Best products from r/hometheater

Gallery: http://imgur.com/gallery/7N0G8

The end of 2016 brought in some really nice upgrades to my AV setup, including:

TV - Samsung KS8000 65" - Not too much to say about this TV as it's very widely discussed on this subreddit. I scored it with EPP pricing and 10% (doubles to 20%) cash back through discover for around $800 all said and done.

http://www.samsung.com/us/televisions-home-theater/tvs/4k-suhd-tvs/65-class-ks8000-8-series-4k-suhd-tv-2016-model-un65ks8000fxza/

AVR - Yamaha TSR-7810 - This is the Costco version of the Yamaha RX-V781. Purchased new for $464 after a $25 off coupon. Very capable unit for the price.

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/tsr/tsr-7810/

Game Console - Xbox One S - Used for gaming, streaming and as UHD player.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one-s

Front speakers - Axiom M60 V2 - Scored these audiophile grade speakers along with the side surrounds for $400 dollars total on craigslist. Great price for 4 higher end speakers imo.

http://www.axiomaudio.com/m60-floorstanding-speakers

Side Surrounds - Axiom M3ti - Purchased these along with the M60 fronts for $400. A little large for surround speakers, but I figured I may as well use them since I have them.

http://www.axiomaudio.com/m3-bookshelf-speakers

Speaker Stands - Pangea Audio LS300 - I needed 36" speaker stands and these fit the bill. Reasonable stands for the price of $139. I have the columns mass loaded with play sand.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EVNE96C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Speaker Mounts - VideoSecu speaker mounts - Some cheap wall mounts, pretty sturdy and have decent positioning capabilities.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X9O8SI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here is the existing gear that I did not upgrade yet but is still being used:

Center Channel - Polk Audio CSi3 - Part of my older entry level stuff. This is the next thing I am looking to upgrade as I'd like to match the center to the fronts. TBH I don't really notice difference in timbre as much as others may.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-JdQDXbhbK4P/p_107CSI3B/Polk-Audio-CSi3-Black-oak-finish.html

Subwoofer - Velodyne CHT-8 - Go ahead, laugh. Yeah it's only an 8" subwoofer but it does the job for now. Provides pretty good LFE for it's size, just doesn't extend very low. I currently live in a rented townhouse and the wall where the TV is is shared with my neighbor. I'm looking to upgrade to a 12" in the future, either SVS or HSU. But most likely won't happen while I'm living here.

http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/subwoofers/velodyne-acoustics/cht-8/prd_286736_2741crx.aspx

Rear surrounds - Polk Audio M10 - These are pretty cheap speakers, but they could be worse. I don't have any plans on upgrading these unless i find a great deal on something used, or if they break.

https://www.amazon.com/polk-audio-m10-bookshelf-cherry-pair/dp/b002bsha66?tag=indifash06-20

Moving forward and comments:

I would like to get a 2 channel amp to power my front speakers to really wake up their full range. If anyone could recommend a good stereo amp that I could hook up to my pre outs that would be great. I have no experience in external amps and am pretty clueless to it honestly.

I know my cable management is not the greatest ,but unfortunately being a rented house there is not too much I can do.

I do realize that my rear soundstage is a little on the cramped side, the Side surrounds are rather close to the couch and so are the rears. I am lucky enough as it is that I got my GF to agree to moving the couch from the wall in the first place. Honestly, even with it being cramped I get a good effect and immersion, so I'm happy.

Subwoofer placement - This isn't really where I want the sub to go, but I did the crawl and it sounded decent here. Having a neighbor sort of forbids me to place it in the front soundstage.

TV is crooked. I have the TV mounted on the cheapest stand ever from Wal-Mart about 5 years ago. Eventually when I'm a homeowner the TV will get a proper wall mount, but this will do for now.

If anyone has any critiques or comments feel free to give me input. I'm always looking for ways to improve my setup.

Please don't do a Bose system unless you just absolutely love it. I don't find their sound quality/performance to match their price.

In the above reply you mentioned a 5.1 or 7.1 setup. Unless you have the proper room to setup a 7.1 you're better off going with a 5.1 for both easy of setup and cost effectiveness.

Here are some options I would consider.

AVR - (pick one) The heart of the system. I'm going Yamaha because they are very easy to setup and have a really good app to control them.

• Yamaha RX-V581 $500 or Refurb $350 Great 7.2 AVR with a lot of features. Gives you the option for a zone 2, 7.1 or atmos speakers.
  
  
• Yamaha RX-V481$400 5.1 AVR that includes networking features. Less channels but also less price. If you feel like you won't be expanding in the near future this could be a winner.
  
  Speakers - (Pick one) These are some packages I would look at. I went with packages to make it easier but honestly there are so many combinations we could sit here all day.
  
  
• KEF - E305 $600 on sale This is a great 5.1 speaker package to get you started. Amazing sound and a very small footprint.
  
  
• DefTech - ProCinema 800 $900 another 5.1 speaker package that has small satellite speakers that are very easy to place around the room.
  
  
• Boston Acoustics - CS2300 5.0 set $200 + SVS PB1000 $500 Another good option for smaller speakers and you're getting a very capable subwoofer too boot. Be careful of sub placement as these speakers cross higher than most.
  
  
• Pioneer - SP-PK52FS $480 + BIC F12 Sub $220 This set gets you towers speakers for the front so you don't have to worry about stands for them. You could get the bookshelf set but I would still upgrade to the F12 as the Pioneer sub is probably too small for your room.
  
  
• Q Acoustics - 3000 Series 5.1 $800 Kind of new to the US but they get great reviews from the UK. Different looking speakers.
  
  Keep in mind that you'll probably need speaker wire, HDMI cables, and possibly an optical cable depending on your sources.

I definitely recommend getting a different subwoofer; every system I recommend using these Pioneer speakers has left out the subwoofer in favor for another one.

With your budget I would do this.

• Your $400 receiver that you're set on
  
• Wait for a sale on the Pioneer BS22's which frequently go on sale on Amazon for under $100 a pair. Get 2 of these (a pair for the fronts and another pair for surrounds). Since you'll be getting a nice subwoofer, you won't need the bass extension of the floorstanders; the sub will take care of this. So $200 total for fronts and surrounds.
  
• The center channel frequently goes on sale for $75 on Amazon (currently it's around $100).
  
  So you have a 5.0 system with your receiver for $675.
  
  A few subwoofer options depending on how much you want to spend on one. Note that all of these are significant upgrades over the Pioneer subwoofer.
  
  
• Dayton Sub 1200 ($130): http://www.amazon.com/Dayton-Audio-SUB-1200-12-Inch-Subwoofer/dp/B00669L3HS The cheapest subwoofer I would actually recommend for a home theater setup. A nice review here: http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/speaker-subwoofer-reviews/71766-dayton-audio-sub-1200-subwoofer-review.html
  
  
• BIC F12 ($185) a step up from the Daytons in terms of output: http://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-F12-475-Watt-Subwoofer/dp/B0015A8Y5M
  
  
• NXG NX-BAS-500 (on sale for $234) http://www.radioshack.com/nxg-nx-bas-500-12-500-watt-powered-subwoofer/55058551.html I use this subwoofer for my office. Good output and surprisingly musical for the price. IMO, this is the best subwoofer under $300. A review here: http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/speaker-subwoofer-reviews/67178-nxg-nx-bas-500-subwoofer-review.html
  
  
• Then there's a large gap where I don't feel there's a ton of improvement in the price range up to $500. One noticeable exception is the Hsu STF-2 for $375 (http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-2.html), but I would actually push my budget more if you start spending this much...the next subwoofers are well worth the price difference.
  
  
• SVS PB1000, $500 http://www.svsound.com/subwoofers/ported-box/pb-1000 The REAL subwoofers start in at $500 and this is the lowest priced real one. Good for music, great for home theater. Another option that goes on sale for $500 with free shipping is this one: https://www.outlawaudio.com/products/lfm1plus.html It's a bit of an upgrade over the PB-1000, so at the same price, it's definitely the better value when on sale.
  
  
• This is the subwoofer I use for my personal home theater, the Rythmik LV12R, $600: http://www.rythmikaudio.com/LV12R.html It's tight, articulate, precise, and has ample output for medium sized rooms. Awesome for both music and movies. A review here: http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/speaker-subwoofer-reviews/67309-rythmik-lv12r-subwoofer-review.html
  
  If your budget is even higher than that, let me know and we can figure out a very nice subwoofer for the price. Judging by your initial budget, however, I feel like this is a good list to start looking at.

I looked it up and you have dome tweeters so don't get anything with a horns such as Klipsch. However they are from a home theater in a box which generally speaking aren't great. My suggestion is you should get the center now but plan on buying the matching left and right as soon as you can. The issues you could run into with running miss matched from stage (LCR) is timber imbalance where sounds don't have the same volume or pitch so sounds traveling across your front stage could sound like aaaaaaAAAAAAAaaaaaaa. My suggestion is listen to some bookshelf speakers and find ones you like then buy the center that matches them. Here are some options I found on Amazon but going to local shops to listen would be best:

• Fluance XL7C they are a Canadian company and make products that are great for what they cost this is $10 over budget though
  
  
• Sony Core Series center known to be a smidge bright I believe in store at best buy
  
  
• Pioneer SP-C22 Andrew Jones is a well regarded speaker designer and most of his products have a sound signature that's well liked
  
  
• Micca MB42X-C the cheapest you could go
  
  
• Polk CSR Polk is a good brand haven't heard anything about these however in store at best buy
  
  
• Paradigm Cinema 110 C heard good things about this brand don't know how their entry level stuff is
  
  I'd look up what the matching bookshelf speakers cost and factor that in as well.

