Seeking advice on new music/theater setup...

[hifiuser]

So I need 4 speakers (ideally a center speaker too), a woofer and a reciever. My room is 13x16, and my primary use will be for music, but I also have a giant projector so I want something that will do surround sound too. I was looking at some HTIAB solutions...

Amazon.com: Sony BRAVIA DAV-DZ170 Home Theater System: Electronics

or

Amazon.com: Onkyo SKS-HT690 5.1-Channel Home Theater Speaker System (Black, 6): Electronics
(will need a separate reciever for this one)

I am wondering if this is the best way to go... A few years ago I got a great deal on a Onkyo HT-S5100 7.1 HTIAB for around 300 bucks. I've been pretty happy with it, but I really like to be surrounded by the music 360 degrees, so I really had to tweak the speakers to get things balanced (since the front speakers are bigger than the rear ones). It sounds good, but some songs I can hear distortion (although it might just be a low quality mp3, or the fact that I'm using the semi cheap wire that came with the speakers).

Anyway, are the HTIAB products the best way to go for somebody in my situation? My budget is $150-300. I would greatly appreciate any recommendations!

Thanks!

 

[aakashr]

Before anything please seperate hifi brands from electronic brands. They both cater to different market segments. Since we are talking serious audio let's drop sony, lg, samsung, etc.......

Since your main intrest is music a stereo setup would serve you better. However if you also want to enjoy 5.1 audio occasionally then you need something that works better for music but also does a good job with movies. And none other than MARANTZ would suit you perfectly.

So I would definitely suggest a Marantz AVR + 5.1 speaker system (dependent on budget). Some of the good speaker names you can look at are wharfedale, polk audio, jamo, boston acoustics, monitor audio, mordaunt short, paradigm, etc...........
Another option and which I would personally recommend would be to get only the fronts for now and then slowly build up the system speaker by speaker.

HTIBs work great for people on a tight budget. They are perfect value for money but work more for movies. IF you want superior performance and quality you need separates as specified above.

 

[hifiuser]

Ok I am leaning towards something like this...

http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-RM705-Theater-System/dp/B000WGJX5A/ref=cm_srch_res_rtr_11

Then I will need an receiver still right? I really cant afford to go too expensive, but it would be nice to have something with an hdmi switch so I only have to run one hdmi cable to my projector (mounted in the ceiling). Can you recommend any good receivers in the 100 dollar range that I can pair with those polk speakers?

I should also mention - I will be running most video/music from my PC, so I need a receiver with a digital optical input.

What about somehting like this... it has everything I need but I just wonder about the sound quality...

Amazon.com: Onkyo HT-S3500 5.1-Channel Home Theater Speaker/Receiver Package: Electronics

 

[aakashr]

If you are looking for a 5.1 satellite speaker system also look at other brands. Polks would go well with a Denon / Marantz AVR. As I said before HTIBs like the Onkyo HT-S3500 are best bang for the buck and work great for tight budgets but if you can stretch the budget a bit then a seperate AVR + 5.1 speaker system would definitely give you better sound.

 

[hifiuser]

Well I have been shopping around all day... That Polk 5.1 setup has gotten some great praise (could it really sound THAT much better than the Onkyo 5.1 HTiB for the same price?). The thing is, if I go with the Polk 5.1, I will need a receiver, I doubt I will find a decent one for less than 100 bucks, which makes me wonder... for 350 I could get a Onkyo 7.1 HTiB....

Newegg.com - ONKYO HT-S5400 7.1 Home Theater System

Onkyo is still decent right? Wont the two extra speakers make up for 'less than polk quality'?

 

[hifiuser]

*If I go with the polk 5.1 for $250 can you recommend a specific "Denon / Marantz AVR"? I am pretty noob to all this. Ideally I would like to find something for 100-150, otherwise, wouldn't it be wise to just go with the Onkyo 7.1 HTiB for $350 (free shipping too)?