How's this for a newbie?

[plado]

Room is 14' x 17' x 8'. Got a 50" Panasonic G25 against one of the 14' walls.
I've got a budget of about $800, though I could stretch it to $1000 if necessary. I have no audio at the moment. I'm currently using my Xbox 360 as a dvd player.

I'm strongly considering a pair of EMPtek E5ti's on one of the new Pioneer VSX-820-Ks. I'm not too worried about surround sound right now, since the room is so small, but I'd like to future proof it for later upgrades.

I'm trying to talk my wife out of a sound bar. Can anyone recommend a better beginner set up, either with a sub or bookshelfs?

Also, any recommendations for in-house store that I could check things out in the Austin area?

Thanks!

 

[sholling]

I would pass on the Pioneer. In my opinion the non-Elites aren't very good and their power ratings are "optimistic". Instead I would look at:

Option 1
Two Infinity P362 towers and a PC350 center (~$250) driven by a refurbished (don't let refurb scare you) Onkyo TX-SR607. That gets you in under $900.

Option 2
The other choice is the EMPtek E5ti speakers that you were looking at plus a refurbished Onkyo TX-SR707 which together goes just over your $1000 budget by the time you have the Onkyo shipped. I would spend the extra money on the 707 to drive the EMPs.