For the receiver, in the lower budgets, I'd say go with a Denon. This site is great, I bought my Marantz on it. Condition of it looked brand new and it hasn't had a single problem for the year I've had it.

For speakers, if you want a full 5.1 setup that is pretty good reviewed, Energy 5.1 would fit the bill. They are also pretty small speakers so it seems like they would be great for you.

Another option you can do, is go to your nearest Paradigm or Bowers and Wilkins dealer (most in my area carry both those brands) and listen to their offering of smaller speakers, they are great and are of higher quality than the energy. Other great brands I like are Monitor Audio, Wharfedale, or Aperion (I own a pair of Aperion Versus grand bookshelves). With a company like Aperion, it is nice because you get a 30 day free trial, so just pick out a speaker from them, test them out, and if you don't like them, you have nothing to lose. That is what sold me on them, and I ended up loving my speakers so I kept them.

Almost forgot about the subwoofer, if you go with the energy package, you can also just buy the 5 loud speakers without the sub. For the lower budgets, you can get a BIC America F12, or if you want smaller, Aperion or SVS are great internet-direct brands and you can buy one of their smaller subs. I personally went with SVS for the subwoofers, they have a reputation of making some of the best subs, and I can say the sub I went with kicks ass.

Receiver: Denon X3300 for $600 (huge sale, actually cheaper than getting a refurb model), it does everything you would likely want.

Subwoofer: Get a pretty good one for now, then spend big (sell this one or go dual) once you move. This one is $605 or this one for $550, unless you want to plug the ports to experience sealed ones in a while, the $550 one may be better actually. There is such a thing as too big for a room, not only will a huge monstrusity like the $1000 Rythmik FVX15 will actually sound bad in that small of a room (sound waves bouncing all other the place, that not even room treatment can really help, as the distance is too close) and the soundwaves will travel to neighbors much more easily.

So, let’s call that $1500 total just to account for miscellaneous stuff like speaker wire, banana plugs, subwoofer cable, any applicable tax for any component here, etc.

So, that leaves $2000 for a 2 towers and 1 center.


There are a lot of options (sorted by price, not that that's an indicator of quality):

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• RBH/Emptek has their clearance sale, you can spend a lot less (30% off) and get some awesome sounding speakers if you don’t mind minor cosmetic imperfections. Here are the towers and center, use the bundle coupon for $70 off, this will total $661 vs the ~$1150 new price tag (can’t buy new, out of stock, maybe discontinued). They get great reviews. I got the bookshkeves for my computer setup, they are great, here are pics of the cosmetic imperfections of mine.
  
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• HTD Level Three towers and center, if you get the more expensive finish, it will total around $1165. I have their old gen bookshkeves and center (no ribbon tweeter or waveguide, got them for cheap off Craigslist), they are fantastic.
  
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• JBL Studio 580’s (on sale) and 235C, these will be decently more music focused. Total cost ~$1180.
  
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• HSU CCB-8 3.0/LCR bookshelves, up to $1400 for the more expensive finish. If you want the HSU sub, you can save a bit by using their bundles (more expensive finish not available via this method.
  
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• Wharfedale Diamond 250 and 220C for $1600 (4 color options), may be more music focused.
  
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• KEF R100 bookshkeves (on sale) and R200C. Total cost ~$1800. If you don't mind white finish and refurb, they can be had for $1600, link to bookshelves and center.
  
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• KEF Q900 new (on sale) with refurb Q600C (if you want the walnut finish, it'll be $50 more, no charge for tower finish). total cost ~$1800-$1850
  
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• B&W 600 684 S2 and HTM61 S2 for $1900, these are heavily music focused, not that dynamic for movies.
  
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• KEF LS50 3.0/LCR bookshelves, the L/R will be refurb with a new center, they are available in a white/blue finish as well, for the same price, link to refurb white/blue L/R (don't come with a free pair of headphones like the black/orange ones). Total cost ~$2000.
  
  ____
  
  So, you got some debating to do.
  
  Keep in mind some of these may have tax added on based on where you live and which company I linked to (for instance, I live in Florida, so no tax if I get the HTD's from them as they are in Texas (if I was in Texas them there would be tax), the B&W's are only via BestBuy so there will be tax. That's why I accounted for it a bit at the start.
  
  If you need any help about optimally setting up your speakers and sub in terms of placement, let me know.

Great!


Try these settings that Fairchild, a forum member, posted up on AVSforums. He calibrated it using professional tools for a darker room, so it might work for you. Otherwise, perusing/searching the forums should net you some more settings that worked for other people.

Best Buy has excellent deals on the Denon 1613/1713/1913 speakers right now. They’re all on clearance or in excellent condition as open box items. The Denon 1713, for example, I was able to buy for 199 before taxes (amazon still shows it as 378.99).


To check online stock, do the following:


Go to the store locator -> Enter zip/address -> click on the stores that are closest to you within the search results -> for each individual store website, click “Open Box and Clearance Items” on the left side -> Shop this store (in blue) -> Under “Shop Best Buy” (left side pane), click “Audio & MP3” -> Under Narrow your results, choose Denon as your brand.

Hopefully you’ll find some good sales.


Speakers.
I’ve thought about the Pioneer SP BS-22 and the Polk 30s. You really can’t go wrong with either, but you just missed a sale where the Pioneers were going for $70.


Depending on what L/Rs you go with, you’d get the matching center channel from their respective manufacturers.


Subs, for our budget, the consensus seems to be the Bic America F12, but others have stated that a better alternative may be the Polk Audio PSW505.

The gist, I think, was that the Polks would perform better if you listen to a lot of music.

Anyways, that’s where I am with my research. My goal is to save as much money as I can, but to spend when necessary to fulfill my needs. I hope that television works out for you. We’ve loved ours and the calibration went a long way. Happy shopping!

Just my two cents, you could do the Best Buy $300 on speakers and like you said get whatever 5.1+ receiver elsewhere. Best Buy will price match Amazon if it's "shipped and sold" by Amazon. So for example you could get the Pioneer towers and center channel for around $300:

Pioneer SP-FS52 Andrew Jones Tower each $110 Amazon (x2 for $220) / $125 Best Buy (x2 for $250)

https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-FS52-Designed-standing-Loudspeaker/dp/B008NCD2S4/

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/pioneer-5-1-4-floor-speaker-each-black/5086937.p?skuId=5086937

Pioneer SP-C22 Andrew Jones Center channel $85 Amazon / $95 Best Buy

https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-C22-Designed-Channel-Speaker/dp/B008NCD2EI/

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/pioneer-dual-4-center-channel-speaker-black/5086891.p?skuId=5086891

Total if you Amazon price match = $305 before tax

EDIT: just be sure to factor in cables/speaker wire to total budget, and make sure everything will fit and has a proper place to be setup. and don't overlook a universal remote if that's an option/need. :)

EDIT 2: OK so this doesn't satisfy the need for surround. So you could throw in cheap surrounds for now as well. Top 100 Amazon satellite speakers, others on here may have cheap suggestions?:

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Electronics-Satellite-Speakers/zgbs/electronics/3236454011#1

EDIT 3: And here's the matching bookshelf speakers if you wanted to match them up for the surrounds, swap these in front as a cheaper alternative to the towers, or both... for pair $110 Amazon / $125 Best Buy:

https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-BS22-LR-Designed-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers/dp/B008NCD2LG/

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/pioneer-4-bookshelf-speakers-pair-black/5086955.p?skuId=5086955

In your shoes i would suggest doing a 2.0 or a 2.1 if you can squeeze a little more juice out of your wallet. Explanation: a 2.0/ 2.1 will give you a far better sound quality with a dedicated amp/receiver and external speakers rather than in all in one sound bar type unit. although you don't crank your system sound quality is important and will be better out of this set up too. And lastly you then have the availability to upgrade and expand your system later on. I know these were posted once but here why.

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-FS52-LR-Designed-standing-Loudspeaker/dp/B008NCD2S4 great price point, great sound quality. I think the rest of this sub would agree these are a fantastic speaker for the price. They are rear ported, the closer to the wall the more low end you will get from them.

http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR-S500BT-Receiver-Capability-Bluetooth/dp/B00JR6GJLW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415645951&sr=8-1&keywords=AVR-S500BT Big fan of denon, they make great receivers starting from the bottom all the way to high end. built in bluetooth, powerful enough to handle a slightly bigger speaker if you want to upgrade later

http://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-F12-475-Watt-Subwoofer/dp/B0015A8Y5M If you have the money or the want, this is a great subwoofer for the money. Fairly clean, pretty crisp, not real muddy.

I ended up tightening my budget quite a bit on this new home theater, so some of my choices aren't as nice as what I had before, but I'm very happy with what I got in the end. I want to thank everyone who gave me advice in my last post here. It was all very helpful!

I went with a 65" Samsung 120Hz smart TV. I decided against getting the 240Hz because I couldn't see a difference between the two when looking at it, and the 3D makes my wife sick in any case. That saved me almost $500.

For the receiver, I took everyone's advice and opted away from the all-in-one set I'd been looking at. Instead, I got a great price on a Pioneer VSX-824 that I've been very happy with.

I know the Denon reciever is what everyone recommended, and it's what I bought at first, but strangely enough my PS3 didn't work with it. It worked just fine connected to the TV directly, and other devices worked with that HDMI cable and port, but the PS3 just told me to go fuck myself. A quick google search told me that it's a flaw in the way the HDMI handshake works with Denon receivers, so back it went.

I went with Pioneer speakers as well, hooking up a
pair of tower speakers for front left and right, a pair of matching bookshelf speakers for the rear, and the matching center speaker.

The subwoofer will have to wait, for now, but the plan is to purchase the matching subwoofer when we're ready.

