Help me assemble a $2k home theatre system

[sygyzy]

I am thinking about the 170 Ascends with the VTF-2 sub for around $1300 and some receiver for another $700. But, I think having a 170 center (bookshelf) looks kind of weird.

Any HT buffs want to chip in with their recommendations? Analogue or digital receiver? What models, specifically? I'd prefer all my speakers (5.0) to be from the same manufacturer. The sub (.1) can be from a different one. I am open to anything for the receiver but like brands like Denon and HK. I am not sure why, but JVC does not "seem" that good to me.

I need to purchase within the next 1-2 months to replace a Denon/Energy HT that my roommate is taking him with him when he moves out.

Specific model numbers, links, websites, etc would be most helpful. Thanks.

P.S. The breakdown does not have to be 1300/700 speakers/receiver. You can change the ratio if you think I should spend more or less on speakers (or the receiver).

 

[MustISO]

www.avsforum.com

I would spend the majority of the money on the speakers. Receivers can become outdated or break. Good quality speakers will last a long time.

I haven't heard any of the digital receivers but some people swear by them.
You can get a decent receiver from Denon, Onkyo or H&K for $500 and it should be just fine as an entry level receiver.

 

[Zim Hosein]

One word, BOSE!

 

[PurdueRy]

Center - Axiom VP100 $240.00
R/L - Axiom M22ti - $440.00
RL/RR - Axiom M3ti - $300.00
Sub - VTF-2 $500
Receiver - HK435 - $580

Total- $2060 and one kick ass system

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein
One word, BOSE!

:rays that that wink is for sarcasm::

 

[pack1]

Another one - hometheaterforum.com. Think youd be better off asking your question there. I listened to one of those cheapo Panasonic digital receivers, good for HT on a budget but dosent do well with music imo. If you ask me, for bang for the buck now I would look at Infinity Primus and Cambridge Audio Azur receivers.

 

[sygyzy]

Measurements - 12'3" deep (back of room to front where the screen is), 12'9" deep and around 9'6" tall. Total room 1484 cubic square feet.

I posted the question at AVS. I'll see what they say.


rleemhui - Thank you SO much for that detailed post. Do you think the HK 435 is sufficient? Should I go for a better receiver? What does the 435 lack, if anything?

 

[PurdueRy]

The HK will blow away most receivers. It has the processor of the 635 and power output is more than sufficient for even the most high end of systems. I will be picking one up shortly. It is a steal for the price. If you want you can go up to the 635 for the extra 10 watts and video upconversion, but if you ask me its not worth it, but it depends how much you can stretch your budget and what your needs are.

Simply put the 435 will fill that somewhat small room with sound.

Some key features of the 435 -

3 component inputs
7.1 speaker setup ability
Logic 7 can be overlayed over 5.1 DD sources to force 7.1(faked)
55 watts of REAL power
Auto EQ and setup - One of the best out there(note: This is a step up from the 335's and is the same of that on the 635)
Dual room ability
Hell, its HK!

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: rleemhui
The HK will blow away most receivers. It has the processor of the 635 and power output is more than sufficient for even the most high end of systems. I will be picking one up shortly. It is a steal for the price. If you want you can go up to the 635 for the extra 10 watts and video upconversion, but if you ask me its not worth it, but it depends how much you can stretch your budget and what your needs are.

Simply put the 435 will fill that somewhat small room with sound.

I like your choice of components. I have the H/K 630 with the updated firmware which gives the newest Dolby features.

H/K markedly underrates the output of their receivers. The 435 may look anemic compared to many cheaper units, but their specs are for all channels driven. Others often rate power into one channel. Besides, there is more than wattage. The ability to provide high current is also a positive quality, which the H/K's can do.

 

[sygyzy]

I will need some upconversion. I am not sure of the exact term. Simply put, I am using component video into my plasma. I have some devices that use SVIDEO and some that use RCA (composite?). Will the 435 be able to suport this? The 435 does sound like the best bang for your buck. I was about to concentrate on the 635 but you just saved me a chunk of change. Thanks so much. Feel free to contribute anything else.

