Determined I need a 7.1 surround sound system with at least a 10" woofer. Rear speakers can be wired or wireless based on sound quality. My understanding is I will still get better sound from a wired speaker.
600 sq ft is not the biggest room in the world to fill with sound... IMO No way do you need 7.1, at least not just yet. Start with 5.1 but a receiver that will leave you open for adding a pair of rears in the future (or alternatively a pair of dipole side surrounds) should you feel it's lacking.
And yes, at least a 10" subwoofer. I would personally go with a 15 in that size room
Remember that the more speakers you have, the more you're asking the amplifier section of your receiver to stress itself which in turn means that you may find 7 speakers running off of just a receiver to be lacking, whereas 5 or even two may fill the room well.
And don't bother with wireless connections. While some interesting options do exist (Summit Wireless and Sonos Wireless) they're way out of your budget. Stick to some cheap 12 or 14 awg wire from Blue Jeans, Monoprice, or Home Depot.
Separate! HTIBs are a simple compromise, but not a great solution if you want movies to blow you away!
Built-in Blu-ray player or separate?
Separate! They're completely different electronics with different functions. THe more functions you try to squeeze into a box, the more you're likely in for problems.
A great stereo system is better than a mediocre surround system. In this scenario, I recommend holding off on buying surround speakers because it seems you're lacking electronics. I do recommend budgeting more than you originally have because you're way behind the times, and an Onkyo HTIB might get you up to date, but won't blow you away.
I'm willing to bet the JBLs have strong dynamic capabilities and are a better place to start than the Onkyo speakers. However they won't substitute for a subwoofer when it comes to movies. I also do doubt an 80s speaker's ability to properly fix an image on the center screen in stereo mode, but we'll still leave you to determine that - don't rush in head first. Just make sure the JBLs work properly and dont need any reconditioning or service. I also recommend swapping out old 80s spring clips if they have those with more modern binding posts. When setting them up, try to keep them away from walls, yet spread them far apart and toe them in until the image centers on the screen.
You've even got some surround speakers it seems, whcih is a nice place to start as well. Not necessary by any means, but it probably won't hurt.
So yeah... after we've gotten electronics taken care of, we'll worry about a subwoofer before we worry about 5.1 sound. And when we do worry about 5.1 sound, we'll focus on a front sound stage first and foremost.
TV-newly purchased Samsung 58" Plasma PN58C550
Nice choice, plasmas are great! Make sure to calibrate grayscale, brightness, contrast, saturation etc properly if possible for the best video.
Since you seem to be wanting on the electronics end, I recommend budgeting a lot towards a blu ray player.
http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-93/
And alternatively, they will likely release the less expensive BDP-90 but I'm not sure. Quite frankly, there likely won't be a single better choice on a 3D Blu Ray player than Oppo's offering. Expensive? Yes. That's a given if you want networking and 3D... they're rather newer high end features.
If that's not important to you, I recommend either getting the Oppo BDP-83, or a Sony Playstation 3.
The next step is to look at a 3D receiver with plenty of dynamic power on tap and modern features.
The Marantz SR5005 is a nice choice
http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/sr5005.html
On and off, you'll occasionally find some less expensive B-Stocks of the same unit on
www.accessories4less.com
so keep checking that website. Great service and warranty. Can't recommend that site enought.
Another choice is the Onkyo NR-708 receiver, and there's b-stocks of those as well on that same website ( i think they have one in stock right now if you jump on it!)
If 3D's not important to you, i recommend picking up a B-Stock Marantz SR5003 from, again, the same website. You can use the networking features of your blu ray player in this scenario.
SInce we're to use your JBLs, we can avoid spending at all on speakers.
The next thing is to find some good ol speaker wire. You can use what you have right now as long as it's 16 gauge or lower (14 awg preferably).
Otherwise check out
www.monoprice.com - Great website
as well as
www.bluejeanscable.com
Oh, and read this:
http://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/2010-500-receiver-comparison-guide