Instead of the Harmony Ultimate, which didn't seem to get any good remarks, I opted for the much cheaper Harmony 650, which has made my wife very happy. No more frayed tempers about what button does what on which remote. I'm even buying my parents one for Christmas.

I'm hugely pleased with the upgrade over my previous setup, even if it's not everything it could have been. What do you all think?

If it were me and you really want to upgrade your sound now, but also want to have the ability for a full 5.1 sound later I'd check out craigslist. You can probably find an older 5.1 receiver for under $70. A quick look in my area brought up a few. A few months ago I sold a 12 year old Pioneer that still was great, but I wanted the ability to get music via my network/internet. I sold it for $60. Then I would look for 2 decent book shelf speakers that you would use for fronts now and later use them for rears. These are as low as they go according to camelizer https://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-T15-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B002RJLHB8/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1510803743&sr=1-3&keywords=polk+bookshelf+speakers&dpID=31bhM1nV3tL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch Then I'd get a sub https://www.amazon.com/Polk-10-Inch-Powered-Subwoofer-Single/dp/B0002KVQBA/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1510803898&sr=1-3&keywords=polk+subwoofer&dpID=51JGYWW4N4L&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
That would get you started and would kick the shit out of any 2.1 soundbar. So you'd be looking at $140 for the 2 speakers and sub and then w/e you could find on craigslist for an a/v receiver. If you can stretch your budget to about $300 you could grab this which is certified refurbished https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrs510bt/denon-avr-s510bt-5.2-ch-x-70-watts-bluetooth-a/v-receiver/1.html
None of this is going to be wireless. IF you can stretch out to $400 you could get this receiver which I really like for the price: https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrx1300w/denon-avr-x1300w-7.2-ch-x-80-watts-networking-a/v-receiver/1.html

Keep in mind you'll have to buy some speaker wire and a crimping/cutting tool. But yeah about $400 will get you a decent setup like Mtown said.
The best way to go about buying home theater equipment is to buy stuff that you'll use later. So if you have a soundbar now, I'd just use it and save up until you have enough for a decent refurbed 5.1 av receiver ~$250 and some bookshelf speakers ~50-100.

If you absolutely need a 2.1 soundbar. I bought a refurbed lg sh4 2.1 for about $130 on amazon. I believe they are more now. It's enough for a small room. I use it for my office and it's decent.

You can probably get better advice about starting up a ht system by searching r/hometheater.

I drew on your map for the hell of it :P Probably not necessary to do that to give recommendations, but it was fun. Witness!

C9 is a great TV, call it $2k.

I would get two subs. A pair of VTF-2 is fine, but go VTF-3 if you don't want to wonder if you got enough sub. I marked the corners in the image with 1/2/3/4, I'd first try opposing corners and see how that sounds and/or measures. $1150 shipped for the pair of VTF-2, $1750 shipped for the pair of VTF-3. For $600 more you get a pair of 15" subs and no wondering. I say $1750 on the sub category.

I've drawn your setup from the top, so I'll go ahead and tell you what I drew for speakers - it's probably hard to tell from the black rectangles :)

The fronts are a pair of Paradigm Premier 200B bookshelfs on short stands, so they don't look stupid up on that shelf. You might not even need the stands, if the 24" from the shelf gets the tweeters to your ear level. $1k/pair, 20% off right now so $800.

The matching 600C center channel is a BEAST and is also on sale for $800, front stage total $1600. I just can't say enough good things about this lineup, if you have a dealer nearby, go give them a listen.

The surrounds I've shown on swivel mounts turned inwards to face the seating. You can also aim them a bit out into the room for a less direct sound, but I find with modern receivers and decoders, this isn't necessary. I'd suggest a pair of Paradigm Premier 100B, $640 on sale for these, on a set of the sturdy and affordable VideoSecu side clamping mounts, $25.

Tops, again, Paradigm, this time the P65-R in-ceiling speaker. I'm actually suggesting these based on personal use. They are the flattest, best measuring speakers in my system, and never mind the aimable tweeters - these speakers are designed for good, even dispersion, and it's amazing how well they work. Aimable tweeters are there to make up for dispersion and placement shortcomings, and you will have neither if you go with the P-65Rs. Don't pay retail for these, ask the dealer for at least 20% off since you're buying a full set of speakers. If they say no, find another dealer. It's a poorly kept secret that Paradigm very seldom sells for full MSRP. Call it $500 for the pair.

For the receiver, I know people like to suggest buying a refurb from accessories4less, but I've heard too many horror stories about broken equipment and poor support. I'd suggest the X3500h from Crutchfield, a rock solid company that will have your back if anything is wrong with the gear. The receiver itself has plenty of power for my recommended speakers, and has the best version of Audyssey, XT32 - important to get the most out of your subwoofers in particular. The X2600h you mentioned only has Audyssey XT, which is rather inferior to XT 32. $600.

Totals, then, are:

65" LG C9 TV $2000

Paradigm Premier 200B Front L/R $800

Paradigm Premier 600C Center $800

Paradigm Premier 100B Surrounds $665 with mounts

Paradigm Pro P65-R Tops $500

2x Hsu VTF-3 Mk5 Subs $1750

Denon X3500h Receiver $600

Total before cables $7115

($10 subwoofer cables and any decent copper 14 gauge speaker wire are fine)

Now, all that said, I would strongly consider the 77 inch LG C9. You'd still be just under budget, and sitting as far as you will be, the extra size will really help the system come together. The only question is if you have enough vertical space over the center channel speaker. If you do, grab the 77" and don't look back :)

I also disagree on tops/Atmos not being useful if you only do sports and TV. Asides from native Atmos content, receiver upmixing with the Dolby Surround upmixer is really quite awesome. It adds an immersiveness to the sound that you just can't get with a 2d audio setup.

The KEF Q100 $250 closeout at kefdirect.com is sold out. KEF does not have any more. Amazon dropped the price of what they had in stock to match. Now that they are sold out at KEF, the amazon algorithm raised them back up to $550 MSRP. Unless anyone else has any to sell, and I don't think anyone else has them, then I doubt Amazon is going to lower the price again unless they want to close them out.

To me these sound at least as good and maybe better than the Q100s I demoed. Wavecrest Audio HVL-1, order on sale here at Ascend $80 each + shipping.

If going 2.0 without a subwoofer, Philharmonic AAPM $290 + shipping. 14 day in home trial. They have a newly upgraded tweeter and have one of the best low ends of 6.5" speakers in the price range and don't necessarily need a subwoofer for music or right away for home theater.

Others, best with a subwoofer:

Ascend CBM-170 $300 + $30 shipping. Neutral sound with a flat frequency response. Best budget audiophile and home theater speakers I have found and own for 50/50 music and movies under $500. Great highs, mids and lows. Nothing missing, nothing overly accentuated. Much better than the Q100s.

Chane A Series $340 + $25 shipping. Flat planar tweeters.

On sale: Polk Audio Signature S20 $245.

DIY: Classix II MT Bookshelf Speaker Kit with Knock-Down Cabinet $232 a pair. Or Helix Dome MTs.

Receiver:

Budget: Denon AVR-S530BT $160 refurbished 5.2 with HDCP 2.2 and HDMI 2.0B for 4k switching.

Recommended: Denon AVRX1400 $300 refurbished 7.2/5.2.2 with Audyssey MultEQ.

Budget subwoofers: Dayton Sub1200 $140, BIC F12 $200, Bic-Acoustech-PL-200 $300.

Better subwoofers: 10" HSU VTF-1 MK3 is $455 shipped or an open box SVS PB1000 is $420 shipped.12" HSU VTF-2 MK5 $580 shipped on sale. Or a 12" Rythmik LV12F front ported, $550 shipped, when it becomes available in December (currently shown is the older rear ported version).

Guides: How to Set Up a Basic Home Theater System - Lifewire, r/HTBuyingGuides FAQ, How to Set Up Your Home Theater Receiver

Speaker Placement: Stereo Music Listening, Home Theater

​

>If I do move to an apartment down the road, would they be too loud even without a sub?

No, just turn down the volume.

>are two speakers such as these really a significant improvement over something like a recent Samsung or Vizio soundbar -- enough to justify the cost differential?

Yes, definitely for home theater, even more so for music.

Also consider a center speaker.

id recommend you start off with the Andrew Jones Pioneer series. id start with 2.1 and then see if it works well enough, and add a center and rear surrounds later if youre into that, or dont mind spending more up front on a 5.1 setup.

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-FS52-LR-Designed-standing-Loudspeaker/dp/B008NCD2S4/ref=sr_1_2

they arent in stock other than used right now, but i picked up a pair for $70/each a few months ago and they have similar sales pretty frequently i think. for how little they cost, they really do sound great and i like how they look too (if that matters at all). theyre not huge either, pretty reasonably sized for a tower and makes them easier to place.

i dont think there is a lot out there that will sound better for the price. they really are impressive.

for a sub (you want a sub, no, NEED a sub) the dayton audio ones have pretty good reviews and are often recommended for budget setups www.amazon.com/Dayton-Audio-SUB-1200-12-Inch-Subwoofer/dp/B00669L3HS/ref=sr_1_3

i havent heard the sub yet, but will soon as i got one for my sister for xmas... hopefully it is not just hype.

That receiver is a good choice if it meets all your needs. There are certainly better receivers, but those added features don’t matter if you don’t plan to use them.

Bookshelf speakers can be fairly easily mounted. If you’re lucky, the speakers you decide on will have built in wall mounts. This isn’t super common anymore, but there are some. Another option is speaker stands, which are pretty straightforward. Lastly there are lots of speaker wall mounts you can get on amazon. I’ve used these wall mounts for my JBL LSR305 monitors which are pretty heavy and had no issues what so ever. They aren’t the prettiest but they get the job done cheaply.

