Looking for for good speakers and sub under $500 (1 Viewer)

[hinkley50]

Hi. I am new to the forum and new to the audio portion of home theater hardware. I have an Onkyo 504 receiver and was wondering what some of the best speakers and subs are for a combined total under $500 (The wife has me on a budget). I have read many posts on different forums and some people recommend the cht front row system and the sub the athena as-p4000. The room is roughly 20'x18'. As I said I am new to this and had a few other questions also. Would I need an amp for speakers or the sub or is their enough power in the receiver. Also, say I only wanted to buy the speakers right now, would I be able to use just them for a while until I find a good sub? Lastly, I have read some good reviews about the athena micra 6 system. How would that do? If I can go cheaper than $500 that would be a bonus but not a must. Thanks for all the help. There are just so many options out there. Thought I would let the experts help me out on this one.

 

[afviper]

I am in a similar situation as you. With the research I have done so far I have decided to use the Insignia 6.5" speakers from best buy. These seem to be the best value in cheap bookshelf speakers by far at around $50 a pair. For the sub I have been looking at the Athena 4000 you mentioned, as well as the Dayton 120, BIC H100, Cadence x-sub, and a few other cheap used subs on ebay. You have a fairly large room so you might want to wait a little while to get the sub if that will increase your budget, and go with an SVS, or HSU sub.

Also, the receiver should have plenty of power for the speakers, and most subs are powered (have their own amp) so that won't be a problem.