Would you buy the Samsung HT-E5500WZA for 310 dollars?

I was originally looking at that Samsung system and ended up getting the 6500 with the vacuum tubes. Not sure if the tubes really do anything but they look neat anyway. After listing to them both I felt the 6500 sounded much better and was worth the extra money. I got it off of Amazon at a much better price than at Best Buy. I had to have 'wireless' rear speaker as there is no way to get wires across my living room. I have the system setup so it is always in use, I connected the cable box to it then from there to the TV. I figured if I'm spending the money I might as well use it for everything and not just movies. I have only two issues with the system. First is that for some reason Samsung decided to have the unit always default to the same input instead of what it was last set at. Not a huge problem for me since I need to use that remote to turn the unit on anyway just a little annoying, Second is that the bass is a bit weak, which is common with these style home theater systems. When the volume is turned up while watching a movie is does have a decent rumble but I would like more rumble at lower volumes.

It depends on your budget. The Samsung system has in integrated blu-ray player, which means that the sub-woofer is probably passive. A passive sub doesn't have it's own amplifier so the bass isn't going to give you that nice, deep, discrete, bass tones. An active sub is one that has it's own amplifier and doesn't derive it's power from the blu-ray player. You also need to look at the type of speaker connectors that the unit has. If it's proprietary, you'll have a hard time upgrading the speakers down the road should you choose to do so. Out of the ones you listed, I'd look at the Yamaha. It's wired but wireless can have it's issues. I have a comparable Yamaha receiver and it has plenty of power for us and can handle any type of speakers we choose to add (binding post connectors). If you want a HTiB system, I'd look at Yamaha, Onkyo, and Denon. Most of the entry level systems of the three that I listed have the current audio/video formats so you'll be able to listen to whatever you want, depending on how you set it up.

You could look around for a Yamaha RX-V371 ( the same receiver in their YHT-395 HTiB system) or equivalent and maybe find it for around $180 but that doesn't leave you much for speakers if $400 is your top end. Polk 6750's or MLT-2's would be nice bookshelf speakers but you'd be going over your budget. That's the hook of HTiB systems. For a reasonable cost, you get it all, but for that, the audio quality suffers. As far as receivers go, I'd stick with a mfr who has a known history of making quality receivers, like Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon, just to name a few. Pick a receiver that meets your needs (and possible future needs) and price range. Then look for speakers that you can afford. Otherwise, get a HTiB from one of the mentioned mfrs and just plan on upgrading the speakers later on. Most people upgrade their speakers more often than the receiver. Keep in mind that good speakers can make a mediocre receiver sound really good. But poor speakers can make a really good receiver sound bad.