Creating a new system

[Riftpoint]

Hi, I'm looking to create a decent entry level sound system to pair up with my new HDTV, right now my Fiancee and I are apartment dwellers, so our tv room is about 15'x10' (and oddly shaped). We'll also be moving to a new apartment in the near future but I doubt we'll have anything bigger than a 20'x20' space for the speakers.

I'm trying to keep the AVR under $350 and I'm trying to keep my total purchase to under $1000... I've read other threads where people had been talking about amps with pre-outs, but I wasn't entirely convinced that I need them, especially since they seem to fall out of my price range on AVRs. I don't blast my music, and since I don't foresee having anything but a medium sized tv room within the next 8-10 years it seems like I'd be due for an upgrade at that point anyway (and maybe just retire the old system to another room).

What I'm looking for is a good mid-ranged system that will work well for mid-sized rooms I guess. I've looked at several Onkyo receivers and a couple of Pioneer receivers, leaning towards an Onkyo TX-SR607. For speakers I'm still a little lost though, I've been looking at speaker systems (sub, center, sides, surrounds) from Cambridge Soundworks (newton 155-SE) and Polk (RM705).

What kind of speaker suggestions would you make for mid-sized room? Would the Cambridge ones feel lost in something like a 15'x15' or a 20'x20'? And would not having the pre-outs really make that much of a difference for small-to-mid sized rooms?
Thanks!

 

[Midwesthonky]

For the $1000 target budget you mention, I wouldn't get fancy. One thing to consider is if the room is tall and are the walls bare? Meaning, will the sound bounce around a lot or is there a lot of soft surfaces like carpet, cloth furniture, etc to absorb sound? Tower speakers or bookshelf? Dominantly audio or 50/50 with home theater?

Here's my take on the electronics: List the feature you want out of like # of HDMI, etc. Use that to narrow it down. Then pick one within the price range. There are several different brands that will work well for you. I happen to prefer Yamaha and Pioneer. That doesn't mean a Denon or other won't do the job, they will. Find what you like and pick it.

I'm also in the market for speakers and have been spending a lot of time trying to figure out what to do for speakers. It is not easy! My room is big (18x18) and tall (17 ft) with lots of hard surfaces. There is a ton of good/decent speakers out there for your price range. Try to find several stores that carry different brands and listen to them.

You will get as many brand opinions as posters on this board (to quote another poster). And he's right. I have narrowed it down by listening to some speakers. I was getting close to a decision, but then stopped at another place whose rooms had different acoustics than the chain guys. Now things are different especially since I can focus on the sound and not people coming in and out and other noise entering the listening room. Try to find the opportunity to listen since what sounds good to you may not work for someone else.

As for me, I prefer the Klipsch RF-52s over comparable Polk towers. But then I listed to Klipsch in a different room and the upper frequencies were harsher than I would like. But how often will I have it at that volume? So not an easy decision. Now that I have not helped narrow the decision...