I agree. Don't go for the theater in a box. Speakers usually suck pretty bad. I wanted to do that originally. But instead bought pieces over time. First the TV and DVD of course. Then like speakers, receiver, wires, stands, etc. I'm pretty happy with what I have. Its not the best, but it sounds really good to my ears. I like to play the Matrix scene (Neo n' Trinity going to save Morpheus) over and over sometimes. Granted this was 4 years ago, and its still in great condition. Sony Wega 27" TV, DVD player, receiver and Polk speakers/sub (10").

 

steven has a valid point, unless you go with a quality one....I have the Yamaha YHT-F1500 HTIB and love it...paid $900 for it...not a bad deal

 

For $500, check out the Rocket Tyke/Kenwood bundle: http://www.av123.com/products_product.php?...rs&product=42.1 You'll still need a DVD player but for the price, it'll be hard to beat.

 

$500... hard to work with. You aren't going to get much for $500, but if not much is all you expect, then probably the best cheap HT setup....

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onkyo-Home-...roductDetail.do

 

I have a Kenwood HTIB and it's pretty damn awesome. Quality components and the speakers are good.

Kenwood products have always been quality units. Can't go wrong.

 

there are some decent HTIB kits out there, but most speakers are plastic boxes and untreated paper cones. Just crap.

Instead of a HTIB, you can buy a receiver and a separate speaker package from someone like JBL. It'll cost $200 or so more, but it'll have higher quality speakers. JBL has a decent 6.1 kit for like $399 I think.

Some HTIB kits come with good receivers, and the kit is like $100 more than the receiver alone. These "throw away" speakers will work until you replace them.

Stay away from Bose!

 

Okay. You have gotten some Opinions. IMHO, you are doing this the wrong way. You need a budget. However, what you REALLY need to start with is how much space do you have for the HT, i.e. dimensions of a room. If your in a dorm room HTIB will meet your needs. If you live in a 1 bedroom apt, you might need small speakers and a sub. You goal should be excellent acoustics 1st, quality equipment 2nd, and Total project budget 3rd.

ask away

 

btw, stay away from BOSE, Cambridge etc, etc. You will find out Picking Audio Equipment is way more complex than picking a car.

 

What's wrong with Cambridge and Bose? I remember reading Consumer Reports Home Theater comparison and Cambridge equipment was rated highly. I am doing some preliminary shopping for HT equipment also. I was thinking piecing together a system gradually using some old speakers for now. I want to start out with a receiver and then gradually add the subwoofer and center channel speaker.

 

go to www.audioreview.com. Bose, Cambridge are the Chevy's of the Audio world. Avg. equipment with lots of advertisement/discounts. CR is for appliance buying, not for deciding on your sports car or your HT equipment.

If you are going to go with the small speakers/sub setup. Look at ENERGY, B&W, BA etc etc.

like I said go to audioreview. use their links, read reviews, and FINALLY Go try out the speakers. Every Human ear is different, and the what you perceive as clean, crystal clear acoustics might be ruckus to my ears. you have to make the final decision based on your on testdrive.