first home theater system

[sbasaman]

I am setting up my first home theater system and I have just a couple of questions. FYI, it's going into a small-to-medium sized apartment living room and my usage will be 50% music and 50% movies/television, so I'd like something adept at both.

1. I am trying to decide between an NHT component speaker system (SB1's for front and rear, SC1 for center and SW10 for sub) and the Harman Kardon HKTS 14 speaker system. I know that the NHT speakers will offer higher quality (I've heard the SB1's in action and was blown away), but they are also much higher in price. I'm basically just trying to figure out if the extra cost is worth it given my setup and un-experienced ears. Also, are there any other similarly priced speakers/systems out there that I should take a look at?

2. For my receiver, I am looking at the Yamaha HTR-5860, the Harman Kardon AVR 335 and the Pioneer VSX-1015TX. I just want to find out what the experience of others has been with these. Any complaints?

Thanks in advance!

 

[jcPanny]

Receivers

The receivers you listed are good options. I have the Yamaha 5860 and am happy with it.

Concerning speaker packages, I would avoid companies like HK, Onkyo, Yamaha, and Sony, who are know for electronics, not speakers. I am not familiar with NHT, but I would post a thread with your room dimensions and budget in the speaker section and you will get plenty of feedback.