As mentioned, Onkyo in a box is not so great. Anyhow the comment about building slowly also has some merit. That way you can get the things you really want and not have to sacrifice quality to get everything at once. $300 will get you a pretty nice receiver. The remaining $1200 would be pretty good for fronts and center speakers. Save up for a nice SVS sub $400-$600 and matching surrounds later on.