What to buy if you have U$500.00

[raybarros]

I´m willing to spend U$500.00 to buy a home theater A/V receiver and a set of loudspeakers including a subwoofer for my living room. Main aplication will be watching movies (65% of the time) and listening music (35% of the time). The size of the room is not that big (16ftx10ft) and I have to take into consideration the very commom wife factor... .
These are the options I´m considering
- Onkyo Home Theater System (HT-S780)
- Pioneer VSX-815-K + Yamaha NS-P1600 speakers set
Any suggestions for a brazilian friend ?
by the way, I will be in USA next week and whatever you may suggest I must find at Circuity City or Best Buy

 

[bigbassdave]

Without a doubt I would say the HT-S780. I have the 760 (from two years ago) in my living room and I have the one year old 770 in my bedroom. They flat out sound amazing for the price. Especially considering you can find the 780 for $400 on a good sale. Also, the receiver that comes in the package isn't bad at all. Most HTIB receivers have none or just one digital input. The Onkyo has 4 or 5 if I'm correct. So you can hook up your xbox, digital cable box, dvd player, PS2 ect all in digital sound. Also, the receiver gives you the ability to hook up an SACD or DVD audio player. Lastly, the option to run a stereo set of speakers in another room is really nice. I run Polk Atrium 55's in my bathroom and I love the fact I don't have to miss anything when nature calls during football games (go chargers). The only thing missing from the receiver are pre outs for external amps. You will absolutely not be dissapointed with this setup. Onkyo HTIB's sound as good or better than many other hitib's costing twice the price.