Need help putting together a budget system.

Hello Everyone,


I am new the home theater world and would like to request some help from those who are more knowledgeable on the subject. Please be patient and try to understand that I have just started looking for home theater equipment. Forgive me for questions that may seem stupid.

I know everyone has more important things to do then sit there and try to think up a configuration for someone they don't even know. So any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Even for spending time in reading this post is appreciated.


I have looked through many postings in the HTiB and Speakers forums. I know when it all comes down to it, it's personal preference but I'm sure there are some speakers that are more suited for certain "duties" then others. What I mean by "duties" is some speakers may be better for watching movies and some maybe be better for gaming or just listening to music. Is that safe to say? If so, I am looking for some speaker for my main system which will be used mostly for watching television and movies, and for playing games. Money is a concern for me. Just purchased a house and got married so we are on a tight budget.


At the moment I have an old Kenwood receiver that I purchased 6 or 7 years ago. I believe it 5.1. I was looking into getting a Onkyo HTiB but have read numerous times that people were able to put together a better sounding system for the money. $1100 for the Onkyo HT-S990 sounds pretty good. $400 for the HT-S790 sounds even better. How much better would putting together a system sound? My friend who's had a few systems, told me that I would be better off buying a good pair of main speakers then going with a HTiB. Please help.


I am looking for something that is fairly low cost (max $1000) for the whole system. I am sure you guys will need more information to determine what would fit me but I don't know what information.


Thank you


Charles