Which Receiver and 5.1 speaker set-up for $500? (1 Viewer)

[Rob White]

Receiver needs:
•5.1 capable.
•6.1 is ok, but I already have the speaker wire mounted in the wall and I don't want to add a wire for a center surround speaker in the back of the room.
•doesn't have to be super-loud; we watch loud stuff in our bedroom home theater; this set-up is for our family room.
•I have heard some good things about the Yamaha HTR-5630 for $199 at BestBuy http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....oryId=cat03031

Speaker needs:
•don't want ones that are too big; it's for a family room/living room.
•I could probably swing black or brown ones, but cream or white would probably look better; my wife let me go with black speakers in the bedroom, but I may have to compromise here.

Budget:
•$500.

Thanks in advance for your help,
Rob

 

[greg baker]

http://www.onecall.com Has a HK325 on sale for $441. It is hard to beat for the money. I bought my HK520 from there and love it. Very powerful warm receiver.

Greg

 

[greg baker]

Sorry Rob I didn't read closeley enough you need speakers also. I think the Onkyo HTIB at Circuit city could fill the bill.

Greg

 

[Rob White]

Hey Greg,

I may be asking for too much with my criteria, but I need the speakers to be smaller. I'm trying to downsize on speakers that are 16x10x9 inches. The ones in the $499 Onkyo are about that same size.

Thanks though for responding,

Rob

 

[Harold Wazzu]

I found some speakers for ya -> http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?...45h&svbname=30

I would think something like a pioneer vsxd-412k would be alright since it also comes in silver and would match the speakers that way.

I found the speakers using pricegrabber, which displays the following -> http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_g...ef5a0c0adc78c1

Good luck

 

[Mike Fassler]

the pioneer VSX-D412S is a good little receiver for the price, i recently bought one, it is perfect for what my needs are. one day when i buy my own home thou, i will upgrade it too something that would fit that need. but for under 200 bucks that is an awesome receiver.

 

[Rob White]

Harold,

Thanks. Have you ever heard the Sony speakers that you mentioned? I've never thought of Sony as a particularly great brand of speakers. What do you think?

Thanks,
Rob

 

[Harold Wazzu]

No I am no audiophile by any means thus not picky when it comes to speakers. I suggested them mainly because Circuit City sells them and had a bunch of good customer reviews (some bad too though) on their web site, so you might want to go check out what some other people had to say about them.

http://www.circuitcity.com/display_r...9&catoid=-8023

 

[TosH]

You're really asking for a whole lot from that $500. Basically at that budget you're looking at HTIB or separate components on a similar level. Spreading that money over a 2.1 setup would net you better sound and the ability to add on to your system without junking anything. Here's one suggestion:

2.1 Setup
Receiver - Panasonic SA-XR25 $210
Sub - Dayton 10" 100W $140
Speakers - Wharfedale Diamond Anniversary 8.1 (Rosewood or Birds Eye Maple Veneer) $160

Although I've never heard that Sony setup, I'm positive the 2.1 setup I laid out would blow it away in every aspect.

 

[greg baker]

Though they are being harder to find. The Acoustic research hc6 is a good looking set up that is small and sounds good. I believe they have been discontinued but they can still be found on the net. cnet.com has a review on them.

 

[TosH]

I forgot to add, if you're dead set on going 5.1, then look into picking up the JBL NSPII speaker set for around $200. They're black and not that pretty but you'll be hard pressed to find anything sounding much better at that price range. That'll put you a little over budget but not by too much.