Home theater speakers

[kaminrob0]

I need some advice. Put in a home theater. The room is roughly 15 x 15. I have narrowed the list down to the following:
Infinity Primus: 360 for the front, c25 for the center, and 150s for the surrounds.
Athena Audition: as-f2 for the front, as-c1 for the center, and as-r1 for surrounds.
Onix Rockets: 4 of the ELT LRS ( 2 front-2 surrounds), ELT center speaker.

What package do you guys like or are there other setups that I am missing that might be better?

[jamison162]

I assume you have listed to each of these systems, if not I would do so.
I'm surprised you don't have Polk Audio in the mix esp. with the deal Crutchfiled has going on right now.

[bargainseeker]

I need some advice. Put in a home theater. The room is roughly 15 x 15. I have narrowed the list down to the following:
Infinity Primus: 360 for the front, c25 for the center, and 150s for the surrounds.
Athena Audition: as-f2 for the front, as-c1 for the center, and as-r1 for surrounds.
Onix Rockets: 4 of the ELT LRS ( 2 front-2 surrounds), ELT center speaker.

What package do you guys like or are there other setups that I am missing that might be better?

I assume that all of these speakers would be used with a subwoofer.

In terms of appearance and build quality, the Onix Rockets are the clear winner. In terms of "bang for the buck", I would also give the edge to the Onix Rockets, at least if you are going to take advantage of the current half price sale on the cherry versions of these speakers. In terms of "looking imposing", I would say that the Infinity and Athena floor standers have the edge.

In terms of sound quality, all three of the options you have outlined are good values for the money. In my opinion, the best way to make your final decision is through an in-home audition. My guess is that the Infinity and Athena speakers are available to you from a local dealer while the Onix Rocket speakers would be bought online. I would suggest ordering the Onix Rocket speakers and, while you are waiting for them to arrive, do careful auditions of the Infinity and Athena speakers. Then, eliminate one of these options and bring the other home for comparison with the Onix Rockets. Just make sure that you buy the Infinitys or Athenas from a store that has a 30 day return policy. Finally, make your final choice and return the other speakers for a refund.

[kexodusc]

I have to agree with Bargainseeker about the Onix Rockets...While I'm not convinced the marginally better quality translates into a tangible benefit, the ELT bookshelf models I heard are tough to beat at the 50% of sale price if it's still offered. If these are your exclusive options, you would do yourself a favour to follow Bargainseeker's recommendations.

IMO, the Rockets are one of the few on-line speakers I've heard that really do live up to their review hype. Probably because they don't make rediculous claims.

[kaminrob0]

I agree. I really like the Rockets. My wife is not so sure about the color but I think they are great speakers. Do you guys have any other speakers that you think I should look into?

[evil__betty]

I assume you have listed to each of these systems, if not I would do so.
I'm surprised you don't have Polk Audio in the mix esp. with the deal Crutchfiled has going on right now.

Its not just Crutchfield that has the special with Polk Audio - every dealer of Polk has it. Just like when they were giving away the PSW10 with any Polk package over $599.

[kaminrob0]

What is the Polk offer?

[jamison162]

Not sure about other dealers as I don't see the offer anywhere but on Crutchfield.com.
The offer is: If you buy $500 worth of Polk Audio products, you get a $150 Crutchfield Credit for your next order. I bought the RTi4's and FXi3's for $610 last week. Today, I ordered the CSi3 center for $199 and used the $150 credit ($49 out of pocket). No tax in FL, and free shipping. So I got a rather decent sounding Polk set-up for $660 total (minus a sub). Will probably add the SVS PB10 or 12 later.

[kaminrob0]

WOW!! I like the Polk deal at Crutchfield. Maybe I will go that route. I still like the Rockets but that is a great deal for the Polks. I have not read one negative thing about the Rockets. Please someone tell me these speakers aren't as good as I have read. Man now I am not sure which way to go here? What a tough decision. Any other speakers out there I should look at to make the decision that much more difficult?

[jamison162]

Just go listen to the Polks at Circuit City or Sound Advice, or whomever stocks them in your area. The RTi4's sound HUGE.

[evil__betty]

Polk's new give away is indoor/outdoor speakers with every purchase over $500. I am sure if you talked to the salesman at any store and didn't want the extra speakers, you could get credit for a purchase down the road.