Newbie Looking To Build 5.1

I am looking to slowly build a 5.1 system, piece by piece. I recently blew a lot of money on a projector, so I am going to have to cool off my spending a bit. I am thinking I can spend about $200 a month until I get my 5.1 system completed. Here is my problem... I know nothing about setting up an audio system. I did a little research, and here is my plan for spending about $200 a month to get a good system. I am not sure if everything is completely compatible, so I would love some input about my choices.

I will likely only have my Xbox 360 and my WD TV Live hooked up to the receiver.

Month 1 - Yamaha Receiver. This is what I am most worried about. The receiver is a moderately complex item, and I know nothing about them. No idea if this is the best option for me at the $200 mark, but it is getting decent reviews.

Month 2 - Sony SS-F6000 (fronts). I will see how happy I am at this point. I may just stick with this two channel setup for awhile if the audio is satisfactory...

Month 3 - Sony SS-B3000 (rears), Sony SS-CN5000 (center).

Month 4 - Sony SA-W3000 (subwoofer).

Throw in some decent speaker wire, do a little research to make sure I don't screw anything up, and I have a decent audio system. Any thoughts on my plan/ setup? I am just worried that I am missing something in my plan, or am making some big mistake.

I more or less planned this as the max of my budget. I was hoping on spending about $600 total for a sound system, at least for now. Upgrading in the future may be an option, but right now I need to stick to about $600-800 max. I'm not an audiophile, so I am pretty sure this price point is fine for me. From my little research (more or less just searching Amazon and Newegg), this is probably about as good as I can do for around $700.

Anyway... I am still a bit unsure about the receiver... I assume most any decent 5.1 receiver will work with these speakers? Something like this Sony receiver would work just fine with this setup, right? Once again, sorry for the stupid questions.

I will definitely look into these... from the little I can tell, they seem fairly similar to the Sony line I was looking at, so I might just buy based on which brand ends up being cheaper.


Great idea. The V371 is getting great reviews on Amazon. It is a bit more expensive than the Sony one, but seems to be worth it. Thanks for the help.

Any ideas on a subwoofer than would be significantly better than the Sony subwoofer, but is still under... let's say $250? Perhaps something like this Polk subwoofer?

And well within my budget. Think I just found a new sub! Thanks for the help. I think I just may have my setup in place.

Yamaha 5.1 receiver
Sony SS-F6000 (fronts)
Sony SS-CN5000(center)
Sony SSB3000 (rears)
BIC America F12 (sub)

Definitely not the greatest setup ever, but probably the best I can do within my budget, and it should be more than enough for my moderately small home theater room.

Okay, one more question... would I perhaps be better off going with Bic America for all speakers over the Sony ones? Did some research on Bic after the suggestion for the subwoofer, and they seem to make great products at great prices.

The more I hear about BIC, the more they seem perfect for me. Great equipment at an amazing price. I will probably stick with the F12 since it isn't much more and space is most definitely not an issue in my case. Perhaps I will purchase the BIC V1020 in the near future for my livingroom, as my soundbar there is in desperate need of a subwoofer. I did however decide to upgrade my center from the Sony to the BIC FH6. Everything except the rears and subwoofer have been purchased and should ship soon. I must admit that I am a bit worried that my Sony speakers will be somewhat lacking, but they're about the only thing within my budget that is well reviewed on Amazon. I have a feeling that my fronts and rears may be replaced by something like the BIC DV84 and the BIC DV62SI before long... and "upgrade-itus" is hitting already.

Interesting... so, I may be better off with the cheaper Sony center over the BIC center channel? Granted I will very likely be upgrading the Sony fronts to BICs (depending on how they sound to me), but that may take a year or so.

And the great info keeps pouring in! The Polk PSW505 sub does look nice, but $250 on Amazon seems just a little more than I want to spend. I'm still leaning toward the BIC F12 subwoofer at $189 on Amazon.

So, I put my system together a few weeks back. I went with the Yamaha Receiver and all Pioneer speakers. I am planning on upgrading the subwoofer eventually, but I have to say I am extremely pleased with the setup. That being said, I have run into another situation where I could use a little advice. Recently I bought a sectional and tore down a wall to help improve my home theater. I'm going to be mounting my projector, and now I am thinking about getting a larger screen. Currently I have an 80" 16:9 screen, and the viewing distances would be right around 10 feet (give or take a little depending where you sit on the sectional). Would it benefit me to buy a larger screen? I would imagine 120" would be overkill for 10', but what about a 100" or 92" pull down? Yes, I have looked at the screen size calculators, but they don't really answer my question of "is it worth it?" A vital piece of information.... right now all I have is a 720p projector (Acer H5360). I do plan on upgrading to 1080, but it is out of my budget range for the next year or so. I know that as I increase the screen size, I will be able to see the pixels, but I do want a large screen... Also, this home theater is in my basement, so I have great light control. Thoughts on what my best bet would be?