Your room size is actually very close to mine. I too debated on what size speakers to get. I settled on 5.25” woofer bookshelf speakers and feel these are the smallest I’d go for this room. I think the next size up would be ideal, but if you have a sub you can probably do 5.25” no problem. It seems the Miccas are best served in small applications like offices, bedroom sized room. I can’t speak personally about them, but through my own research this is what I discovered.

I have refurbished / reconditioned or otherwise repaired just about every component in my theater. The KEF speakers are all same era and generation, plus or minus a few years.

Front Channels: KEF 103/4 Reference speakers - owner replaced foam surrounds on the internal push/pull woofers - and I refurbished the ferrofluid in the tweeters. $175 off craigslist

Center Channel: NOS (new old stock) KEF Model 100 - found on craigslist. Someone found it in their garage, sitting new in box for 20 years. Refurbished the tweeter (ferrofluid replacement). $60 off craigslist.

Surround Channels: KEF C55 speakers that I found at Goodwill for $20. Complete cleanup - ferrofluid treatment of tweeters. Great condition otherwise.

Rear Channel: KEF Model 90 "center channel" speaker - bought this before I found the Model 100. Roughly the same speaker, but smaller tweeter than the model 100. Tweeter refurbed, cleaned up inside and out. I went with a 6.1 configuration because my room wouldn't benefit much from 7.1 - and the window placement made that difficult. Mixing 7.1 down to 6.1 doesn't change much. $40 off Craigslist.

Subwoofer: PA-120 Premier Acoustics 12'' Subwoofer had this sub for 8 years now, and love it to pieces. Very punchy, very powerful, very affordable. Weighs a metric ton - and customer service was top notch. (Amp malfunctioned after 6 years - got a new one from them free of charge).

Surround AV Receiver: Marantz SR6008 receiver I bought for $200 on ebay because it was 'for parts/not working.' The HDMI1 output (there are two) was burned out. Bought a new HDMI board from Marantz for a hundred bucks and the thing is good as new.

Speaker Mounts: The left C55 surround and rear channel are on custom made speaker mounts - the rear is half custom - mounted to one of the speaker mounts I got from Amazon.

Projection Screen: Custom 105'' Screen Frame and made from a canibalized Da-Lite screen I got for free from work. (was hiding in the plenum when we purchased our office space.

Projector: Benq HT1075 - bought new, because it's already so cost effective. Found it on sale at Frys for $699 a year ago. Very happy with this little projector.

Theater/Home Automation: Home Assistant running on an iPad 3 in the theater room. The iPad was sitting in a drawer, not in use for at least a year, and found an OEM apple dock for $5 on ebay for when it's not in use. I can control my Smart Things devices (z-wave dimmer) - MiLight LED strips behind the screen, in the EXIT light, and the bulbs in the uplight/spotlights in the room, I also integrated Broadlink RM2 support for controlling cheap 433mhz outlet switches for the air purifier, popcorn machine, and whatever else I need to control.

Movie Posters: Marketing department had a bunch of these frames in storage from an old PR campaign. Tore out the foamcore inserts, found high res posters, and ordered them on this silk-like fabric directly from China for $9 a pop. They look incredible up close, almost lithograph-like.

RGB Lighting: Generic RGB Strips I bought for $5 a pop on price mistake with Milight RGB controllers. Milight 9W RGBW bulbs I got for $13 each in $15 brushed steel uplights from Lamps Plus. All controled with the Milight WiFi controller through Home Assistant.

Seating was transitioned from the living room when we bought new sofas - raised the rear seating on 10'' platform. 12GA Speaker wire from my local wire wholesaler (similar price to monoprice). Looking for some carpet options - and have a lead on a local seller of OC703 for acoustic panels.

It's come a long way in a year - here's a before and after - December 2015 and April 2016 -- not the most recent, obviously - but I'm very proud with how it's coming together.

Sorry for all the questions.. really appreciate your answers, you've given me more detail than anybody I've talked to at the audio/video stores I go into. Can I buy you a beer somehow? :)

I have one final question I think... my wife chose a TV Stand/Media Console to house all this stuff, and I only have 5.67" of height for the center speaker, so unfortunately that rules out the Dayton Audio set, as well as the Pioneer set I brought up earlier.

So I'm looking at one of two options, first this Micca setup:

Micca MB42X for Front L/R and Rear L/R
Micca MB42X-C for Center (5.3 inches tall, fits my needs)
~$330 CAD for the set of 5 speakers, not bad!
https://www.amazon.ca/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B00HHFBEK6

(Instead of the MB42X, maybe the RB42? https://www.amazon.ca/Micca-RB42-Reference-Bookshelf-Speaker/dp/B07JC416LG/ Seems better reviewed, would add $120 to the price to do those front and back, or just $60 more to do those in the front and still have MB42X in the rear)

(Another option is just to get 5 MB42X-C's?... Or 3 for the front and 2 MB42X at rear)

or this Polk setup.. only other decently priced one I found with a small center.. but this center is much smaller than the Micca:

Polk Audio TL2 for Center
https://www.amazon.ca/Polk-Audio-Speaker-Center-Channel/dp/B0043M667M
Polk T15 for Front L/R and Rear L/R
https://www.amazon.ca/Polk-Audio-T15-Bookshelf-7-25-Inch/dp/B002RJLHB8
~$458 CAD for the set of 5 speakers

(Another option is the T300 set for $150/pair. Shaves $40 off the overall price, not sure if there's much difference there. https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/polk-audio-polk-audio-t300-100-watt-bookshelf-speakers-pair-t300/10166613 )

I'm not a big fan of the look of the TL2 Bookshelf speakers.. so went for the T15/T300 instead.

Curious if you have any opinions about which to pick.. I'm leaning towards the Micca because they fill the shelves better and the reviews online seem to be decent, and the tiny TL2 center from Polk is... tiny.

To pair with all this I have a Polk Audio PSW10 subwoofer.. which gets alot of hate around here but seems more than powerful enough for my needs. Got it last night and hooked it up and I'm running it at about 10% on the gain dial and it's more than enough for what I need.. will probably piss off my neighbours (semi-detached home) even at that level.

Again, thanks for your help, really appreciate folks like you that take the time to answer threads and help people out with their questions.

EDIT: All the above said.. after listening to a dozen reviews or so on the Micca line-up.. I think I'm leaning towards either:

1. RB-42 front and back, and MB42X-C center (really just because I can't get the RB-42C in Canada). This sounds like I'd have alot more bass in the RB-42, but they are weak at high volumes. Filling a large room like I'll have these in would be difficult, although most of the time I'm sitting fairly close to the speakers when watching TV, this would only be an issue while listening to music in the room somewhere other than the couch infront of it.
   
   
2. MB42X-C x 5 all around. More power and higher sensitivity and they seem to keep their clean sound at higher volumes. Less bass per speaker.. but I have the sub in the setup so hopefully that helps fill that gap (even though it's a PSW10).
   
   Long post, sorry... rambling a little as I go back and forth between options.

I will probably get flak for doing this but here you go:

Sony SSB1000 ($55) These speakers are pretty good for how cheap they are. Much better than the Micca Covos.

SMSL-SA-50 ($68) I have this amp and it is awesome how much it puts out. I see the people all the time recommend the Lepai LP-2020 for cheap setups but ignore that amp. Get this one.

There you have it. Cheap setup that is entirely expandable. Get some Banana plugs and some cheap speaker wire.

Later on if you save your pennies you can buy something like the dayton sub for about 100 bucks and will fit nicely with that setup.

sorry i forgot to add, im canadian so getting deals from canada is pretty hard /:

i don't really have a budget, but i would prefer to not spend too much money. im looking for value, and i don't want to spend any more than 400 bucks(canadian), but preferable i would like to spend less than that. if you think value lies somewhere above 400, then i don't mind getting it if the sound quality is improved by a huge amount

i'm gonna be using this for a playstation 4 pro, so i kinda want the hdmi input rather than optical or whatever

i also don't want to wait until black friday, as i have alot of free time now and i wanna set it up now.

when i look at all of these on canadian amazon, its just below 1000 bucks

https://www.amazon.ca/Pioneer-SP-BS22-LR-Designed-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers/dp/B008NCD2LG
https://www.amazon.ca/Pioneer-SP-C22-Designed-Channel-Speaker/dp/B008NCD2EI
https://www.amazon.ca/Dayton-Audio-B652-Bookshelf-Speaker/dp/B002RMPHMU
https://www.amazon.ca/Dayton-Audio-SUB-1000-10-Inch-Subwoofer/dp/B0063NU3AA
https://www.amazon.ca/Yamaha-RX-V377-5-1-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B00HZE2WW8

again, thanks for your help, its the first time in this sub, and my first time posting things on reddit haha (:

No worries, this just means a 2.1 or 3.1 is perfect for now, and then you can add on later.

Option 1:

2x RSL CG3 Bookshelf @ $135 = $270

1x RSL Speedwoofer 10s (sold out until Oct) @ $400

1x Denon AVR-X3500H 7.2-Ch x 105 Watts A/V Receiver from Accessories4Less @ $500

Total: $1170

Less of a budget stretcher, giving up a bit of performance. That receiver is realistically future proof (supports 7.2, 4k) and wouldn't need to upgrade for quite some time. More clear upgrade path however. In this scenario, when you want to upgrade, you get 3x RSL CG23s to be your new front speakers and move the CG3 you already own to the sides as your surrounds.

