New here / Need a little bit of help figuring out what to get.

[Whatever6750]

OK bacicly i have posted this on a diffrent forum i go to but want more opinions.

I Have 400 bux to spend. And that is ALL right now.

I was thinking a Onkyo TXSR502 Receiver with a set of Onkyo SKS-HT530B For Bacicly the same as a Onkyo HT-S780 HTIB.

With shipping and eveything it should come to just under 400 about 395 or so.

One question i have is is there any better receiver or speakers i should switch to?
Is there any place to get any of the stuff cheaper? Or same price that takes paypal?
Is eCost ok to buy from? What all is included? Ie remote manual wires and such?

The room this will be in is about 15 feet by 20 feet. Will be for mostly personal use but would be cranked up on the week ends when we have some people over and such. One imput will need to be my computer. then later on when i get the money a cd deck.

Any imput is apresheated! :-)

[N. Abstentia]

For $400 just be thankful you can get ANYTHING at all. I don't think you will beat that Onkyo for the price. Are you not going to have a DVD player? If so, theres no use to spend money for a CD player.

[Whatever6750]

No dvd player. This is just going to be for music. :-)

[Whatever6750]

Would thease be better? http://cgi.ebay.com/FLUANCE-Surround...QQcmdZViewItem
Thay usaly go for about 120+60 for shipping so 180 for those are 220 for the onyko set.

[Resident Loser]

...if you're interested in music only, and not planning on a DVD player, why not use your budget for a bare bones stereo?

A 7.1 receiver is going to make lots of trade-offs at that price point, so if you don't need the extra channels why not buy something more attuned to your requirements.

jimHJJ(...jus' wunnerin'...)

[ToddL]

Would thease be better? http://cgi.ebay.com/FLUANCE-Surround...QQcmdZViewItem
Thay usaly go for about 120+60 for shipping so 180 for those are 220 for the onyko set.

These seem a bit too good to be true. Has anyone heard them? A five channel set with floor standers for under $200. I don't know.

[Whatever6750]

...if you're interested in music only, and not planning on a DVD player, why not use your budget for a bare bones stereo?

A 7.1 receiver is going to make lots of trade-offs at that price point, so if you don't need the extra channels why not buy something more attuned to your requirements.

jimHJJ(...jus' wunnerin'...)

Like?

[GMichael]

Like?

Start here:

http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/r.../RX_series.htm

Then try Denon's website, Onkyo's, HK's, Pioneeer's......

[kexodusc]

For a barebones 2-channel system, I'd be looking at an old integrated amplifier....from ebay...NAD 3140, 3020, something along those lines. 40 watts/channel from these is plenty for now. These are from the days NAD built their amps like tanks.
$130 or so.
Find a cheap CD player, Denon, Yamaha, etc...You should have a few hundred left for a decent pair of speakers. Again...ebay and audiogon are your friends.

[Whatever6750]

What speakers should i get? What brands should i looks at? any certan ones that would pritty good for me?

[kexodusc]

Can you solder? Assemble a kit?
I always recommend the BR-1 kit from Parts Express....best bang-for-the buck sound I've heard yet. Period. $140.

If assembling a kit from instructions seems to hard, I like the Paradigm Atoms (used on ebay for $120 or so) or Axiom M3Ti's (closer to $300, might be able to find used for less).
Later on you'll want a subwoofer, but one thing at a time.

[Hawkeye]

You'll get your best bang for the buck by buying something used, like kexodusc said. You'll end up with better equipment for the same price than if you went new. The one caveat is chances are you won't have a warranty is case something goes bad.

What is you longer term goal? Surround sound? If so, you may want to consider the Panasonic SA-XR55. I haven't personally heard it but I have heard good things about it as a low cost option. Amazon is selling it delivered for $223. http://www.shopping.com/xPC-Panasoni...Audio_Receiver
You can always pick it up at places like Best Buy or Circuit City to see if you like it. They have a liberal, 30 day return policy. You can buy a pair of inexpensive but decent speakers that can eventually be moved to the rear surround position when you have enough for something better for use as your front L&R's.

[Resident Loser]

Like?

We know your budget, sooo...since we're dealing with no sources, my suggestion is to split that figure in half...$200 for a receiver and $200 for loudspeakers.

Receiver: Onkyo TX-8211 or Sony STR-DE197...not a whole lot in this price range...Yammies aren't...I'd pick the Onkyo

Speakers: Polk Monitor 30s, Klipsch B-2s, JBL E20s, Bose(yes, Bose)201s, infinity Beta 20s...These YOU have to audition, we all can suggest this and that, YOU are the one that has to like 'em.

All in your price range...Remember all the speakers have a limited bottom end, so if you need more, you can build on these items with a Polk or Velodyne 10" self-powered sub for around another $200...

And just as an aside, Onkyo makes what I consider to be a real sleeper...their MC35TECH mini-system. Consisting of a receiver w/remote, a three-disc CD changer and two bass reflex speakers with specs similar to the others previously mentioned. The materials used, build quality and the sound produced is quite exceptional at this price point IMHO...careful placement of the loudspeakers(for bass loading) and some judicious use of the three-position "presence" control seems to give the system more oomph than than it would seem to be entitled to produce...plus it has a "sub-out" to feed either of those sub's I mentioned, should the need arise. MSRP $399...

jimHJJ(...good listening...)

[amperex]

The receiver is ok. I would go to uBid, Overstock or simular site to buy cheap speakers. Tiny 3-1/2" speakrs will not play loud with any quality or power at loud volumes..