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Help Me Choose a 7.1 (or 5.1) System Please (1 Viewer)

whenimabillionaire

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I need a 7.1 (or 5.1) surround sound system, and my budget is $500.

This is the receiver I was looking at: Sony STR-DN850 7.2 Channel 4K AV Receiver (Built-in Wi-fi & Bluetooth)
And I need a 7.1 system to complement it. Also, I'm not too sure if this receiver is that good. I've read reviews and they are great, and its NFC, WiFi, Bluetooth, AirPlay, etc. features are awesome, so that caught my attention. It would cost $200-$300 depending on where I buy it from. That leaves $200-$300 for the 7.1 system, but I'm not entirely sure if I would get the good quality with that budget.

Therefore, I also need a suggestion on a 5.1 system which has a receiver included (1 package). I was looking at the Onkyo HT-S3700. Is this the best sound quality I can get with my budget of $500? Also, would the Onkyo HT-S5800 provide much a difference compared to the HT-3700?

I did want a 7.1 system with receiver, but I know that would cost more, so could you also recommend me a 7.1 system with receiver for a maximum $600 which would give me the best sound quality.

Room details: It's pretty small at 112" x 77" with soundproofed walls. I don't know how much a difference 5.1 vs 7.1 would make.
 
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Wayne A. Pflughaupt

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IMO 7.1 isn’t terribly worthwhile in a small room. You need some space, probably 6-10 ft., behind the seating to accommodate the back speakers. So you’re probably better off with a 5.1 system.

$200-300 isn’t going to get you a worthwhile 5.1 speaker system, but if you go with one of the used Sony DN850’s on Amazon you might be able to stretch for a Pioneer Andrew Jones SP-PK22BS system for $466.

Can’t advise you on the Onkyo systems, I haven’t used either of them. You can read the reviews on Amazon. I always check the 1- and 2-star reviews as well to see if what they don’t like is anything I care about.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
 

Jerome Grate

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A really good 5.1 system will trump a midway 7.1 system any day. Since you do not have the receiver yet, it will be a little tough for you to obtain a good complete system without increasing your budget to possibly 800.00 or you can find quality used material via Craig's list or eBay. If you purchase the Pioneer Andrew Jones SP-PK22BS, and add a couple of hundreds dollars, you can get a mid-level receiver to power everything. The sub is the weakest part of the system, but with a 6X9 room, the sub may actually work well.
 

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