not for me

[hifitommy]

but for my daughter and BF. a HT system (cheeeep) to enhance a 52" tv/gamer/movie oriented household. there is a yamaha sys for just over $300 with receiver and speakers. they dont need a dvdp as they already have an adequate one.

any recommendations would be welcome. at $300, do you get adequate or inadequate results. this system is from BB, a preferred supplier.

feel free to open up here.

[Woochifer]

$300 will get a foot in the door, but won't gather the necessary quality of speakers to make a decent showing for multichannel. The prepackaged HTIB systems, at best, come with only marginal speakers thrown in. At that price point, I doubt that the speakers will even sound marginal. To give you some perspective, I think the bare minimum for a 5.1 HT speaker package is the Energy Take system, and that one goes for around $500 just for the speakers.

For $300, a basic HT receiver and two entry level bookshelf speakers should be the initial goal. Pioneer will probably provide more bang for the buck than the Yamaha, though the Yammie will likely provide better build quality. Their entry level receivers start around $200. I believe that Athena makes a pair of bookshelf speakers around the $150 price point. The HT receiver will come with a virtual surround function built into the processor that will at least enhance the viewing with video games and movies, compared to what the TV speakers would provide. The center speaker, surrounds, and subwoofer can be added on later. The nice thing about HT is that each successive step along the way provides an incremental improvement in sound quality.

[thekid]

but for my daughter and BF. a HT system (cheeeep) to enhance a 52" tv/gamer/movie oriented household. there is a yamaha sys for just over $300 with receiver and speakers. they dont need a dvdp as they already have an adequate one.

any recommendations would be welcome. at $300, do you get adequate or inadequate results. this system is from BB, a preferred supplier.

feel free to open up here.

Hifitommy

I agree with Wooch and if you are trying to stick with BB I saw the Pioneer 515k there yesterday for $150 which would leave you little room for speakers. BB does carry some Athena speakers but according to their website all are sold out except a pair of satelites but I am not sure they would fit the bill. They do have a pair of Sony SSMB350H for about $95. They should probably have a pair of SSMB150's for about $50. A lot of people on this site don't think much of Sony speakers but I own these for my small bedroom and they work pretty well. This set up would work for your budget but you really need to listen to them and see if you can live with them. Most people here will tell you it is penny wise and pound foolish to spend $300 now and that it would be better to wait for your budget to get a little bit bigger and then spend the money on better equipment. IMO it comes down to personal choice and your finances.

Good hunting!

[Jim Clark]

Tommy's been in the game for many moons and knows the score. While I'm not familiar with this or any HTIB Yamaha has a great reputation in electronics and unlike the other big makers has at least had a hand in speaker building over the years. I agree with and follow the incremental approach. Just yesterday I added up up everything currently in use the cost is several thousands of dollars. I just don't see where most have the interest to invest that kind of time and money in the deal.

If 300 is what you're looking to spend I'd think it would be just about the best bet.

Regards,
jc