 

[PurdueRy]

Well you don't need upconversion if you don't mind running one S-video cable and one composite cable to your plasma too. Upconversion can't help picture quality it can only hurt it. So if you NEED to only run one component cable then you will need to go with the 635. Its really a matter of what is possible in your situation. Me, I have most everything component with one S-video I can run two cables to my TV.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I don't know if this would help you at all, but I recently was looking for speakers in the $1000 to $1500 range and made a thread about it.

I ended up spending a bit more than I planned on... but there still might be some helpful stuff in it.

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1607826&enterthread=y

I really think you might be on the right track with your Ascends you mentioned.

Maybe a 170 system with a 340 center, a VTF-2, and get a receiver that's a little cheaper to stay under the $2000 budget (if it goes over, I'm not sure on the pricing).
You might even be able to get a discount on the HK from Ascend if you send them an e-mail asking them... I'm not sure if they do that, but they were amazing with their e-mail responses to my questions.

I also looked into Axiom a good amount too. They would be a great alternative.

I ended up going with Onix Rockets as you can see by my thread.

If this is for mosly HT, you might want to check out the SVS PB10. I researched a lot in the $400 to $500 sub range and specifically the STF-2, VTF-2, and PB10. It seemed like the SVS had an edge in the low end of the frequency response that helped it get the edge in Hometheater performance. Some said the HSU units were better for music though.

 

[dr150]

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein
One word, BOSE!

You're a dumbfvck if you don't get Bose!!

Every yuppie that can afford them has some. Bose advertises in every magazine, so you know they're good! :thumbsup:



:music: Awesome Highs. Awesome lows. Gotta be Bose! :music:

 

[sygyzy]

Originally posted by: rleemhui
Well you don't need upconversion if you don't mind running one S-video cable and one composite cable to your plasma too. Upconversion can't help picture quality it can only hurt it. So if you NEED to only run one component cable then you will need to go with the 635. Its really a matter of what is possible in your situation. Me, I have most everything component with one S-video I can run two cables to my TV.

Thanks for your help thus far.

I am not sure how this is a solution. Isn't the one of the points of having a receiver is so you can have a single switching point between devices. If I were to run both a S-Video and composite to my display, then each time I switch to say a VCR that uses S-Video, I'll have to switch to S-Video mode on the display as well. Don't you find that inconvenient? Why not just hook up the VCR directly to the display? Or eliminate the receiver all together. Am I missing something?

Where do you plan on purchasing the AVR-435? Any hot deals? I couldn't find any so a merchant recommendation would be appreciated.

Are there any problems mixing front and rear speakers? For example, higher end fronts and lower end rears (Ascend 340 fronts, 170 rears, for example. Same can be done with Axioms).

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: sygyzy

Originally posted by: rleemhui
Well you don't need upconversion if you don't mind running one S-video cable and one composite cable to your plasma too. Upconversion can't help picture quality it can only hurt it. So if you NEED to only run one component cable then you will need to go with the 635. Its really a matter of what is possible in your situation. Me, I have most everything component with one S-video I can run two cables to my TV.

Thanks for your help thus far.

I am not sure how this is a solution. Isn't the one of the points of having a receiver is so you can have a single switching point between devices. If I were to run both a S-Video and composite to my display, then each time I switch to say a VCR that uses S-Video, I'll have to switch to S-Video mode on the display as well. Don't you find that inconvenient? Why not just hook up the VCR directly to the display? Or eliminate the receiver all together. Am I missing something?

Where do you plan on purchasing the AVR-435? Any hot deals? I couldn't find any so a merchant recommendation would be appreciated.

Are there any problems mixing front and rear speakers? For example, higher end fronts and lower end rears (Ascend 340 fronts, 170 rears, for example. Same can be done with Axioms).

