Need help with what kind of surround sound system to buy as a present

[keir]

Hello all! I'm looking for a bit of advice.

My hubby's birthday is coming up and he has been wanting a surround sound system for about five years now, but has always put family needs before himself, so I'm looking to surprise him with one. Problem is, I know nothing about sound systems, and we are a family on a budget.

I tried to pry information out of him without arousing suspicion, but all I know is that he finds soundbars inadequate and wants all the little speakers everywhere (which I'm willing to put up with for him!). Additionally, I knew he was going to shoot for one of those all-in-one-box sets, which I think will make it a bit easier for me as I wasn't really looking to buy bits and pieces to Frankenstein together.

It would be going in our living room, which is about 12'x11', and he wants it primarily for movies; music sounding nice would be a great bonus. I'm not sure what kind of connections it needs to have for the TV plus our PS3, if any. Should I be looking for something with a certain amount of HDMI ports or something? Like I said, total novice!

My budget is only about 400$; I could maybe push it to 500$, but that's definitely stretching it (and I would probably have to ask for a bit of help from family). Out of all the reviews I've perused, it seems like the Energy Take 5.1 Classic might be my best bet. Does anyone have any experience with this setup? I'm worried about not being able to listen to it before purchasing because I haven't been able to find it around town, but I have yet to find enough bad reviews about the actual performance to make me too worried.

Are there any other recommendations or advice?

 

[ImcLoud]

The energy take 5 is a very good set for the cost.. But you can do better for the money...


Dayton Audio HTP-3 5.1 Home Theater Package 12" Powered Subw 300-696 looks good for the money too... but if it were me with your budget I would go with this sub Amazon.com: BIC America F12 12-Inch 475-Watt Front Firing Powered Subwoofer: Electronics this avr DENON AVR-1513 5.1ch Home Theater Receiver 3D ready | Accessories4less
and then for speakers Amazon.com: Jamo S 426 HCS 3 WENGE 5-Piece Home Theater System (Wenge): Electronics that comes to around $540 but if you get this sub instead you can get back to budget Dayton Audio SUB-1200 12" 120 Watt Powered Subwoofer 300-629


I have experience with all of them products, I think the $130 sub is great for the price but the bic for $200 is a nice upgrade for a little money, the jamo speakers are the same as the energy ef500s Energy EF-500 Pair Home Audio Speaker - Newegg.com for much less money, plus a better looking finish and the other 3 speakers!!!! They are a great buy at $200 and I have a thread around here somewhere, a year or so ago I bought my sister a set for her house warming and she uses them every day and loves them... The avr is a denon and they are great units and easy to use, the only thing you would need is speaker wire which you could get for under $15 on amazon or locally and a subwoofer cable depends on how far away your sub will be but they are also inexpensive and easy to find... http://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Gauge-Speaker-Wire-Feet/dp/B0044YPN0A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1376957449&sr=8-3&keywords=speaker+wire http://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Ultra-Series-Subwoofer-Cable/dp/B003FVYXY0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376957421&sr=8-1&keywords=subwoofer+cable

 

[shadyJ]

Sometimes speakers are a thing that guys like to select for themselves. Nonetheless, it would be a good gift if you know he isn't picky. A middle ground might be to get a 2.0 system with bookshelf speakers and receiver for now instead of full 5.1 surround sound system, and this way he can use the starting bookshelf speakers as surrounds later and pick out his own speakers and subwoofer for himself when he wants to expand out to surround sound. It would also be easier and simpler for you to set up initially. There is a guy selling a terrific pair of bookshelf speakers for cheap in the classifieds here, check these out. Add to that a good receiver with the ability to expand out like this one and you have a great little setup for about $500. The sound quality will be waaay better than the Energy Classic setup.

 

[tmurnin]

I think this depends on your husband's taste quite a bit. If he just wants a basic surround system and you don't think he'll eventually want to upgrade, then a home theater in a box is probably fine. Many people have them and are very happy. However, their limitation is that they are usually not upgradable down the road - if you/he decide you'd like better speakers, or a different receiver, you typically have to replace the entire system.

so, if you think this is a hobby that you might grow into, and maybe upgrade to better speakers over time, I would recommend starting with a 2 or 3 channel system now, along with a subwoofer if it fits in the budget, and add surrounds later.