Option 2:

2x ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2 Bookshelf Speakers @ $300 (comes in a pair)

1x Bic Acoustech PL-200 II Subwoofer @ $300

1x Denon AVR-X3500H 7.2-Ch x 105 Watts A/V Receiver from Accessories4Less @ $500

Total: $1100

About the same as option 1, and would come down to preference to RSL vs Elac (if you can demo Elac at a store, please do, RSL is internet direct only but does have in home trail). Similarly easy upgrade path, you'd just fill it out with the rest of the Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 lineup (ie center, they even have some on walls for surrounds).

Option 3:

2x RSL CG23 @ $200 = $400

1x RSL Speedwoofer 10s (sold out until Oct) @ $400

1x Denon AVR-X3500H 7.2-Ch x 105 Watts A/V Receiver from Accessories4Less @ $500

Total: $1300

This requires a budget stretch, but gets you great stereo performance with a clear upgrade path. For speaker upgrade, you add the 3rd RSL CG23 for your center (these can be used horizontally or vertically FYI), and then whatever you want for surrounds (either the RSL CG3 or an on wall, ect)

Based on these numbers you can see you have about $300 for the speakers, so any speakers you can get for $150 each would work here. Other options are Fluance Signature Series HiFi ($200 for pair), Jamo S 803 ($160 for pair), or Q Acoustics 3020i Bookshelf ($300 for pair). I haven't heard any of these, but they get good reviews (particularly the Q Acoustics).

You could always go less on the receiver, but then you might have to buy a new one later. Would be nearly impossible to go lower on the subwoofer, the BIC and the RSL Speedwoofer are about as good as it gets for that price.

Finally, since you are primarily music focused, you could always axe the subwoofer altogether (add it later) and spend ~$600 on 2 kickass (maybe tower) speakers as music doesn't need as much super low bass as movies do. Let me know if you want to see what that looks like.

Just wanted to give a big thanks to all the helpful people here who are so willing to share their knowledge, and to u/ZeosPantera for his handy guides.

This was the very first project I wanted to complete in our new house, and considering the delays due to missing/wrong pieces for the furniture, my reluctance to punch holes in the walls in our new place, and so on, it was a bit of a pain to take on. My main goals were to keep it simple, modern, and clean, and I think I managed it well enough.

It's a basic setup, and I know there are some taboo things people will point out (e.g. speakers too close to the corners/walls, non O2-free copper-clad wire, etc), but the important thing is that I'm happy with it. I don't plan on changing much for years to come (unless you guys end up pointing out something that ends up bothering the crap out of me). It looks and sounds great - even the wife loves it, despite her initial skepticism when I first told her my plan (probably the most important thing).

So many thanks to everyone in this subreddit for being awesome, and let me know what you guys think.

As requested, here are the components.

TV:

• 65" Vizio M652i-B2
  
  
• Sanus Systems LL11-B1 Mount
  
  
• Antec Bias Lighting for HDTV (for giggles)
  
  Audio:
  
  
• Marantz NR1403 AV Receiver
  
  
• Energy 5.1 Take Classic Speakers
  
  
• Astro A50's Surround Sound Wireless Gaming Headset (for the wee hours of the night)
  
  Media console:
  
  
• A modified combination of a 3-unit and a 1-unit Ikea Besta TV benches (as opposed to the regular frames which don't have cable management). A bit of an elaboration on this: I say this is modified because out of the box, if you want to mount them to the wall, they rely on drywall anchors (f that s). So I changed out the hanging brackets and drilled some new holes to accommodate the Ikea Akurum Suspension Rails that are normally used for kitchen cabinets -waaaaay more secure when you're actually going into the studs. Add some miscellaneous doors and drawers and you end up with what I built.
  
  Edit: Parts list and links added! And formatting.

If my friend said I have $200 and need big sound outside.. I would probably buy all the stuff I usually buy. This stereo amp $96 DTA-100a to power the speakers. If you could borrow someone Else's stereo amp and save the money. Do so. Otherwise this baby is good to have around regardless. Now go and buy two sets of these $45 Dayton B652's. Hook up a full pair per side wired in series. The Ω load of these speakers claims 8Ω but my multi-meter and others say otherwise (4Ω). Running them in series raises the load which is better for that amp plus you get a nice 3db boost from doubling up the speakers.

May seem like a lot of stuff and work but it is super simple and any other help or explanation I will be glad to give.

Looks like a solid start, you'll be better off with the Fluance option since that better timbre matches the center and mains. don't know the size of your room but this would be an excellent subwoofer match for that system: http://smile.amazon.com/NXG-Technology-NX-BAS-500-500-watt-Subwoofer/dp/B008FSTU4G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426600712&sr=8-1&keywords=bas500

Absolute best <$400 subwoofer on the market today. Good luck to you, you will be very happy with your new setup.

No one has suggested you change anything that you already have. You are being unnecessarily defensive. However, there are reasons you should reconsider your future purchase of wireless speakers, especially if you care about value.

> So I think a pedestal with a Bluetooth or other wireless speaker on it would be ideal. Any suggestions for a relatively amateur (with amateur price tag) Speaker with only a power wire requirement?

The issue with what you are requesting is that you seem to realize that you will need powered speakers (aka internally amplified), but you also need to account for transmitting and receiving the signal. Bluetooth speakers obviously have receivers built in, but they are generally designed to work directly with music players, not home theater receivers. You also still have to find a way to transmit the separate signals from your receiver. Bluetooth speakers are also relatively expensive, especially for something that is large enough to match a home theater system.

Most pre-designed wireless home theater systems come as a whole HTIB, which would mean replacing your system, but the speakers would be cheap and would be very unlikely to improve the quality of your system, and may even reduce the current quality, so that would be a terrible option even if you were considering an "upgrade".

Your best option if you are still committed to wireless is likely a transmitter and receiver designed for the purpose like this or this. These systems would be used with traditional passive speakers. See the "Speakers" section here for good options on a lower budget. The issue is that you would still have to run wires from the rear amplifier(s) to your rear speakers, not to mention find a place to put the rear amplifier(s). Also, you'll notice that this would mean spending $100-200 before you even get to the price of the speakers and it adds additional complexity to your system which means another component that can distort your signal, break or just screw things up.

The absolute easiest solution with minimal wires I could find was this, which has very mixed reviews. It looks like it's basically a rear soundbar that mimics left and right rear channels from one speaker. It will still set you back $150, and may or may not even work, according to the reviews.

Or, you could just do what I did and decide that running some cable neatly along the ceiling and walls wasn't really that big of an eyesore, get a decent pair of rear speakers for $50 and call it a day.

The quintets are a great little system. No subwoofer with this set up and you'll definitely need one but as far as sound goes they're pretty good.

If that size is what you're looking for a lot of people will let you know of the Monoprice 5.1 which are pretty much a direct copy of the EnergyTake classic 5.1 to the point Energy sued them for ripping off their stuff.

A friend of mine has the Monoprice speakers and they're ok, but i personally think the Klipsch set up sounds better.

Well, first of all, a lot of these products are listed at way over their actual market value because you are linking to the manufacturer website.

The BIC F12 can be had here for $200 with free shipping. Also, I think people normally recommend the F12 over any Polk sub.

I would probably avoid Klipsch if you are worried about bright/fatiguing speakers. Klipsch are know to sound harsh to some people. Polk is a very well regarded brand as a start into home theater, and many people are content with them and don't feel the need to ever upgrade. That being said, I would check out Newegg's prices for something like the Polk 75T but the TSi series is also good (from what I hear). Someone may have better advice within the Polk lineup which would be the best choice, but if you can go listen to them at Best Buy or something, that may make your decision a lot easier!

Yes, the general consensus among audiophiles is that Bose is overpriced and soundbars are very underwhelming. "Real 5.1 sound" cannot (yet) be achieved without a real 5.1 setup. Most HTIB (Home Theatres in a Box) will give you better sound than a soundbar.

I own this 5.1 Pioneer speaker setup found here and I highly recommend it to anyone that is looking for a good entry level home theater setup. Shop around and you can get a fantastic deal on the whole setup. I got the 5.0 setup for less than $300 and then upgraded to a $200 BIC 12 sub to get the 0.1.

You will then of course need a decent reciever (about $250) and cables and you will blow any speaker bar out of the water. I am not certain if this is within your budget since you only quoted "cheaper than bose" but I have seen this exact setup recommend many times before and I feel it is one of the best values for the price.

Edit: I was way under your budget. You could definitely do better than this setup at your price range.

I have a set 7.1 set of TSC/Sapphire speakers. Like these link
They are great. I recently purchase some Micca speakers and I was surprised by how well the Micca speakers did when compared to my TSC bookshelf speakers. They get loud! They are not bass heavy because they do not go very low, but the bass is tight and I did not notice tweeter breakup or high amounts of distortion at high volume.


One of these

Two of pairs of these

For the subwoofer, Craigsist may have something decent at a low price. I like Polk speakers, but avoid their subwoofer. I currently have a Velodyne which I enjoy.

For the receiver, check Best Buy and Frys for sales. I've seen Denon receivers for pretty low in price. So, around $180-$250

If you are wanting a projector, know that lamp will cost plenty when needing to be replaced. I have and LED projector, so it should last. It is an LG and I paid $400. It is okay. The color reproduction can be a bit overwhelming even after calibrated, but I have enjoyed it.

Frys has good deals on projector screens. Do not forget to consider the aspect ratio of the projector.

Are you planning to use Surrounds? I can't help but feel surrounds would be a little awkward in your room. I'd recommend a 3.0 or 3.1 system. Here's some equipment to start taking a look at.

Speakers:

• Hsu Research 3.0 package in black $519 - These are 8" deep--I know size is important to you. This is a quality setup, but probably doesn't allow budget for a sub.
  