Yamaha makes a Rx with upconversion for $500. (RX-V657) I wouldn't reccommend it for a large projection system (100" +/-) but it's not enough of a hinderance to the picture quality to be noticed on a smaller plasma screen.

If you do decide to video straight to the plasma (bypassing the receiver's video switching system) bag the S-Video stuff. Most of digital displays available today have video processing far superior to whatever is in the device you're using the S-vid for. Let your plamsa do the Y/C separation.

If you're looking for a Rx with some audiophile kick to it, both Denon and Yamaha (RX-V1500 is a kick-ass receiver for $800) have receivers for less than $1000 with floating point processors. Denon uses the Motorola chip and Yamaha builds their own. It'll make your CD's come alive and make the surround channels more three dimensional.

Speaker reccomendations:

B&W 300 series. You're looking at around $1200 for a 5.1 system with a woofer. Easily my favorite budget system.
Energy has a new Take system out that performs well.
I haven't sold Paradigms in a while but they usually have some amazing stuff for around $1000.

Whatever you do... For the love of God stay away from Bose. Bose = Vomit

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: sygyzy

Originally posted by: rleemhui
Well you don't need upconversion if you don't mind running one S-video cable and one composite cable to your plasma too. Upconversion can't help picture quality it can only hurt it. So if you NEED to only run one component cable then you will need to go with the 635. Its really a matter of what is possible in your situation. Me, I have most everything component with one S-video I can run two cables to my TV.

Thanks for your help thus far.

I am not sure how this is a solution. Isn't the one of the points of having a receiver is so you can have a single switching point between devices. If I were to run both a S-Video and composite to my display, then each time I switch to say a VCR that uses S-Video, I'll have to switch to S-Video mode on the display as well. Don't you find that inconvenient? Why not just hook up the VCR directly to the display? Or eliminate the receiver all together. Am I missing something?

Where do you plan on purchasing the AVR-435? Any hot deals? I couldn't find any so a merchant recommendation would be appreciated.

Are there any problems mixing front and rear speakers? For example, higher end fronts and lower end rears (Ascend 340 fronts, 170 rears, for example. Same can be done with Axioms).

What you want to do is timbre match the front three speakers at least. It's not a big deal, but that's the issue. You want the front three to sound the same so panning effects will flow seamlessly across the front.
The Ascends are perfectly matched and would make a great combo with 340s and 170s. The 340 was originally just in center form I think and they added the bookshelf version later.
For other companies, try to stay in the same speaker line. If they have the same tweeter, I think that's a good indication that they will sound close to each other.
It looks like Axiom uses the same tweeters for all their speakers at a quick glance, so you could probably mix anything from them. Both their center channels look like pretty much the same drivers/tweeters, so you wouldn't really have many options anyway

If this is for HT (rather than music mainly), then it makes sense to invest more in a great center because something like 70% of sound from movies comes out the center channel.

 

[Adul]

My choice.

Swan 4.1BC
Swan C3 BC
Swan R3 BC
Swan Sub10 BC
AVR 135

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: sygyzy

Originally posted by: rleemhui
Well you don't need upconversion if you don't mind running one S-video cable and one composite cable to your plasma too. Upconversion can't help picture quality it can only hurt it. So if you NEED to only run one component cable then you will need to go with the 635. Its really a matter of what is possible in your situation. Me, I have most everything component with one S-video I can run two cables to my TV.

Thanks for your help thus far.

I am not sure how this is a solution. Isn't the one of the points of having a receiver is so you can have a single switching point between devices. If I were to run both a S-Video and composite to my display, then each time I switch to say a VCR that uses S-Video, I'll have to switch to S-Video mode on the display as well. Don't you find that inconvenient? Why not just hook up the VCR directly to the display? Or eliminate the receiver all together. Am I missing something?

Where do you plan on purchasing the AVR-435? Any hot deals? I couldn't find any so a merchant recommendation would be appreciated.

Are there any problems mixing front and rear speakers? For example, higher end fronts and lower end rears (Ascend 340 fronts, 170 rears, for example. Same can be done with Axioms).

