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Help a college student build a sub $1000 home theatre

post #1 of 7
12/15/08 at 5:44pm
Thread Starter 
I'm looking to set-up a home theatre in the bedroom of my college apartment. I'm not looking for a long-term solution that I can carry with me for years, just the two years until I graduate. I plan on mostly gaming and watching movies on the system. I won't be listening to any music on it, but I would like to watch concert DVD's on it (Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Rage Against the Machine), so take from that what you will.
The room is around 11x10.
I have a Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 that I want to connect to the system with HDMI and optical cables.
Now here is the catch, I would like to spend under $1000, including cables.


So far I have been able to cobble together this as an idea so far:
Samsung LN32A450 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV
Amazon.com: Samsung LN32A450 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV: Electronics

and

Onkyo HT-S3100 5.1 Channel Home Entertainment System (Set of Seven, Black)
Amazon.com: Onkyo HT-S3100 5.1 Channel Home Entertainment System (Set of Seven, Black): Electronics

Any suggestions?
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post #2 of 7
12/16/08 at 2:39am

Re: Help a college student build a sub $1000 home theatre

That's a pretty good option you've listed for a sub-$1000 setup. You might also take a look at the 42" Panasonic plasmas. On Black Friday they had one 42" model running at $699 . . . I believe it is still available for under $800.
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post #3 of 7
12/16/08 at 3:51am

Re: Help a college student build a sub $1000 home theatre

I like the TV. I just got a 37" Vizio for my bedroon for $580, but the picture on the Samsungs are better. So since you'll be fairly close to this set I think going for quality is the right choice.

I don't like the reveiver. It's not that cheap and it has a passive subwooofer. Plus it only has component switching (no HDMI) if the specs on Amazon are correct (I didn't look beyond the link). I did a quick search on the major sites not looking for sales but just ballpark comparisons. Interstingly, I didn't find much. I'm guessing that these low-priced systems are in demand for Christmas; so you might want to wait for after the holidays. But here's one that was pretty close: Yamaha - 600W 5.1-Ch. Home Theater System - YHT-390BL

I do like Onkyo's though, just not that one. If you have access to Costco you might try them. There was nothing on the .com site, but the stores have different stock.
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post #4 of 7
12/16/08 at 11:08am
Thread Starter 

Re: Help a college student build a sub $1000 home theatre

I just found a Pioneer VSX-D710S in m father's basement. Would that be a good receiver, and then spent the money I save because I won't have to pay for said receiver and just put it toward JBL SCS145.5S ( JBL SCS145.5S Surround Speaker System reviews - CNET Reviews )?
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post #5 of 7
12/16/08 at 12:22pm

Re: Help a college student build a sub $1000 home theatre

I like the receiver. It doesn't have HDMI, but free goes a long way! (It's a good receiver though, you can do without HDMI for a while.)

Unfortunately, I have to be negative again. I have those exact speakers. I got them on a lark for my mini theater in my computer room mostly because they were very inexpensive. And I don't like them very much. The sub is okay, but the satelites are lifeless and drab. Of course, sound is subjective, so try and listen to them if you can. On the plus side, they are cheap. I have a set of Harman/Kardons for my main system and I really love them. (~$600 a few years back.)
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post #6 of 7
12/16/08 at 10:08pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Help a college student build a sub $1000 home theatre

Polk Audio RM6750
RM6750 Product Page : Six-piece, 5.1 channel home theater speaker system : Polk Audio
?
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post #7 of 7
12/18/08 at 11:43pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Help a college student build a sub $1000 home theatre

Any thoughts on the above set of speakers from Polk?
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