• Pioneer Andrew Jones Bookshelves + Center $230 - that price include the center and bookshelves. 7.1" deep. This frees up money in the budget for a sub.
  
• HTD Middy Compact $267 - You'd use three of these speakers, one for left, one for right, one for center. 5.25" deep. Don't use these without a sub--in fact, make sure you buy a high quality sub if you intend to use these. Not neccaserily a sub that digs ultra deep, but one that can handle mid-bass well.
  
• HTD Flat Panel Speaker $450 - These look like a 3-way version of the Middy's. You'd use and mount them same as the Middy's. Probably puts you back in a position of not having money for a sub, but these little guys might put out enough bass to keep you happy. Which is NOT to say they would output subwoofer-like bass... nothing replaces a true subwoofer. 4.25" deep.
  
  I've only heard the Hsu's and the Pioneers in person. Without going in to detail, I reccomend them both. If you're not a demanding listener, save the money and go with the Pioneers. If you are, I think the Hsu's are worth the extra cost. I haven't heard the HTD's but they might just be the right solution for you based on form factor.
  
  Subwoofers:
  
  
• Hsu STF-1 $315 shipped.
  
• BIC F12 $200
  
• Dayton Sub1200 $110
  
  That's basically the sub I would recommend at each one of those price points.
  
  Receivers
  
  I'm personally not a good source to reccomend receivers... just pick a 5.1 by a brand you like and at the price you can afford. Personally I've worked with Denon's and found nothing to complain about with them.

Do you need 4k? Is your TV a 4k TV and do you have a 4k blu-ray player or other source? If the answer to either of those questions is no, then you don't need that receiver. In addition, those speakers, while pretty, are essentially junk when it comes to sound quality. They're $5.00 speakers in $100 enclosures, when you really want the opposite. Sorry to be so negative, but I think you should have done more research.

You can get a fantastic deal on a refurbished receiver from Accessories4Less. I've personally purchased from there, as have many others from Reddit. You'll receive a quality product at a substantially discounted price, especially if you don't need 4k at this time. Try this Yamaha. $100 cheaper than the one you ordered, with almost identical specs minus 4k.

For speakers, ditch Yamaha completely, they really don't offer anything for entry-level speakers. Instead, many people on Reddit recommend Micca speakers for a beginning setup. Here's some links:

For L/R fronts and surround speakers, use these Micca MB42X

For your center channel, use this Micca MB42X-c

Then, use either this Dayton SUB-1000, or one of it's stable mates the SUB-800, SUB-1200, or SUB-1500. Alternatively you can use this BIC-F12 for a little more punch, especially if you plan on upgrading any time down the road.

Cable wise you're fine. Use HDMI whenever you can, as optical only supports up to 5.1. Also don't fall into the trap of "high end" cabling. Stuff from Amazon or Monoprice is fine. For speaker wire, make sure the wire is pure copper, not copper-clad aluminum.

Hope that helps.

I would say the Denon 1612, but it only has 4 HDMI inputs. If you think you can get by with this many go for it. This is the receiver I personally have, and I think it is absolutely great. The setup is as simple as possible, really hard to mess up. If you really NEED more inputs, I would take a look at the Marantz NR1403. Both of these have auto setup and can be expanded up to 5.1.

As for speakers, we would need to know a bit more about your room, such as how large it is and how far you will be sitting from the tv. If it is a bigger room, I would probably suggest these Polks, or if you go with the Denon I linked, Magnepan MMGs. If it is a smaller room, I would go with a pair of PSB Image B4s. I absolutely love how those little guys sound.

I would not recommend a subwoofer at this price point, UNLESS you go with the Denon and PSBs. In that case I would probably just go for something like this simple Polk model.

As for the dialogue being clear, most receivers will have presets to increase dialogue volumes. Any other questions and we'll be happy to help.

If you're opening up your ceiling to run wires and install speakers, depending on how the floor joists are (engineered vs straight up 2 x 8's) you may want to think about blown in insulation to help with noise transfer to the rest of the house.

> but any other suggestions for good looking sound proofing would help.

Check out http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/ they do free reviews/estimates to help give you an idea on what is feasible and what you can do.

As a side note, acoustic panels are less about sound proofing and more about fixing room acoustics (echos, bouncing).

> I do want Dolby Atmos and DTS:X capability but was not sure the best setup, looking at either a 5.1.6 (all 6 ceiling speakers) or possibly doing a 7.1.4 (setting 2 of the 6 ceiling speaker listed as mid-highs possibly?)

Just be aware that 6 channels of atmos is expensive, you're looking at something like the Denon X8500 to do 6 channels of atmos right now. Your 7200 can't do 6 overhead channels, maxes out at 4.

If you're hiring someone, wire for everything (Top fronts, top middles, top rears, front heights and rear heights) once its opened up the cost will be minimal for adding all that.

> Lastly, the rear speakers are limited on placement due to windows, but it appears to have just enough room between the windows and the sliding doors.

Speaker stands, they never hurt anyone and allows you to run rear surrounds.

That or the small section of wall you do have between the patio door and the windows could easily wall mount rear surround speakers.

If this was my room that is probably what I'd do, is wall mount the speakers with Speaker mounts like these on each side of the patio door.

At that level of budget, you simply don't have a lot of wiggle room. You'd be pretty much limited to stereo (2.0), and you'd likely have to get the most budget of budget speakers (probably Dayton B452's).

A better compromise may be a decent pair of powered speakers like the Fluance Ai40, Edifier R1280DB or Micca PB42X. Another option would be to get a mini amp like the Dayton DTA-2.1BT2 and pair it with passive bookshelfs like Micca RB42's or MB42X's.

There are other audio "solutions" out there, but nothing that we would suggest in good faith around here. My honest advise is to wait and save up for a more robust budget so you can invest in quality stuff that will last you longer.

I looked into the Denon and it looks like I can grab the X1300 at Bestbuy right now for around $400. They also have a Sony 4k receiver priced at $200 right now. It looks like one of the big differences would be the addition/lack of DolbyAtmos and internet connectivity. I haven't heard either so I can't speak on the differences. Would you say its worth the $200 price hike?

Also, googling DolbyAtmos a bit leads me to believe that I need an Atmos capable speaker set/soundbar to fully enjoy it. From what I saw they were pretty pricey. Do you have any suggestions on that front? Because it looks like (unfortunately) the combination of the Denon with an Atmos capable speaker set would be out of my price range at the moment.

Do you suggest I wait and save up for some sort of Denon/Atmos Speaker set-up? Or would some sort of combo of the Sony with maybe these speakers be sufficient?

Thank you for all the help so far!

I am also building slowly to 5.1. I don't know how quickly you want to get there or what you want the final tally to be, but I would opt for less, but better equipment, to start. I'd get a cheaper receiver and subwoofer to get my foot in the door, but I'd buy better speakers.

I'd go with something like this:

Receiver - $169.99 http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/yamhtr3067bl/yamaha-htr-3067-5.1-ch-x-70-watts-a/v-receiver-same-as-rx-v377/1.html

Front L/R - $279.99 https://www.amazon.com/Debut-Bookshelf-Speakers-Andrew-Jones/dp/B014GSEQ06/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1473895480&sr=1-1&keywords=elac

This comes in at $449.98 This will be 100% better, and absolutely replace your soundbar, which is what you need right now. It also puts you $80 dollars from the matching center, or $113 from a nice subwoofer. You could spend $500 on a subwoofer now, like was posted above, but it would outclass your fronts by a large margin. I prefer better dialogue/sound overall. This sub is 85% of what a subwoofer double it's price gives. I started with 2.1 and I don't regret going slowly.

Center - $179.99 https://www.amazon.com/Debut-Center-Speaker-Andrew-Jones/dp/B014GSEQWE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1473895660&sr=1-1&keywords=elac+center

Subwoofer - $213 https://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-F12-475-Watt-Subwoofer/dp/B0015A8Y5M

For 300 you might be better off buying LCR and a receiver then adding a sub and surrounds later.

You can probably do something like this:

• Receiver: https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrs540bt/denon-avr-s540bt-5.2-ch-x-70-watts-bluetooth-a/v-receiver/1.html
  
• Fronts: https://www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B00E7H8GG2
  
• Center: https://www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B00HHFBEK6?th=1
  
  That's $20 over your budget but Denon receivers are fantastic and honestly those Micca speakers are a great start.
  
  When you're ready to upgrade you can buy cheap surrounds for around $50 (you don't need killer speakers for surrounds) and a cheap sub like a $99 10" Dayton Audio Sub-1000 or $149 for a 12" Dayton Audio Sub-1200.

Are your more of a videophile or audiophile?

If you are a videophile, minimum recomened viewing angle from the seating position is about 30 degrees. At 12' viewing distance, your minimum recommended screen size is around 77", with ideal being around 93". A decent 70" TV would eat up all of your budget and still be a bit below the 30deg recommended minimum. A budget projector will give you a much more ideal screen size at about $1000 for projector + screen.

If you are more of an audiophile, you can forget about screen minimums and get an entry level ~55" or so TV for around $500 on sale somewhere. This would leave an adequate budget for a good entry level 5.1 system. In which case I would suggest something like:

Dennon AVR-E300 Receiver $170

Bic f12 Sub $190

[HSU Research 5.0 Speaker Package] (http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/speakerpkg.html) $790

This would put your about $150 over budget, or alternately, you can just get the 3.0 set from HSU and find a cheap used pair of decent bookshelves for the rears.

This would be an excellent sounding system for your room size. Excellent sound quality and most likely capable of hitting reference levels depending on how much room gain you get.

