Please help me pick out a home theater system...

[Kanto]

Hiya. I'm an audio newbie, and I need suggestions for a home theater system. At first, I was looking to just get a home theater in a box, but recently, I've been leaning towards buying the components separately. I've found a few speaker sets and subs that were reviewed well, but I don't know which ones to get... Also, I need a receiver suggestion. Finally, my budget is about $600 max. Now, onto the speakers and subs...

Speakers:

http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Channel-Theater-Speaker/dp/B0002WTK4S/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1222284689&sr=8-1 - Polk Audio RM6750 5.1 channel speaker set

http://www.amazon.com/Harman-KardonHKTS-18-Channel-Speaker-System/dp/B000K7ZWVK/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1222284761&sr=1-11http:// - Harmon Kardon HKTS-18 5.1 channel speaker set

http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-Synergy-Quintet-II-Theater/dp/B0007VZUGQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1222284817&sr=1-1 - Klipsch Synergy Quintet II 5 speaker set

Now, if the Klipsch set is the best, then I'll need a sub to go with it. Here are the subs I've been researching.

Subs:

http://www.amazon.com/Acoustech-H-100-Front-Firing-Subwoofer-High-Gloss/dp/B0006DNW6U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1222284918&sr=1-2 - Acoustech H-100 500 watt sub

http://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-430-Watt-Down-Firing-Subwoofer/dp/B0000Y2WYS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1222284959&sr=1-2 - BIC America V-1220 430 watt sub

http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-10-Inch-Monitor-Subwoofer/dp/B0002KVQBA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1222285083&sr=1-1 - Polk Audio PSW10 100 watt sub

I've been leaning towards the second one because it seems to be a good combo of price and power, but I'm really not sure.


So, those are the speakers and subs I've been interested in. Are there any good, affordable receivers to go with those, or am I better off buying an HTiB because my budget is so low?

Thanks a bunch to anyone who can help.

Oh, and sorry if this is in on the wrong board... Not sure if I'm supposed to post this here or on the Speakers board.

[elapsed]

Hi Kanto, with a tight budget, another option altogether would be to build the system slowly. For instance, budget your $600 towards a receiver and front speakers. When funds are available you can purchase a center channel, followed by a subwoofer, and eventually surrounds. This will allow you to build a quality system over time, and make far less compromises from the get go.

Just my $0.02..

cheers,
elapsed

[Kanto]

Hi Kanto, with a tight budget, another option altogether would be to build the system slowly. For instance, budget your $600 towards a receiver and front speakers. When funds are available you can purchase a center channel, followed by a subwoofer, and eventually surrounds. This will allow you to build a quality system over time, and make far less compromises from the get go.

Just my $0.02..

cheers,
elapsed
Hmm, I never thought of that... I just might try it. Do you have any suggestions for a receiver/speakers?

Also, I just remembered one more question I had. Do the required wires come with the speakers, or do I have to buy them separately?

Thanks again for all the help.

[elapsed]

Hi Kanto, here's an idea of a system you could purchase within your budget:

Paradigm Atom v.5 bookshelves: $250
Onkyo TX-SR506 receiver: $200
Speaker stands: $100
Cabling: $50

Total: $600

Here's a review of the speakers: http://www.goodsound.com/equipment/paradigm_atom_monitor_v5.htm

This system will blow away the satellite speaker systems you were considering in your original post. One strategy might be to start with these as your fronts, and once you've purchased a centre and subwoofer you could upgrade to Paradigm Monitor loudspeakers and move the Atom's to your surrounds.

As for speaker cabling, I'd recommend HDMI cables from Monoprice, speaker cables from Blue Jeans Cable. These are very good quality, and extremely reasonably priced. This model Onkyo receiver does not support audio over HDMI so you'd also need to purchase digital coax or optical audio cables for your sources. I'd strongly recommend auditioning several sets of speakers before making your selection as speakers are a very subjective purchase. Trust your ears, they won't lie to you ;)

I'm sure others on this forum can recommend more speakers in this price range..

cheers,
elapsed

[RoadRunner6]

I'm not sure if your $600 budget includes the receiver or not. I agree with Elapsed's recommendation on the Onkyo 506, great entry level receiver.

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/538299819/onkyo-tx-sr506?v_c=PriceGrabber&srccode=cii_5784816&cpncode=17-19566320-2

Unfortunately you didn't say anything about your room size or volume preferences. If you have a small room or a medium room with moderate sound levels and you'd like a small system and want amazing performance check out the newest Energy Classic Take 5 system. I owned the original and this is a very fine sounding system. Don't be fooled by the size. They will sound great but not super loud. Bass extension is excellent for music and OK for HT.

http://www.hometheatersound.com/equipment/energy_take_classic.htm

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B001202C44/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=&showViewpoints=1&colid=&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ENTAKECLA

If you still want to go cheaper the older Energy ACT 6 system is also very good for a close out price.

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B001202C44/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=&showViewpoints=1&colid=&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

I do however disagree somewhat on trusting your ears. All speakers sound different in each room due to room accoustics. The proof is how they sound in your own home. Newbies usually don't know what to listen for in a dealer's room and can be easily fooled. Listen mainly for natural sounding midrange/voices and highs that are not harsh. Put a lot of trust in pro reviews. Google any speaker exact model number and add the word "review" or go to the speaker company for review links.

If you want to go larger and much louder and then expand, get one of these:

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-2.html

and two of these (later two more for the surrounds)

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/hb-1.html

and later, one of these

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/hc-1.html

RR6

[blackraven]

For speakers check out the PSB Alpha B's or the PSB B-15's. The Alpha B's are a Stereophile Magazine Budget Speaker of the year.
http://stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/507psb/
www.saturdayaudio.com sells them and they can be had for about $250pr.

Also look at the infinity Primus 162's, another budget speaker. I bought a pair of the older 160's for my daughter and they sound very good for what they are. You can usually find them onsale for about $200pr.

http://stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/1007inf/

Also consider the Infinity Beta 20's which would be my pick for a speaker under $250. They are a large bookshelf and they can be found with the Primus 162's at http://www.crutchfield.com/g_37900/Bookshelf-Speakers.html?tp=186&nvpair=FFBrand%7cInfinity

You will need a sub with either of these speakers, especially the PSB's.

The Onkyo 506 is a good start for a receiver.

For subs, check out audiogon.com for a decent used sub.