Looking to start home theater setup for ~$500

[swoody]

Hello all!

I have recently moved into a new place and am looking to start building a home theater system. I have an apartment with a 50" Samsung plasma and I would like to spend about $500 to kick off the audio system. At this time I think I would start off with a good receiver, the fronts, and a center speaker. In the future (probably when I move into an actual home with more space) I will add a sub and the surround speakers to finish the system.

The usage would be pretty evenly split between movies and TV, we are not sports fans by any measure. As far as my mentality I would lean much more towards sound reproduction over volume, more of a THX style mindset where I'd like to hear the movie / show how it was intended to be by the director / artist.

When it comes to the actual components I am very much a noob. I have the understanding that building your own system offers better bang-for-the-buck than getting a pre-built package, but I do not know what to buy specifically.

I'm open to any and all ideas you guys might have, so please feel free to let me know

- Woody

[jinjuku]

For $500 you are getting an HTiB. IMO you can't even get a NIB decent receiver (what I would consider decent) for $500.

Try Craigslist first. What major city do you live near/in?

[jinjuku]

BTW if you can save up around $800 there have been some Jamo/Onkyo blowouts (talking a receiver with pre-outs which for me is a make or break feature). This is generally a 5.0 system that for $200-300 at a later date you can add a sub to.

Take a look at this 5 speaker JAMO for $399 shipped.

Again, let us know what major city you live in/near and a quick search on craigslist may find solid receiver for you for not a lot of bank.

[jinjuku]

*** Update,

These have 8" woofers built into the side/bottom. So you should be able to do without a dedicated sub for a while.

[swoody]

Thanks for the suggestions jinjuku, and I live near Chicago

Honestly, I don't see me setting up an amp for my home theater needs, so getting a top-of-the-line receiver with pre-outs and probably 100 other features I'll never use would be overkill in my opinion. I was thinking maybe a used / refurbed mid-level receiver and along the same lines for the speakers. Again, I'm looking more for a system that will sound great rather than getting all the latest doo-dads and marketing gimmicks. The two things I am interested in would be HDMI in/out and 7.1 support for future expansion.

After looking around a bit more, I found a thread with a couple recommendations. One for the Onkyo TX-SR508 ($230 used on Amazon), which has HDMI input / output and supports 7.1. That would leave me $270 to spend on fronts and a center speaker. Would this model not be a good choice for a mid-level setup?

Again, still very much open to ideas, so feel free to let me know what you think

Edit: That model also has a sub pre-out if that is what you were referring to instead of pre-outs for an amp.

[swoody]

Alternatively, I can get the Onkyo TX-SR608 7.2 Refurbed for $300. It has 100W per channel, HDMI in/out, and is even THX Select2 Plus certified.

That would leave me $200 for the speakers. Maybe just front towers at this time?

[gpost3]

You can get a decent system for $500. But need more info. Are you looking for 5.1 system right off the bat? And what are you using as the source? Your computer?

[swoody]

You can get a decent system for $500. But need more info. Are you looking for 5.1 system right off the bat? And what are you using as the source? Your computer?

At this time I think I would start off with a good receiver, the fronts, and a center speaker. In the future (probably when I move into an actual home with more space) I will add a sub and the surround speakers to finish the system...

The usage would be pretty evenly split between movies and TV

The source would either be Comcast cable or my laptop (via HDMI). At this time I'm not overly concerned with building an entire system, but creating a good foundation and the ability to expand over time. I would rather spend my money on good equipment and speakers and wait to complete the system rather than buying a mediocre HTIAB system. Obviously, if I can get a quality 7.1 system for $500 (doubt it!) I would be up for the idea, but I am perfectly happy piecing it together

[gpost3]

I have read on various places that the jump from 5.1 to 7.1 was not worth it. Just so you know. So I will make recommendation with 5.1 as a goal.

For now I would suggest start by looking at front two channel. And possibly the center channel as well. 80% of dialogue in movies come from centre so naturally spend a bit more on that. Ebay would be a good place to start for speakers.

To start with front left and right, here is my suggestion:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Mission-M31i-Book...item3a64af0eed

[gpost3]

For receiver, check out the Sony STR-DH810. Best bang for the buck and you get 3D for future. Both the receiver and the mission speakers I suggested above will set you roughly $500. But you get a modern receiver and pretty much audiophile grade speakers to boot.

For subwoofers later down the road, I heard only good about SVS subwoofers although personally I think they are too pricey ($600 for the cheapest in line).