First time home theater system with Onkyo SR705

[anpk]

I'm trying to set up my first home theater system. Its going to be mainly used for tv (80% tv, 20% music).

I'm thinking of using the polk R50 for my back surrounds along with the onkyo SR705 as the receiver.

Can you think of any speaker combination for under 300$ to fill up the rest of the combination (or maybe get rid of the polk R50 and replace with something else). I'm specifically looking for floor standing or wall mountable speakers in particular

My room size is about 400 sq ft.

Any help/advice will be appreciated

 

[skers_54]

I'd suggest scaling back to a 5.1 setup as your budget really doesn't lend itself to 7.1 (implied by stating the use of back surrounds). Most movies are mixed in 5.1 anyways. I have the R50's and they are pretty good for the sale price. If you want Polks, I recommend getting 4 R50s from Fry's (if possible, as they are on sale for $60 each), and a CSi3 center channel from Amazon. That would be right at $300 for a surround setup (minus the subwoofer).

Since your primary uses will be TV and music, I would strongly consider starting with a solid 2 channel package with the possibility of upgrading to 5.1+ in the future. You will be able to get much higher quality speakers and will probably not notice an appreciable difference from 5.1. In this case, Paradigm, PSB, AV123, Axiom and Monitor Audio offer solid choices to consider. I have Paradigm mains in a 2 channel setup in my bedroom and they kick the shite out of my Polks with music.

As a side note, going the used route will net you better speakers for comparable cost. Audiogon is an excellent resource and has some solid deals.

 

[anpk]

Thanks I'll take a look at the center channel speaker

 

[Adam]

Like skers_54 stated, check out frys.com for a great price on those R50s. I don't think the low price can be had in store, but maybe. Shipping for one is $15, but for two is $42. So, order one at a time.

 

[anpk]

Like skers_54 stated, check out frys.com for a great price on those R50s. I don't think the low price can be had in store, but maybe. Shipping for one is $15, but for two is $42. So, order one at a time.

I was going to order one at a time, but decided to call the store and see if I can get it for the same price. Incredibly one of the stores actually gave me for the same price as online so saved on shipping for the 4 speakers I bought

 

[jcPanny]

HT budget

You might consider adjusting your budget slightly. Check out receivers in the $3-400 price range and increase your speaker budget. Also, if you start with a good pair of bookshelf speakers, you will get much better quality than a $300 HTIB type satelite speaker system.

 

[anamorphic96]

I would re-adjust your budget as well. Something like the TX-SR606 or the 605 on a closeout price. You can get a Yamaha RX-V659 from Crutchfield for 399.00. You can find all kinds of good deals online from authorized dealers if you look.

Ideally the majority of your budget should be spent on speakers since they have the biggest effect on the sound you hear.