Home Theater Speakers

I bought this (Sony STR-DH540 AV receiver) over winter and am just now getting into a place where I can set it up. I was recommended this (Polk Audio RM6750 Black 5.1 CH Home Theater Speaker System ) by a friend, but alas they are now discontinued and the newer model is also out of stock. I'm trying to keep this setup moderately cheap <$500, I'm already $200 into the receiver. What would you recommend for a speaker set (I'd really rather not deal with piecing parts together yet)? And what else do I need to set up the system (noob here), would a speaker set come with speaker wire or is that something that needs to be bought separately?

If possible, go with something that has larger front stage speakers (center, left, right). That takes the load off of the sub.

Let me see what I can scare up for around $300 for a boxed set. I'll edit this post with links.

BTW, Polks are usually a very decent option.

I loved my polks. That being said I replaced them with jbl northridges. Cheap if you can find em, powered solders.in some models and they shred. IIRC the nd310s were the ones I was I.n love with back in the day.

Here's a few options I found within a stone's throw of your price range.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-KLIPSCH-QUINTET-5-0-SPEAKERS-home-theater-system-cinema-sound-cheap-price-/111453931841?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item19f32c0941

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JBL-SCS-145-5-5-1-Home-Theater-Speaker-with-Realistic-Surround-Sound-BLACK-NEW-/321508813505?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item4adb6b2ac1

Ok wow. After seeing what's out there for $300 can I make a suggestion? Drop $300 on some decent tower speakers for now. Run 2.0. Then, save up some coin, and buy a sub and run 2.1. Then, save up some more coin and buy a center, and maybe some surrounds at that point and run 3.1 or 5.1. The stuff that's out there for $300 just isn't worth it. Unless your fine with really mediocre sound quality. I mean, you could autocross a Chevy Cavalier, but why?

Buy THESE and a sub right now and stay under your $300 cap. Then you can run 2.1 and you'd have some VERY good speakers as a foundation for a proper HT setup.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ACOUSTIC-RESEARCH-AR-TSW-210-SPEAKERS-AUDIOPHILE-QUALITY-VERY-NICE-/271606710180?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item3f3d057fa4

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dahlquist-M-909-Audiophile-Speakers-Nice-Condition-/191349783490?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item2c8d55fbc2

I gotta stop now before I spend all my car money on more speakers.

I'd rather have a good 2.1 or even 2.0 than a mediocre 5.1.

this. i am more than happy with my current setup amd its two jbl towers. they hammer and theyre clean.

Kenny_McCormic wrote:

I'd rather have a good 2.1 or even 2.0 than a mediocre 5.1.

Fluance AVHTB Surround Sound Home Theater 5.0 Channel Speaker System including Three-way Floorstanding Towers, Center and Rear Speakers

Thoughts on this set, or just go with DRBOOST "buy THESE" link and a sub?

The missions are great speakers but I prefer something with a built in woofer up front, personally. The fluances are rather interesting. They present as white van speakers but appear to be really good for the dough. I am always wary of any box set of speakers personally, but that's up to you.

It all depends on what you expect/demand out of a set of speakers. This will likely change with time. There was a time, back in my late teens, when I was happy with my bose 201s. Now though, they'd be relegated to garage speakers (well, not really. I have some very nice vintage Advents in there now). If you don't want very high fidelity, go with the Fluance or other box sets and you'll be happy. If you really want to hear detail in music and theater, go higher end. The Missions will spoil you though. After living with them for a while, you'll start to get critical of lesser units.
The good things about the box sets is that they are matched very well sonically. they will dazzle with bright high's and typically pump out decent lows at a target frequency (to impress in the store) but lack everything else.
Might I suggest something? Go to your nearest hi-end audio store and audition the cheapest thing they have. Note what you listened to and bring those results here. There's enough audiophiles on this board, we can find you something that will be very, very close to what you heard for a fraction of the price.
How large a room do you have? Magnepan's would be a great choice if you don't mind some odd-looking speakers. MG-IIA is what I'm thinking. You'd need a sub though. I had a set of MG-IIAs and, to this day, I have never heard a set of speakers that sounded more natural and beautiful.

Heh, and to me, maggies are just not my thing- and while they're clean, I think they lose too much sound in the design. No lows just grinds me for some reason. For a "budget" speaker, I'm probably back at Definitive, but right there is the difference in speaker nerds. We'll sit and argue for months. We know the pluses and minuses for each speaker, and we all have our own preferences. That's the problem... we can name speakers all day, but until you hear THE set, we're just spitballing.

I could listen to fifteen completely different sets of speakers ranging from junk to awesome and not be able to tell a difference. My current setup would be considered an embarrassment.

The two front speakers are from a cheap fisher stereo that is over 20 years old. The sub is from a cheap 2.1 altic lancing computer system.

The center and rear satellites are from the cheapest surround sound set they had at wallmart fifteen years ago.

I turn it on and sound comes out. Works for me. If I even think about turning it loud enough to tell if there is a problem SWMBO comes stomping in like the sound police yelling to turn it down.

These for ~$130: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA3JX1P22738 + This for ~$180: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0FU1099367

At some later date you may be able to find another BSR-22 for a center, or maybe buy a few matching "center channel" speakers for the front of your room and move the BSR-22's to the back for rear channel duties. Or some other action like that.

mndsm wrote: Heh, and to me, maggies are just not my thing- and while they're clean, I think they lose too much sound in the design. No lows just grinds me for some reason. For a "budget" speaker, I'm probably back at Definitive, but right there is the difference in speaker nerds. We'll sit and argue for months. We know the pluses and minuses for each speaker, and we all have our own preferences. That's the problem... we can name speakers all day, but until you hear THE set, we're just spitballing.

No, your opinion is wrong, and you are stoopid. Wait, I forgot this isn't the typical internet forum, sorry.
You're right, to each his own. To me, the one (major) issue with maggies is how power-hungry they are. I have the power to drive them, but no longer have the space. I sold them years ago. The sonic accuracy was astounding. I ended up replacing all my interconnects with higher end stuff because they Maggies allowed me to hear the flaws. But my goodness, when everything was set up, the staging, transient response, and clarity left me in awe.
Currently I have Celestion studio monitors for my L/R and surrounds, with two subs I built to fill in the lows. I like separate subs because I find it a more flexible system.
Now Nick_Comstock, you sound just like my wife, and in fact most human beings on earth. But it still cracks me up.