Need help on 2.0/3.0 setup for apartment (1 Viewer)

[Dougieha]

I recently bought a Sony Bravia XBR 40" LCD TV and have it paired with the Oppo upscaling DVD player, and I'd really love to get a complete 5.1 setup. However, I currently live in an apartment with neighbors who don't like a lot of noise (read: bass). And equally important, I have no real way to set up the surrounds for a 5.1 system right now. So, I'm thinking of getting a good receiver (probably Onkyo TX-SR504), and starting off with some decent mains and maybe a center channel (although this thread gave me hope that I might not need to get a center channel right now (as I have VERY limited space around my TV)).

I need suggestions for what I should get. Since space is a pretty major concern as well, I realize I'm asking a lot here. For now, I can live without a ton of bass below 60Hz or even a little higher (anything will be better than what the TV produces). I'm thinking of getting some bookshelf speakers that I can mount on stands. Going back a few pages here, I've seen various suggestions (Polk R15, Ascend 170s (a little too big), Paradigm Performance Atom/Titan (possibility, although finding a dealer seems difficult), and the infamous Insignia (pretty darn big)).

So, what are your suggestions? I'll point out that I really like my Klipsch ProMedia 2.1s that are connected to my computer. I'd really like to get some possibilities before I go out and try to test out speakers. I'm not too concerned about price at the moment, but I'd like to keep the speakers under $500-600. I listen to some music, watch a ton of movies/some tv, and play a lot of games on my xbox360.

Can you help?

edit: oh...and my living room is roughly 10'x12' with the TV in a corner sandwiched between a fireplace and a glass door (so not a whole lot of room for floorstanding speakers). And ideally, I'd love to pick up these speakers at CC or Best Buy or Fry's...yeah...I know...I'm dreaming.

 

[Tim Holyoke]

I'm kind of in the same boat. I'm in an apartment with a living room that just doesn't work well for 5.1. But I'll have my own home within a couple years, so I'd like to get a good receiver and a good pair of front mains for now. I think the center, in my case, is quite unnecessary right now, since my mains would be positioned a foot to each side of my 30" TV? I'm actually sitting just 5' from the TV now.

A sub is also not possible right now, so hopefully a decent pair of mains (I'm thinking big bookshelf speakers) will put out adequate bass for TV and movie watching?

 

[Dougieha]

I'm thinking of the Paradigm Titans or maybe the Atoms with some floor stands. I live in the Seattle area and I've only found one Paradigm dealer in the area. Anyone know of more?

 

[Dougieha]

Well...after auditioning the Titans and several other small bookshelf speakers, I settled on a set of Era Design 3's (with L, R, and C). Apparently these are a brand new product, but they sounded absolutely amazing for their very small size.

 

[Chet_F]

I picked up a pair of the Insignia's and can't be more impressed. They weigh about 13 pounds but are NOT shielded. I have mine on a set of speaker stands and they look great. They are very nice looking speakers and their soundstage is amazing. Go ahead and read some reviews. I've yet to hear a bad review from those that have actually brought them home and took them for a spin. And the price - $50. You won't be disappointed.