I assume this is just for audio? Here's what I'd get:

Receiver: Marantz SR7009: One of the atmos receivers that can handle 11 speakers. It only has 9 channels of amplification though, so you'll need an amp too.

Amp: Emotiva UPA200: Use the amp to power the center speaker, and a randomly chosen other speaker.

Front, Surround, and Surround Back Speakers: EMP-Tek R5bi Bookshelf Speakers: These are awesome speakers, and sincle you'll have two subwoofers and 11 speakers, I doubt you'll need towers in your setup. If you do, and don't mind spending some extra cash on them, EMP Tek makes awesome matching towers. Here's a review of the bookshelf speakers

Center Speaker: EMP Tek R5Ci: The matching center. They also make a bigger one, but its a bit overkill, especially with 10 other speakers.

In Ceiling Speakers: RBH A-600: RBH is the parent company to EMP Tek, so these speakers should match well with the others. They aren't expensive, but because they're only doing ceiling duty, not much more than this is really ever needed.

Subwoofers: NXG NX-BAS-500: These are some badass value subwoofers. Many people say they are the best subwoofer available under $500. Other good brands include Hsu Research, or SVS.

Total: ~$3200. This should give you a little wiggle room if you wanted to get anything else you don't have like cables, a universal remote, or anything like that. If you wanted to upgrade the system, I'd say go for better ceiling speakers first, since you're kind of stuck with what you buy, then upgrade to a Hsu or SVS subwoofer. Other than that, this should be one bad-ass setup. This is assuming you didn't want to have all on-wall speakers, in which case I'd look into some of the stuff JBL puts out, like the JBL 8320.

Right now, it's a $180 difference to step up to the 65T since the 55T are on sale. It'll be a small-ish gain in bass performance, but you'd get a bigger gain by putting money towards a sub. The receiver should work nicely, especially if you get a sub.

For sub recommendations, check out Polk's eBay store, or the BIC America F12. However, I think you're better off saving up and springing for a much higher quality sub like this SVS. I have the T90e's which are essentially the previous generation 65T. If you're upgrading from TV audio right now I think you'll be happy enough with the 55T's bass performance that you can comfortably wait on buying a sub. I like building out a system piece by piece with high quality components and getting that "wow" factor with each new upgrade.

I would go for the X2200W because it features Denon's MultiEQ XT, while the S910W only has MultiEQ. The XT will drastically help when calibrating the speakers, especially since you want 7.1 and atmos. I would definitely go with the X200W if you can get it for only $100 more.

Do you know the Polk speakers you are thinking about? I have heard the Andrew Jones designed Pioneer speakers are good. Atmos is available for these as either an add-on or comes with certain bookshelf speakers. Amazon does not indicate if certain prices are for pairs. If the prices are, then you could get two towers, sub, two bookshelf speakers for rear, and two atmos add-ons for the tops of the towers for about $800. If the prices are not for pairs, then add about $300 more. Perhaps more people can chime in about other speakers with atmos that would fit your budget.

Here is the link to the amazon purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-BS22-LR-Designed-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers/dp/B008NCD2LG

Denon's website shows the X2200W at $800. Adding the speakers, you would be around $1600 without tax, if applicable, or about $1900 depending on the statement above. I would also recommend a power conditioner instead of a surge protector at this level. Look around for a good one that is reasonably priced.

Good luck! My father was sitting in a room with atmos speakers and ducked when a helicopter flew overhead in the movie.

For beginning, I always just recommend an entry-level Denon AVR and 2 Polk speakers. It's good enough that it will be a million miles ahead of a truly cheap setup, and if you ever want to upgrade to nicer thing you'll have no problems just swapping things out. Polk is pretty mainstream and budget friendly, and Denon is also pretty mainstream and has a nice room-correction/calibration thing that they do called Audyssey.

AVR could be anything basically like this: https://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVRS530BT-Channel-Ultra-Receiver/dp/B06XYD1RZ3

And for speakers: https://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-TSi200-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B0018QROCC/

And for subwoofer: https://www.amazon.com/Polk-10-Inch-Powered-Subwoofer-Single/dp/B0002KVQBA

For an AVR you'll be spending around or just north of $200. And for a pair of front speakers, I think you'd spend around or just north of $200 for the pair, too. You can also get some kind of really cheap nightstand tables to hold the speakers up, or go more expensive and get taller floor standing speakers. Just like how you want a TV to be roughly eye level, it's good to heave the tweeters of your speakers at roughly ear level.

You can go WAY nicer than all of this, but I am assuming you're pretty budget conscious and would rather just get something that sounds massively great compared to just using TV speakers or a soundbar, and you're not ready to spend a grand or more on audio to approach the really fancy levels.

Putting audio equipment in a closed environment runs risk of heat damage. You'll want some place that gets air or invest in some way to circulate the air.

This is a front blowing rack cooler for 80 bucks. Whatever receiver you get, stack this on top and let the heat get sucked out of the front of the cabinet AC Infinity AIRCOM S10, Quiet Cooling Blower Fan System 17" Front-Exhaust for Receivers, Amps, DVR, AV Cabinet Components https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078PX4575/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_iAmKDbVFG2Q0T


As far as a nice atmos setup, essentially from what I've read the atmos positions supported by the specs are all ceiling positions, and you've got all those shelves, so actually might be doable. Maybe some small compact speakers for everything would do nicely here along with a decent sub.



As far as speaker selection goes, if you're on a budget, I've heard great things about these pioneer AJ bookshelf speakers: Pioneer SP-BS22-LR Andrew Jones Designed Bookshelf Loudspeakers(7-1/8" x 12-9/16" x 8-7/16" & weighs 9 lbs 2 oz) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008NCD2LG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_FymKDbX0SJ7J2

Otherwise if you can afford a bit better, Q Accoustics makes excellent compact bookshelf speakers for basically $100 a speaker.

The atmos speakers themselves don't need to be top of the line. They need to be able to handle like 150hz and above. Something like the Micca convo-s could work.

As far as a sub goes, the SVS SB1000 seems to be the go-to around here for best price to performance at the "entry level" of decent home theater experience. $500

Receiver is entirely up to you but get something with decent room correction. The x1500h is not bad. The x1600h is out and has eARC support but is a few hundred dollars more since it's new.

That honestly should give you everything for a superb experience in this space.

If you are looking at receivers, the brands most people on this board have and talk about are Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha, Pioneer, and Marantz. Onkyo has had some bad HDMI boards lately. Denon and Marantz are the same company with Marantz being the nicer brand (think Honda and Acura). There is a website called accessories4less that sells refurbished receivers. You can save some money this way. Refurbs are units that have come back to the manufacturer under warranty, it costs them money to repair these units so they get a thorough double-check on all systems to make sure they are not going to come back again. They usually have a one year manufacturers warranty on them as well. If you want to save cash this is a good way to go. Find one from the previously mentioned brands with the features you want and get it. Don't get a Sony receiver, /r/zeos talks about that.

Let's say you spend around 200-500 bucks on the receiver and want to spend 800-1000 on speakers. I'd find three timbre-matched fronts (speakers from the same series are timbre matched). I recommend floorstanding speakers because they are better overall, but if you want to save space, I wouldn't be afraid to go with bookshelf speakers especially if you are considering a subwoofer, which you should be. The subwoofer to get is the BIC America F12. $200 new or $150 used when you can find it, this sub rocks anything else in its price range. You need to pay over double before you find anything that is markedly better. Your final step is surrounds. Get some bookshelf speakers. Many people enjoy dipole speakers for the rearmost channel as it makes the sound harder to pinpoint.

Expect to spend the most on your front channels, the rear channels don't have to match the front so you can splurge on the front and just get some ok rears if you want.

I would break down my price like this for a 800-1000 speaker budget (your money will go further used).

• Front L/R: $300-400
  
• Center: $200
  
• Rear L/R: $150
  
• Subwoofer: $200
  
  Listen in-store to what you can. Speakers are very subjective.

Yep. I really have enjoyed them quite a bit. They are great for my apartment and would recommend to anyone.

This is my sub which was recommended to me on Reddit. Love it. Check this out on AMZN:

BIC America F12 12-Inch 475-Watt Front Firing Powered Subwoofer http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015A8Y5M/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8

And then I got a cheap $200 denon receiver which I might take back to best buy because I would like more HDMI inputs

Buy all cables, speaker wire, sub cord etc from monoprice. Great wires and very cheap

I see lots of commenters recommending high-end stuff which is understandable since you are building your own house and having a large dedicated space for a banging HT. A good 7 channel receiver plus a subwoofer powerful enough for your large room will add up to $1000 pretty quick. Heck, I'd reccomend two subwoofers for a space that large. I will probably get downvoted, but let me help you find some more budget friendly choices.

Receiver $300 - DENON
AVR-X1400H

Subwoofer $300 - Bic Acoustech PL-200 II

Front LR $200 - Fluance Signature Series

* Matching Center - $150

Surround and Rear Surrounds - Micca MB42X 2x$80

This puts you just slightly over budget. also factor in speaker mounts / shelves / stands, cables, etc.... There's obviously lots of options and everyone has their own opinions. Have fun researching, I hope this helps!

Hey yo, I've been doing my fair share of research these past couple of days and this sub as well as /r/Zeos have been a huge help. That budget can definitely get you started with something nice.


These suggestions are all from reading this sub, avsforums, amazon reviews, you name it.. I really have no on-hand experience as I'm saving up for a build myself. (Here is my post in case you're interested)

• Pioneer SP-FS52 - These puppies seem to be a huge favorite everywhere. I did see someone post they were cheaper a couple of weeks back so it's up to you if you want to wait. They are also Pioneer as you mentioned you wanted to stick with that.
  
