Any ideas for a surround sound package for under $550. (1 Viewer)

[ChuckM]

I'm trying to get the best I can for the money. I also don't mind huge speakers. I'm not a fan of the little cubes. I like to see the power
TIA!!

 

[BobMcN]

J&R Music World is selling closouts on the AR 215PS speakers for $50/pair. I bought 3 pair and use them as fronts, rears, center and back (6.1 receiver). Got a Parts Express 10" sub for $100. Had a DVD/CD player so no cost there. Then picked up a Kenwood 6060 for about $275. All together it cost:

AR 215PS (3x$50)= $150
10" Sub = $100
VR606 receiver = $275
Total = $525 (plus shipping)

Great sound for the price (those little AR's are an amazing steal and have a reputation as good for twice their original listed price of $299) You could probably go even cheaper if you get a reconditiioned Onkyo receiver from UBID.

Enjoy,
Bob

 

[ChuckM]

Thanks for the input

 

[AaronJB]

Panasonic SAHE100 - Approx $250 (I believe jandr.com has this price)
Onkyo SKSHT-500 Speaker Set - Approx $250 @ Circuit City.

SAHE100 offers 6.1 (Official DTS-ES 6.1, Official DTS NEO-6, and unofficial DD-EX - Panasonic's "Extended Surround" is their "equivalent") - I believe it has been tested at 70w x 6 and 78w x 5 by Sound and Vision Magazine. Lots of inputs, very nice build quality and features, considering the price - there are some corners cut for cost - some of the speakers use spring-clip connections and the remote could be (I think a lot, some people seem to be okay with it) better.

SKSHT-500 speaker set is a very, very good bargain - large, well-built speakers that produce a sound quality that I consider sounds like quite a bit more than their price tag would suggest. They are big speaks though (the subwoofer is around 30 pounds alone and the remainder of the speakers are fairly large), but you said in your post that's ok.

 

[Pablo Abularach]

ChuckM,

I think JBL makes a great entry level system, audition the following,

JBL NSP1II/PB12 Home Theater Package $499
or
JBL NSP1II 5-Piece Home-Cinema Speaker Package $220
Sony SA-WM40 Active Subwoofer $135

+ Shipping.

Great entry level set, JBLs Northbrige series, has a good reputation, for me are one of the best sepeakers for the money, and in the future you could add N26 or N28 or even N38 to your setup and end up with a great 6.1 or 7.1 setup.

Audtion...............

Hope this helps,

 

[SteveKNJ]

Right now Onkyo has some great deals on their website on "reconditioned" stuff. I just bought the Onkyo speakers that were mentioned above for $180 (they retail for $299) and they came with a sticker on each speaker saying "Minor cosmetic damage" I actually couldn't find any damage at all and they sound awesome!

 

[nazirv]

Take a look at the Kenwood HTB-705DV. It is a complete system with 5 disc progressive scan DVD.

http://electronics.cnet.com/electron...-20050299.html

You can get this complete 100Watt per channel system for as low as $299!

Good luck