HTiB vs AVR+Speakers (1 Viewer)

[nasaboy007]

I'm completely new to the home theater sound world, and so I was wondering: is it better to get a premade HTiB set, or to buy separate AVR and Speakers? I am operating on a super tight budget (looking to spend around $300 or a bit more on just the speakers/AVR), and so here's what I've reached after some research: Denon AVR-1312 ($165 @ www.woot.com) + Yamaha NS-SP1800BL 5.1 Speakers ($150 @ http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-NS-SP1800BL-5-1-Channel-Theater-Speaker/dp/B001AVRD62/) Are these compatible/good? or Onkyo HT-S3400 HTiB ($250 @ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=82-120-182) All the reviews in the past month have been 1 egg saying the product was DOA and neither Newegg nor Onkyo will help. With a 4-egg rating of 141 reviews, this seems strange that all the 1-egg reviews are clumped together recently (seemingly after this price drop). Should I be worried/wary? Thanks!

 

[Al.Anderson]

HTiBs are discouraged for numerous reasons which are well documented in other threads. However, there are reasons for going there and price is one of them. Going with an Onkyo HTiB is also a good idea as they at least provide a real receiver which you can upgrade later with better speakers. I would not go with the S3400 though, as I believe it uses a passive subwoofer. If you switch to the S5400 you'll be good. Between the S5400 and the Denon/Yamaha it comes down to features and preferences. Without comparing specific features I'd probably go for the Denon, by a hair, because of the better name. But I'll also bet when you compare the features Onkyo comes out on top, as they are known for throwing the kitchen sink into their products.