In need of some general advice...

Hey everyone, this is my first time posting although I've always monitored threads to get some info.

However, after searching, I haven't really gotten the complete information that I am looking for.

I currently own a 42" HDTV and blah blah blah I obviously love it. I own an HD-DVD player and an Xbox 360, so I feel I have utilized my display to a great deal. However, my audio is severely lacking. I am currently running a four year old Sony set up that I got from Target for about $250. To say the least, I am short-changing my set.

The reason I am posting is to get some general advice on what are some good sets to look for. I am on a pretty tight budget (in college, not making a whole lot right now!), so what I really want to know is what are some great budget speakers that will do me for the next year or so until I graduate? I have been scouring eBay, craigslist, etc. and have found reasonably priced sets for what I consider to be good brands, but with out being able to test them I really have no idea if the speakers are really any good or not. So, general info on some good sets would be appreciated so that I can maybe narrow my search and find ways to test them out.

Thanks in advance.

I'm looking for a 5.1 set-up, but do not mind piecing it together--which leads me to my next parameter which is that I prefer used because I feel I could get more for my money.

My budget is MAX $500, but would be absolutely more comfortable spending near $300.

The room that my TV is in is relatively small, at around 12x12.

Thanks guys for the suggestions. Any others?

Ok, here is what I have potentially worked out (for around $200-$250 including shipping).

Athena R1.2 surround sound speakers
Polk CS245 center channel
Mitsubishi SS-2100 left and right speakers (oldie but goodie?)
Sony subwoofer (pending model number verification)

I will probably keep the receiver I have for now until I have enough money to upgrade that.

The only "if" I have is the Mits speakers. Are these any good?

Thanks for the advice guys. What do you all think of the Athena Micra 6 package? I know its HTIB, but like I said I am only going to use these for two years max as my main setup and it looks like I can get the entire package for less than $120 (MSRP $550).

So you're saying buy the 5 m&k's?

Thanks again guys. I'm looking into x-ls and M&K right now. I wish I could find some on craigslist so as to avoid shipping but no luck so far.

I want to get these MK but don't have the money to fork out $350 at once. I'd prefer piecing it together, so I might just get the two speakers on the other auction for now.