Yes, that is PART of the point of a receiver. However, the main points in my opinion is to be able to put out high quality audio from multiple sources and be able to give you more inputs to connect all your devices at once. It is, in my opinion a minor inconvience as the remotes to these things are almost always universal. So all that it involves is pushing the correct input button and then changing the receiver to the correct input. if you can stretch your budget another $100 or bring down the cost of the speakers by $100 you can get HK's 635 for $699.99. But I think that is a steep price to pay just to keep from having to push 1 extra button on the remote. You could jump over to the Denon receivers, but, at this price point, you are really getting a wonderful receiver from HK. The Denon receivers all have video upconversion.

For me, at first, I was like you and thought this was a big deal. But my main components that I use are component. So it really doesn't bother me that I might have to change 2 inputs rather than 1. You have to decide for yourself what is important.

To get the AVR 435 for $584.99 from an authorized dealer go to JR.com. They have free shipping.

 

[knyghtbyte]

if you want for music as well as HT definitely go for Denon or Yamaha (Denon first in my view, but it depends on the music...lol)

if its just HT, then i guess its worth checking out the HK stuff, plus Onkyo......

to be honest tho, i would never buy this kind of stuff without demoing it first, u dont buy a car without giving it a test drive do you? Get yo lazy butt to a Hifi specialist, then to another one, then to another one, try the various kit and see what you like, then go buy it from the cheapest place (on or offline) that you can

Oh, also, i would recommend you spend almost all the budget you suggested on your speakers (as in 90%), get some real nice quality ones, buy a dirt cheap crapomatic receiver to get you by for a couple months or however long it takes you to save more money then buy the 3805 Denon receiver, its just an astounding piece of kit, and u get a mad remote with it you can use to replace all your existing remotes...heh

then get the matching 3910 DVD player from Denon

im a Denon fanboy...lol, but then i did audition a hellavalot of equipment before settling for the Denons...

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: knyghtbyte
if you want for music as well as HT definitely go for Denon or Yamaha (Denon first in my view, but it depends on the music...lol)

if its just HT, then i guess its worth checking out the HK stuff, plus Onkyo......

to be honest tho, i would never buy this kind of stuff without demoing it first, u dont buy a car without giving it a test drive do you? Get yo lazy butt to a Hifi specialist, then to another one, then to another one, try the various kit and see what you like, then go buy it from the cheapest place (on or offline) that you can

Oh, also, i would recommend you spend almost all the budget you suggested on your speakers (as in 90%), get some real nice quality ones, buy a dirt cheap crapomatic receiver to get you by for a couple months or however long it takes you to save more money then buy the 3805 Denon receiver, its just an astounding piece of kit, and u get a mad remote with it you can use to replace all your existing remotes...heh

then get the matching 3910 DVD player from Denon

im a Denon fanboy...lol, but then i did audition a hellavalot of equipment before settling for the Denons...

In general HK's are known for being more of the musical receiver as opposed to Denon.

Notice I said In general because, in your case, you obviously liked the sound of the Denon better.

In my opinion, the idea of buying a crapo receiver for a few months is not practical. This is why I suggested the 435 as it has all the processing of its 635 brother but you don't have to pay the added cost.

The 3805, if my memory serves me correctly, is about the cost of the 635.

BTW ALL receivers in this price range will have a universal remote. Thats really nothing special.

I'm not an HK fanboy as I don't own either brand right now. I plan to buy the 435 after researching the two brands for half a year. But you are right when you say you should demo the HK. It is however, difficult to find a store that sells the 435. You might be able to find the 635 or 335 at CC but the 335 is not as high end as the 435 and is missing some key components. I know some hifi stores in the area that sell Denon but HK seems to be a tough thing to find

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: knyghtbyte

to be honest tho, i would never buy this kind of stuff without demoing it first, u dont buy a car without giving it a test drive do you? Get yo lazy butt to a Hifi specialist, then to another one, then to another one, try the various kit and see what you like, then go buy it from the cheapest place (on or offline) that you can

