Looking for a speaker buying guide or help purchasing some

There is a Phillips HTIB type setup for 199 on walmart.com

First step would be to go by a Best Buy and see what tickles your fancy and get an idea of what's available, for what price so you realistically have a better feel of what works for your budget.

This review article might get you started.

-
Edited by BeeMan458 - 7/27/12 at 6:36am

There's no mention of the receiver you have, what you plan on using the speakers for or room size, so it's going to be very difficult for anyone to really help much. For your projected budget you can pretty much assume anything you buy will be of dubious quality though; that's simply not enough $$ to ensure anything but compromise.

Some of the least expensive (but still usable) systems I can think of are the DefTech ProCinema 60.6 and the Klipsch HD 500. However, they're twice your budget, and would still only work in small rooms.

If you want to read some information about speakers in general try this link. It takes you through some of the basics.

Just my opinion, but maybe you should go to Best Buy so that you can demo some speakers and determine what sounds best in your price range. Also, while in the store, check out their open box and demo sales.

Ok well Ill give a few tips:

1) 2.1 is considered a "stereo" setup and usually consists of 2 main speakers + optional subwoofer (for deep bass). This is generally preferred for music lovers.
2) 5.1 is considered "surround sound" or "home theater" setups and consists of 5 speakers - 2 mains (left and right), 1 center channel (in the center of the viewing area) , and 2 surround speakers (placed behind the seating area). + the optional subwoofer( again for deep bass).

Deciding between them comes down to preference and use. For movie watching...5.1, for music and gaming...prob 2.1. For all of the above...5.1 .

With a $200 budget its gonna be tough to get any descent speakers AND a amplifier. I am not a fan of Home Theaters in a Box as they are usually pretty bad in terms of sound and quality, but they do offer a descent bang for your buck.

So you have a few choices...grab a home theater in a box, accept that the sound quality will be mediocre, and go on down that road...or
"invest" the $200 in a nice stereo or 5.1 home theater receiver and next paycheck grab some speakers and build a system (it can take time as a lot of people will tell you)....or hit the used market and sniff out a great deal on some good used gear.

I will leave you with my suggestions for "cheap" speakers to get your started:

Pioneer entry level speakers - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117403
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117405
-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117406

Energy -http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/542469405/energy-rc10
-http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/542796859/energy-cb5

NHT - http://www.crutchfield.com/p_228SZ20B/NHT-SuperZero-2-0.html?tp=186

Polk - http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107R150/Polk-Audio-R150.html?tp=186
-http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-TSi200-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B0018QRO9A/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343395551&sr=1-4&keywords=polk
-http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Monitor-Floorstanding-Speaker/dp/B0002Z240W/ref=sr_1_20?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1343395631&sr=1-20&keywords=polk


This list could get really long. But those are a good place to start. My suggestion is to build a system. If you absolutely have to have a 5.1 right now with $200, looks like a Home theater in a box is gonna be your best option. If you are willing to start with a 2.1 and upgrade I suggest the following setup:
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117405 + http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR-1312-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B004U403S6/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343395873&sr=1-2&keywords=audio+video+receiver

That comes out to about $220 bucks. Others could have better advice, just my 2 cents
-cheers

My suggestion would be, if you can, make the drive. I like road trips. Grab a loved one or a friend and make an outing out of it. Enjoy the scenery of the drive, check out Best Buy and have a hamburger and fries to make it all worthwhile. Instead of making the drive a chore, make it an adventure in buying speakers. Did I mention that I like road trips?

I prefer a receiver and bookshelf speakers to start -
however, if sitting 2 feet back and on a tight budget >
then look at this Denon/Boston setup.
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/DENDHT1312BA/DENON-DHT-1312BA-Home-Theater-System-w/Boston-Acoustics-Speakers/1.html
Edited by zieglj01 - 7/27/12 at 6:43pm