Can you tell me if this is a good purchase? (1 Viewer)

I'm a newb to all this, and this is my first surround sound setup I've saved up for. I went to my local Circuit City, and the guys were pretty cool to me. I told them I was looking to spend under 1200.00. They were very excited about the: Infinity HTS20 package of speakers (I think that's four mid speakers, a center, and a subwoofer) that dropped in price from $799 to $569.99. They compared it to the smaller Bose set of speakers and the Infinity's did sound better.
The receiver they praised was the Onkyo TXSR600 for $469.99. They said it was very simple to work with lots of options and good quality sound.
Thank you for any input.

Here's a link to the products:
Onkyo Receiver
Infinity speakers

The receiver is decent, though there have been some complaints about it's power output. For small speakers though, it should not have a problem. It can be had for $378 + shipping from Crazyeddie.com Do a search in the receivers forum, there is a TON of info on this receiver.
I'd pass on the speakers. You can get the JBL NSP-1 package plus a sub for about the same price and I feel this setup will sound better, particularly the sub.
The NSP-1 package can be had for $209, and the Sony SA-WM40 for $149 at E-tronics.com Do some searches on these two items, and you will come up with plenty of positive info. Both are good for the price.

John, thank you for the links and references. You mentioned how cheap it would be online, and since I'm new at this, I'm still wondering if it would be better to buy local in case I need to worry about support issues. Is it a safe buy to get a receiver online? Should I be concerned about support or warrentee if I do it that way?

I would definitely consider the JBL's and Sony if you think the sound is better. Could you give me more specifics on why you would pass on the Infinity's please? I did a search on the Infinity's and haven't found much yet.

I have used Crazy Eddie before and had no problem with getting items. I have never use E-tronics, but they are fairly well regarded. If you are concerned about service, and I completely understand that, ask the place you are interested in ordering from is an authorized dealer for the product line. This will mean your item is completely covered under the factory warranty and you can take/send it to any authorized service center (which is all a local dealer is going to do anyway).
I don't see a real reason not to buy the receiver locally, if that will make you feel better. I feel the same way, and that is why I bought my receiver locally also.
The Infinitys are a bit small for my liking, though they appear to have similar specs to the JBLs. You can audition the JBL N24s at a local Best Buy, maybe even Circuit City. The only downfall, and it would be the same for the Infinitys, is that they will lack in the lower midrange (both drop off around 70-80Hz), which means the sub will have to make up for some of this. And based on that, it's the sub that concerns me, the specs quickly tell me that it is not much of a performer. In fact, I recently heard Infinity dropped their line of subs altogether this year.
I have installed nearly the exact setup for a friend - NSP-1, SA-WM40 powered by a Marantz SR5200 (whole setup less than $1000) and I was surprised at how good it sounded. I don't want you to believe that you will be getting audiophile type sound out of these speakers, but for the price, they are respectable.
In the same price range as the Onkyo, I might suggest Harman Kardon and Marantz.
For an authorized online dealer for Marantz see Cambridge Soundworks
For H/K go to directly to them and check the "specials" section for factory refubished units at a very good price, and no need to worry about a warranty, because it is coming directly from the manufacturer (you can also check out their deals on speakers there) - Harman Kardon owns Infinity and JBL.

I would second John's recommendation for the JBLnsp-1. I have set this up for friends and it sounds pretty good. I would recommend looking at the refurbed JBL subwoofers on the harmanaudio.com website John linked to. You can steal a sweet sub for under $200. Good luck.

What about this deal right here at etronics for the JBL NSP1/PB12 package for $474.99? Is that basically what you're talking about all in one package? Or should I still hand pick a couple JBL's seperately and get the Sony WM-40 sub?

That setup should work fine as well. I don't think the Sony sub is any better or worse than the JBL. JBL had some problems with their subs about 2 years ago, but I think the current ones are OK.

A year later:
I've been liking this setup.

If I were going to upgrade my subwoofer, what would be a good one that would compliment this setup?

I thought I may also upgrade the front two speakers and turn them into Infinity towers to stick with the same brand.

Lanny_B, subs in my opionion are mostly not something that has to be "matched" to a system at all.

You just want to get the meanest one you can with the money you want to spend.

In the under $500 catagory, do a search on a Velodyne CHT-15, very dynamic powerfull sub, for a relatively small price.

Many on here love SVS subs, but I still have not been able to audition one.