xPrimus 251 CC $200 or 351 for $275
2xPrimus 143s Rear R/L $200
Total $678 or $753 + shipping.
I would recommend the 3-way 351 CC over the 251
www.harmanaudio.com

I've got both the cb-5's and cc-10. They are nice, but if your budget for a 5.0 is $700, you could do better. You can get 2 cb-5's for $100 on Amazon right now (they can be had for around $80 on sale) and you can find the cc-10 for $200 or less if you catch them on sale. That puts you at $400. It's a good set up, but if you want to stay with Energy and upgraded your fronts to cb-10's or cb-20's, it would most likely sound better...but they are larger bookshelfs. I haven't heard either the 10's or 20's, but I assume they sound better than the cb-5's and would still match your cc-10.

I suggest that you start with a 3.0 system and add a sub before the surrounds. Surrounds are nice for sound effects but contribute little to most material. The sub would add enjoyment to all material.

Definitely agree. You could even go 2.1 and use the left and right as a phantom center and get a nice sub.

HSU has their HB-1 MK2 speakers on sale for $129 and the STF-2 sub for $329. With shipping this will be within your $700 budget and you can add the center and surrounds as you can.

The Ascend speakers mentioned above are a wise choice as well.

Another option is the SVS-SCS02 speakers on sale:
http://svsound.com/products-spks-scs01.cfm

Your three main speakers for $448+shipping and you can add the SBS-02 surrounds and easily be within your $700 budget shipped for a 5.0 setup. But you will definitely need a good dedicated subwoofer no matter the setup.

+1, this would be an outstanding setup except that they no longer sell the 170C unless you can get Dave to sell a single 170 as a center and it's worth asking. But they for sure need the help of a sub.


Another big +1. If it were me I'd go with P163/PC251/P153 instead to in order to get the surround's crossover point down to 80hz.

In either case I'd start with 2.1 or 3.1 and add the surrounds later. 2.1 will be a heck of a lot more enjoyable than 5.0.