[Yank731]

My Christmas present this year was $ (approx.800) for a home theater and I'd like some advice before pulling the trigger. Here's my current setup:


Panasonic TH-50PZ800U

DirecTV HR20

PS3


I'm was considering Onkyo HT-S6100 but thought I might be better off getting the following instead:


Mirage Nanostat 5 with Mirage Omni series 8" 400 watt sub
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....at169500050018


If I went with the Mirage package I would need to pick up a receiver so a Onkyo TX-SR606 would still be right around my budget. What would your advice be and I'd welcome any other ideas on how best to spend the money. Many thanks in advance!

 

[Tulpa]

I would prefer the Mirage+Onkyo package, as the speakers are a definite upgrade.


But Mirage speakers have kind of a distinctive sound, so you might find a store that sells them and preview them first.

 

[Yank731]

Thanks Tulpa,

I heard the Mirage Nanosat 5's with a Denon receiver at BB Magnolia and thought it sounded pretty damn good to these ears. I'm now thinking about stretching the budget a bit and and getting the Pioneer 1018 instead of the Onkyo 606 which would bring the total to approx. $1000. Any opinions on if this would be a good system or if I could do better for the money would be welcome.

 

[sparkysko]

Here's what I went for. Ended up being exactly $1,000 shipped. Another 70$ or so shipped from monoprice for the 300 feet of speaker cable, banana plugs and a high quality RCA cable for the sub. I need the 4 HDMI for DVR, PS3, Xbox360 and PC, and the upconverting for the Wii.


All these polks are on massive discounts because they're discontinued. These are similar prices to what they were last year if you bought them used. (All are part of the Polk Monitor series)


350 - receiver SR606 - Anywhere

230 - subwoofer PA-120 - Ebay

180 - two front speakers polk 50 - Newegg

80 - Polk CS1 center - Newegg

160 - 4 polk 30s - Newegg

 

[Tulpa]

Speakers make a bigger difference in sound than receivers. If you like the Pioneer, that's fine, but I'd get it for its features, not for the sound. If the Onkyo is cheaper and has the features you need, you can dump more into the speaker budget and get a bigger return.