Home theater systems

[mmmbeans]

don't buy a boxed 5.1 system, i've owned a couple and they all have been trashed within 3 years.

buy a decent receiver or buy a good pair of second hand cabinet speakers, ultimately you can integrate them into whatever system you ultimately end up with. Even if you decide not to, you have a great set of speakers that will last you 20-30 years.

a boxed 5.1 system will last you 3-5 years MAX if they don't burn out and will be useless once you upgrade your system.

Plus, believe it or not, high quality stereo sounds MUCH better than mediocre 5.1

Also, don't be afraid to buy high quality gear second hand, if it's well built the stuff lasts damn near forever and you can save a HUGE amount if you buy something that's a gen or two old.

just my opinion though.

[g5jamz]

I have a decent Sony receiver.

My speakers were the issue. I had an old pair of Cerwin Vega CT-12s from the 90s...and they can rock, but they are just too big/bulky for the room. I'm probably just going to focus on a nice 5.1 pair of speakers to add to the receiver. I'm not at home...but my receiver is one of these...maybe the 695 model though. Can't recall.

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-documents.pl?mdl=STR-DE685&region_id=1

[mmmbeans]

ohhhhhh. so you want wall-mount speakers for space reasons?

all cabinets are out?

http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-TSi500-Floorstanding-Speaker/dp/B0018QPSDY

a buddy of mine has these, excellent for the price...

tall but skinny... and much nicer looking than the vegas.

[g5jamz]

ohhhhhh. so you want wall-mount speakers?

Not necessarily...

I've prewired everything in the walls to do either. Installed little red/black rca fittings at power outlet levels for read speakers. Maybe I should do a layout of the room to give a better idea of what I have.

[g5jamz]

320ish for a single speaker? don't think that'll work.

[mmmbeans]

http://cgi.ebay.com/PAIR-TSi500-Cherry-Tower-Speakers-Polk-Audio-/390269648910?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item5adde2400e

[mmmbeans]

Sorry, one can always dream.

look for a pair of Polk Monitor 70s, you can find them for around 160 per speaker though it might take some looking. A good deal.

then when you get enough cash you can add a center channel. another $150 or so and build the system piece by piece.