Sub-$400 system possible?

[tbergman]

My friend likes what I've done with my HT setup and was wondering if I could put him together a setup as well, but here's the kicker, he wants it under $400. So far I'm looking at TSC packages or the Energy TAKE 5.0 system paired up with a Dayton subwoofer. But that leaves very little money left for a receiver. Any ideas on a cheap receiver? If all else fails I'm watching Shop Onkyo for some of their HTiB sets to go on sale or refurb.

 

[speakerman39]

My friend likes what I've done with my HT setup and was wondering if I could put him together a setup as well, but here's the kicker, he wants it under $400. So far I'm looking at TSC packages or the Energy TAKE 5.0 system paired up with a Dayton subwoofer. But that leaves very little money left for a receiver. Any ideas on a cheap receiver? If all else fails I'm watching Shop Onkyo for some of their HTiB sets to go on sale or refurb.

If your friend can up his budget just a bit I have a couple of ideas. That is, your friend could get a Denon 1609 receiver from onecall.com for $220 shipped! Then, he could get a Polk Audio 5.1 set-up for $230 shipped which would put him at $450 total. Not a bad deal imho. Here are the links:

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=92123

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290066


For a little more money your friend could also order the PLCR161-HT8 set-up from TSC for around $270 including the 10% off promo. Therefore, if your friend ordered the Denon 1609 receiver and the TSC package his total would then be around $490. Here is a link:

http://www.thespeakercompany.com/PLCR161-HT8-P102C36.aspx

My hope was to offer your friend a few more options. Of course, he would have to up his budget a little. Let us know what he decides. Good luck to you both.



Cheers,

Phil

 

[tbergman]

Thanks for the links, I've been trying to up his budget a bit, I'll have to see how it goes.

 

[speakerman39]

Thanks for the links, I've been trying to up his budget a bit, I'll have to see how it goes.

Your quite welcome. Be sure to let us know what he decided. Even better, be sure to post his initial impressions if you don't mind. That way, others here may find that info useful. This is what the hobby is all about-sharing in the knowledge!



Cheers,

Phil

 

[jamie2112]

Have him take out a loan............. The TSC seems like a good deal...

 

[alexwakelin]

Accessories 4 less usually has some Onkyo receivers for around $99, and Marantz for a bit more.

 

[lsiberian]

My friend likes what I've done with my HT setup and was wondering if I could put him together a setup as well, but here's the kicker, he wants it under $400. So far I'm looking at TSC packages or the Energy TAKE 5.0 system paired up with a Dayton subwoofer. But that leaves very little money left for a receiver. Any ideas on a cheap receiver? If all else fails I'm watching Shop Onkyo for some of their HTiB sets to go on sale or refurb.

Look for a Panasonic HE100 of Ebay they go for around 70 bucks 6.1 with a nice sound for the price. I had one and loved it. I liked it more than the low end Onkyo models.

Don't forget about the HK store. You can get a beta front set for around 150.

Also Matt34 is selling 3 of them in the classifieds. Get yourself those and compare them to the TSCs. If you like em better then ditch the TSCs to your friend if not give your friend the betas.

I know it's easy for me to forget about thos speakers, but for the buck you won't find a better deal IMO.

You can get a couple small speakers for the surrounds. and a Dayton sub.

If you can get the 360 center do it. That center is amazing.

 

[KASR]

I can vouch for the Polk 5.1 6750 speakers - they put out some great sound and can handle plenty of power. I have them in my main theater room and they are plenty for the space that I have.

 

[WmAx]

You will not find better speakers than the Behringer B2030P for the price. Among all of the speakers currently available, these have verified measured performance relevant to human perception that vastly out classes anything else anywhere near their price. Their build/parts quality also is far above anything else in this price class, which is to be expected, given their high performance level. You can buy 3 pairs and have enough for a 6.1 system, and couple them with a subwoofer or two. This does go over your intended budget, but you are getting very good speakers, and you will have no reason to upgrade them for a very long time. You can further improve the fidelity by doing some very simple/cheap modifications to the speakers.


-Chris

 

[lsiberian]

You will not find better speakers than the Behringer B2030P for the price. Among all of the speakers currently available, these have verified measured performance relevant to human perception that vastly out classes anything else anywhere near their price. Their build/parts quality also is far above anything else in this price class, which is to be expected, given their high performance level. You can buy 3 pairs and have enough for a 6.1 system, and couple them with a subwoofer or two. This does go over your intended budget, but you are getting very good speakers, and you will have no reason to upgrade them for a very long time. You can further improve the fidelity by doing some very simple/cheap modifications to the speakers.


-Chris

I always forget about those beauties. How good are the drivers in them? Harvest worthy?

 

[WmAx]

I always forget about those beauties. How good are the drivers in them? Harvest worthy?

Yes, as long as you also use the wave guide that the tweeter mounts within on the front of them. While they are not the quality of say Seas Excel or Dayton Reference RS drivers, they are of good quality/performance. They will not go quite as high in SPL as the highest end drivers with more capable motors. But they get plenty loud and remain sufficiently low in distortion.

-Chris