JustinABOOK

Home Theater on a Tight Budget

I'm looking for a surround sound system, but would like to keep the cost under $1,000. I've looked at some of the lower end Axiom speakers, but I don't know if there are some lesser known speakers that might give me a better sound for the same or cheaper price. I know people speak out pretty strongly against Bose, but I'm also considering the Acoustimass 10 due to the low price and WAF. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Justin

ChrisLazarko

All Bose products are not cheap and you will in 99% of ALL occasions be able to find a better product for cheaper or the same price.

My recommendation with reciever and subwoofer would be this:

Harman/Kardon AVR-125 reciever - $200 (www.soundcity.com)
Klipsch Quintet 5 piece speaker set - $350 (bestbuy)
Infinity Entra Two subwoofer - $350 (www.soundcity.com)

Soundcity includes FREE SHIPPING with these products so don't worry about that.

The Infinity sub I think is a nice piece, it goes down to about 28Hz, not the lowest but decent for the price and I don't think you could do much better than that for the price. I also had heard this sub and it was very clear and distinct.

The Harman/Kardon AVR-125 is a refurbished unit SoundCity is selling, but don't be afraid to buy it! Harman/Kardon gives you the FULL warranty with there refurbished products and the AVR-x25 line is phasing out because this years model just came out, so I recommend this as a great buy.

Now speakers are another subject where I would say take a listen. I think what would suit best in this price range is satellite speakers. There price is not incredibly expensive, and good ones can pump out alot of sound. The Klipsch Quintets sound very nice to me and I definantly like them as I own a pair myself from when The Wiz went out of business.

I hope this helps you with your Home Theater... The total cost for all of these components is under your $1000 budget at $900. Enjoy!

Mark Murphy

I grabbed an AVR-225 from soundcity and it had a bad left surround channel. They ran out of that model but they did offer a 100% refund or credit towards another reciever. I decided to get it fixed because I like what I heard from the other 4 channels, not to mention the price ($240). HK is covering the repair 100% also. Fortunately, there is a authorized repair center 5 min from my house. I agree w/Chris. Grab the AVR-125 for $199. Circuit City was selling it locally for $379 last week. HK will definitely honor the warranty and you can't beat the price. You won't find a better AVR for the money.

Oh yeah....soundcity's customer service told me that I was one of only two people to have a problem w/an HK refurb AVR, so I wouldn't worry too much. I got a bad one and I recommend grabbing it.

ChrisLazarko

Mark I deal with Soundcity directly since I live close to them and often walk in there sometimes just to chat and see what's new... Soundcity is a company with good customer support and HK definantly honors there warranties. Like I said though, look at what else I recommended... I don't think you can go wrong with all that.

GregAV

Well, considering the WAF factor, 4 JBL S26II's and a SCenterII should fit the bill and leave you enough cash for a fairly serious subwoofer.

Phil Iturralde is the expert on JBL on the forum, and he runs the S26's with a SVS 25-31 if I remember right. Search to forums for his posts and you'll get a ton of detailed info.

Though the S series speakers are being phased out, they're still available. A quick search on Froogle http://froogle.google.com/ showed J & R has S26II's for $150 a pair - shipped.

http://www.jandr.com/JRProductPage.p...uct_Id=2797686

Perhaps Ebaying at JBL direct would save even a few more dollars, reman - but with a 5 year factory warrantee.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3056465054

The 4 speakers and the SCenterII should run $450 or less, leaving enough for a Adire Rava, SVS 25-31(before shipping), but getting your wife to agree to "Any" decent sub is your - umm..."mission".


Have fun,
Greg

Mark Murphy

Chris, I agree w/you 100%. Soundcity would have swapped my defective AVR-225 for another one if they had any more. They offered me a few different options. I chose to hold on to the one I have and get it repaired under warranty. For the money, its worth the wait. Its good piece of mind to know that they are an authorized dealer as well. Where would I be if I bought from Ecost? The next time I'm in the market for electronics, I will check out Soundcity first.

JustinABOOK

Hey guys. Thanks for your suggestions. I will definitely look into what soundcity has to offer. However...I have good news. I was able to barter corian countertops for a $750 increase in budget. With the extra money is there a solid step up, or are the previous suggestions still my best bet? My budget actually does not include the receiver, so although I will definitely look into the HK at soundcity, the full 1750 can go towards fronts, rears, center, and sub (I guess I managed to fanagle a pretty generous budget afterall). Thanks in advance for your posts.

Justin

Mark Murphy

Take the extra $$$ and spend it at www.svsubwoofers.com

Mark Murphy

I got my AVR 225 back from the shop today and they said nothing was wrong w/the left surround channel. Sure enough, I hooked a spare speaker up to the SL channel and it worked. I re-inserted the HK back into the HT and the SL didn't work again. AFter re-shooting the trouble, it was a bad banana plug. Soundcity sold me a good AVR 225 and in my haste, I never tested the banana plugs I Was using for the SL channel. I took the plugs off and all is well. Shop Soundcity w/confidence. They sold me a terrific reciever at a great price w/fast free shipping.