Do NOT be that ass. The brick & mortar stores are not there so you can decide which unit to buy on-line. What's more, most manufacturers (good ones, not Sony, JVC, HK or some off brands) have very strict anti-internet marketing policies. Most will instantly void your warranty if you buy their product from an unauthorrized dealer. Some will not even provide parts to a repair center if you elect to have it repaired out of warranty. Besides that it's just plain rude to take up somebody's time like that - use them for demo purposes and then go buy it on-line. A lot of these guys work on commission. They could be helping someone who actually intends to buy from a B&M store rather than get gyp'd out of a paycheck because you only see them as your tool. Their time and expertise has value.

Oh, also, i would recommend you spend almost all the budget you suggested on your speakers (as in 90%), get some real nice quality ones, buy a dirt cheap crapomatic receiver to get you by for a couple months or however long it takes you to save more money then buy the 3805 Denon receiver, its just an astounding piece of kit, and u get a mad remote with it you can use to replace all your existing remotes...heh

then get the matching 3910 DVD player from Denon

im a Denon fanboy...lol, but then i did audition a hellavalot of equipment before settling for the Denons...

That's good advice. The Denon 3805 is a fantastic piece of gear. In that price range you should also take a look at a Yamaha RX-V4600. Yamaha & Denon are as good as it gets in the receiver biz. Second tier product would include Marantz, HK, Onkyo, Pioneer Elite (not Pioneer) and Sony ES (not Sony).





[/quote]

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy

Originally posted by: knyghtbyte

to be honest tho, i would never buy this kind of stuff without demoing it first, u dont buy a car without giving it a test drive do you? Get yo lazy butt to a Hifi specialist, then to another one, then to another one, try the various kit and see what you like, then go buy it from the cheapest place (on or offline) that you can

Do NOT be that ass. The brick & mortar stores are not there so you can decide which unit to buy on-line. What's more, most manufacturers (good ones, not Sony, JVC, HK or some off brands) have very strict anti-internet marketing policies. Most will instantly void your warranty if you buy their product from an unauthorrized dealer. Some will not even provide parts to a repair center if you elect to have it repaired out of warranty. Besides that it's just plain rude to take up somebody's time like that - use them for demo purposes and then go buy it on-line. A lot of these guys work on commission. They could be helping someone who actually intends to buy from a B&M store rather than get gyp'd out of a paycheck because you only see them as your tool. Their time and expertise has value.

Oh, also, i would recommend you spend almost all the budget you suggested on your speakers (as in 90%), get some real nice quality ones, buy a dirt cheap crapomatic receiver to get you by for a couple months or however long it takes you to save more money then buy the 3805 Denon receiver, its just an astounding piece of kit, and u get a mad remote with it you can use to replace all your existing remotes...heh

then get the matching 3910 DVD player from Denon

im a Denon fanboy...lol, but then i did audition a hellavalot of equipment before settling for the Denons...

That's good advice. The Denon 3805 is a fantastic piece of gear. In that price range you should also take a look at a Yamaha RX-V4600. Yamaha & Denon are as good as it gets in the receiver biz. Second tier product would include Marantz, HK, Onkyo, Pioneer Elite (not Pioneer) and Sony ES (not Sony).

[/quote]

::sigh::

Your the first person I have ever seen call HK and Marantz "second tier" below Denon and Yamaha. IMO, Denon, HK and Marantz are all the best companies for receivers out there. They are all near equivalent performance and price wise. I guess all the HT enthusiasts are crazy when they suggest HK, Pioneer Elite and Denon over Yamaha in most cases?

Obviously, this is your opinion, but it seems to be rather harsh on some of the better companies out there.

 

[sygyzy]

YOyoYOhowsDAjello - I had followed that thread. I don't think I can afford the Rockets. Or rather, I don't want to spend $1700 on speakers and still another $600 on the receiver. That means I'd go over budget $300. I think it's probably a better idea to have bookshelf fronts since having floorstanding means more weight to move. And I move about once a year on average.