  
  
• Denon S500 - This brand is very reputable here, as well as the site. Don't be discouraged by the "Refurbished". I'm planning on getting a receiver from this brand and site and jumping on maybe 1 or 2 years of Extended Warranty just for giggles. It has integrated bluetooth as you mentioned that was important. Like someone above mentioned, you can always go a different route and purchase a receiver without bluetooth technology and get a Google Chromecast (~$25-$30) or Bluetooth dongle. (Be aware you will loose quality when you go wireless)
  
  
  
• As for a sub, someone needs to chime in, but these two are held in nice regard: Martin Logan Dynamo 300 and Dayton 1000
  
  
  That should keep you around your budget and have some spare for cables and any other expenses that might come up along the way. Maybe some cable management or whatever.
  
  
  Good luck
  

> CHANE A2.4 can be used as a LCR?(left center right)?

Correct. Their tweeters can be rotated by hand using just a screwdriver as they are in a horizontal alignment from the factory but many rotate them after shipping and use the speakers vertically all the way across or at least for the left and right speaker. Chane owner/speaker designer Jon Lane can walk you through it fairly easily.


>The eventual goal is for a 5.1 setup. should I get 3 CHANE A2.4 then 2 other surrounds and a subwoofer or get 5 CHANE A2.4 then subwoofer?

If your goal is to listen to a lot of multi channel music then having matching Chane bookshelves as side surrounds makes some sense but if not and mostly listening to 2 channel stereo or Direct then matching the surrounds speakers isn't a necessity. The Chane bookshelf A1.4 is a large and fairly heavy bookshelf that usually needs a mount with a metal pad to secure it like from VideoSeCu. Plus yes I recommend a subwoofer. A $400 to $600 subwoofer budget will get you a good quality subwoofer but lesser budgets can be accommodated as well. I have Rythmik subwoofers with my Chane‘s.

>****I know I sound like an idiot.

Anything but !

Soundbars are better than TV speakers, but dedicated speakers and receiver will always be better at any price point.

At $300 I would suggest getting better towers, and maybe squeeze in a centre channel for improved dialogue clarity.

https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-FS52-Designed-standing-Loudspeaker/dp/B008NCD2S4

https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-C22-Designed-Channel-Speaker/dp/B008NCD2EI

The technology to create soundbars has existed forever, but companies didn't realize how much the average person will compromise on quality if they just lie to them a bit.

I just picked up this simple pioneer since it dropped 30 bucks recently, though it looks like it's back up as of today or yesterday. Still good at ~$100 though. I have some old ass but good bigass bookshelf Polks as my fronts, Klipsch bookshelf as my rears and a Yamaha sub so i didn't really give a shit trying to match, lol.

More to the point it had lots of good reviews, so I pulled the trigger when it was 66 bones. Happy I did. I too can now hear dialogue when I'm sitting in center of couch, lol.

1. those rca speakers are not compatible with a receiver. it is a standalone system. furthermore its pretty shit and doesnt have true surround sound or even pro logic. the rear speakers mirror the front speakers, and the center speaker plays an equal balance of left and right. at the very least, look at something like this, which is not a whole lot better, but atleast it is compatible with a proper receiver and will therefore give true surround sound.
   
   http://www.monoprice.com/Product/Index?p_id=8247
   
   
2. skip the google tv and get a Sony or LG smart blu ray player. spend around $100-$120. use extra funds to get better speakers.
   
   http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWKC0JM/
   
   good: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WGJX5A/
   
   better: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001202C44/
   
   
3. where is your screen? please dont say "my wall"

Others have mentioned it but it bears repeating. Those are low quality speakers. It is NOT worth investing in the equipment that you would need to drive them. Don't throw good money after bad. Start from scratch and get something significantly better.

• AVR: DENON
  AVR-S510BT - $169. Entry level receiver from one of the best brands available. A good and very affordable starting point.
  
• Front Speakers: Pioneer SP-FS52 ($129 each) & Pioneer SP-C22 ($99). Since you seem to like the look of floor standing speakers, these are good quality entry level speakers with a matching center. Total $357.
  
• Surround Speakers Micca MB42 - $69. Small bookshelf speakers that will get you to 5.0. I would consider these optional at this point, since you're on a budget.
  
  That's a good entry level 5.0 setup for around $600. If you're on a budget, consider just getting the AVR and front left and right speakers for now. Add the center, surrounds, and a subwoofer of your choice, as your budget allows in whatever order you prefer. I can guarantee you it will sound better than any possible set up with you existing Sony speakers.

This is a solid system and should be pretty future-proofed with that receiver in the case that you want to upgrade the channels.

If you're will to put in a little work, I think you can build a better sounding set for that price.

Two pairs of the Micca 42MBX for the fronts and surrounds:
http://amzn.com/B00E7H8GG2
-- These speakers earned high praise and recommendation in the audiophile community (particularly AVSForums) for their fantastic sound quality, which got me to purchase them for my own system. Love them dearly!

The matching center channel:
http://amzn.com/B00HHFBEK6

That together is about $300.

You can then use the giftcard for a subwoofer:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/pioneer-subwoofer-black/5086873.p?id=1218610014537&skuId=5086873

A solid receiver:
http://amzn.com/B00ILCS182

Plus all your cables and banana plugs from Monoprice. You might even have some money left over to get an extra pair of the Micca speakers to make it a 7.1.

With your budget, if you don't want to go modular and add the pieces as you go along and get a 5.1 right away, think this seems like a decent package that you'll be very happy with for a good couple of years:

These Pionneer towers x2

And the surrounds

And center that go with the set

This sub seems very well liked around here

The amp you mentionned (I have had RX-V657 for years, very good) is also very good an will be plenty

rest on cables and stuff if you need, go to http://www.monoprice.com

All that should come in around your budget!

Cheers and have fun!

I've only used really stands like this one for PC speakers, they work fine but don't look all that great:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VRREPG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share.

I think you're going to be really impressed with that setup, good luck!

Here is what I would go for. I plan to upgrade to this sub and this 5.1 setup. I'll probably use my micca mb42x for rears though. They are currently my fronts. But the dipoles I listed look awesome. You can use most bookshelves for rears so you can easily adjust your budget accordingly. Some just mount on the wall easier than others.

Receiver $200-$250 new or refurb Denon

Fluance sx6 $130 (also in black)

Fluance center $80

Fluance bipole rears $120

Bic America Sub $180 or Dayton 1000 for $109

EDIT: So you can easily get this under $700 or even $600 depending on what kind of rears you want, or the sub. Even a cheaper receiver can be found depending on what you want. Also amazon has a great return policy so I almost always go with used in good condition. They give heavy discounts on refurbs just for an item that gets opened and returned.

To give some different perspective as someone who worked with a budget much like yours, what I ended up going with was:

• Receiver: Denon S510BT, $230***
  
• L/R: Micca MB42X, $80/pair
  
• Center: Micca MB42X-C, $80
  
• Rears: Sound Appeal SA-VF6.5S, $60
  
  That comes out to $450, so you can spend the remaining $50 on a mounting solution for your rears, if necessary. I did all my research on Zeos' subreddit.
  
  It's got a center for dialogue, it's 5.0 (so I guess the one clear downside is no subwoofer within budget for you), and it's not a HTiB.
  
  Full disclosure, I did end up upgrading my L/R MB42X's to a pair of MB42X-C's, just because I could then take the MB42X's and put them elsewhere in the house, but that doesn't really change my recommendation of the base setup at all.
  
  ***The only caveat I would offer with regards to the setup is to look at the various receivers at this price point to make sure you get the features you would want. For example, from my perspective, a receiver with support ARC would be better and the ability to use banana plugs would be a nice to have (both of which the S510BT doesn't support). They aren't major gripes because you can get around ARC by using optical out from your source, and regular wiring isn't that big a deal, but it's things I didn't realize had to be considered when I started this journey, so I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it here.

I don't even have a setup yet, so please, someone correct me if I am leading this person astray, but from my own individual research it seems one of the better and more expandable budget setups involves...

• https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrs530bt/denon-avr-s530bt-5.2-ch-x-70-watts-bluetooth-a/v-receiver/1.html - $144.44 (currently) from a reputable brand and site.
  
• https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E7H8GG2/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AFKH6OU9WWNFS - Good budget bookshelf speakers.
  
• https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006LW0W5Y/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER - The wire to run it.
  
  Beyond that I'll probably try and get the Sony UBP-X800 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player (2017 Model) when it goes on sale again (IIRC it was only $200 a month ago). That'll probably last me for quite some time. I'm not a high end user, but I've been using tv speakers my whole life so I think this will be a great upgrade path for me. Of course in total it is out of your initial budget, but you can buy them piece by piece or just continue to save until you can afford it all.
  

I have these speakers and these stands. I'm sure there's better out there, but for $120, these are nice enough compact bookshelf speakers and adjustable height stands that work well for me. I have them paired with considerably nicer fronts and sub, and am quite happy with the overall sound.

Ended up getting something completely different.

Got this receiver from amazon:
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B010BHSXYQ

although for 550$

I also got this full audio set from shop.ca:
http://www.shop.ca/c/jbl-nightlife-home-theatre-speaker-package-nightlife-Nightlife-Speaker-Package-24866196

Price shown there (but it's out of stock now of course).

After further research, I also had to get the following cables to set it all up:

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B006LW0W5Y

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B005LJQMZC

And an HDMI cable

It's very different than everything here, but yeah the deals in my main post ended up running out so I had to find something else. I believe those were good deals and I'm really enjoying the setup now.

But yeah I'm not really an audiophile either so I can't really help you much more than tell you what I got, which isn't really on sale anymore so not worth getting maybe? Although this receiver is amazing so far, even if I have nothing to compare it against.