Good idea about the 170 system with 340 center. Actually, they have a "higher end" package that is 340 fronts and center and 170 rears. Is it reasonable to assume that the front three speakers are most important?

By the way, my breakup for usage is probably 70% HT/Movies and 20% games and 10% music.

Ascend offered the AVR-435 to me for $600. Not much of a discount but at least competitive.

Where can I purchase the SVS? What about the VTF-2? I know I can get the VTF from Ascend but I think that might be only in a package. Do they have a good price seperately? I don't know of any other vendors.

Whoozyerdaddy - I am not sure what you mean by this statement:

If you do decide to video straight to the plasma (bypassing the receiver's video switching system) bag the S-Video stuff. Most of digital displays available today have video processing far superior to whatever is in the device you're using the S-vid for. Let your plamsa do the Y/C separation.

Can you please clarify?

Sorry, $800 would really ruin my budget goals. I can definitely stretch it (seems like I'll have to since stands are $200 a set) but not by too much. $600 is already stretching it if I am spending $1500-1600 on speakers.

Does B&W sell online?

Can you tell me more about the Energy Take system? It seems like a HTIB style set. Very pretty looking. Is it all looks, no performance?

Don't worry. I will never touch Bose!

rleemhui - Just for my clarification, the AVR-435 does have upconversion but only through S-Video? So how would that work? Would I have two outputs to my display (1 component and 1 S-Video). Then when I have something plugged in via RCA (say an old school VCR), it goes into the receiver, then gets converted to S-Video output, then goes into my display? Does the receiver know that when it is being fed composite, it should output via the S-Video path to the TV? It's that smart?

What about if one of my devices is S-Video and not composite? Can the AVR-435 go from S-Video to Component? I think that is the more likely scenario. I actually don't think I have any composite stuff. Or if I do, they have a S-Video option I just didn't want to bother buying a cable for. The reason I am asking is "just in case". Say a friend brings over a camcorder or old tape deck that they want to hook up for a demo. I don't want to say "sorry, my receiver can't support that".

Out of curiousity, what devices do you have that are *not* component?

knyghtbyte - It's hard for me to determine a proper ratio on how much to spend on speakers and the receiver, but your 90% seems awfully steep. I don't want to get stuck with a $200 receiver and have to upgrade a few months later. I think $2k total is a respectable budget.

What is the best bang for your buck in the Denon line? Does the 3805 directly compete with the AVR-435?

Whoozyerdaddy - I think if I were to demo at a store, it'd be for products that are B&M only and with no discount. For example, Paradigms. But if there is no internet policy, then I won't demo. Not that I wouldn't want to hear it, but more because I would not want to waste their time.

Thanks everyone for your time. I really think I'll be able to make a good decision with your help.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: sygyzy

Whoozyerdaddy - I am not sure what you mean by this statement:

If you do decide to video straight to the plasma (bypassing the receiver's video switching system) bag the S-Video stuff. Most of digital displays available today have video processing far superior to whatever is in the device you're using the S-vid for. Let your plamsa do the Y/C separation.

Can you please clarify?

He is talking about using the TV's comb filter instead of using your source to seperate the signal. Occasionally the comb filter does a better job at producing a S-video quality picture than actually feeding it an S-video signal because doing this bipasses the comb filter. It is only used on composite inputs.

rleemhui - Just for my clarification, the AVR-435 does have upconversion but only through S-Video? So how would that work? Would I have two outputs to my display (1 component and 1 S-Video). Then when I have something plugged in via RCA (say an old school VCR), it goes into the receiver, then gets converted to S-Video output, then goes into my display? Does the receiver know that when it is being fed composite, it should output via the S-Video path to the TV? It's that smart?

What about if one of my devices is S-Video and not composite? Can the AVR-435 go from S-Video to Component? I think that is the more likely scenario. I actually don't think I have any composite stuff. Or if I do, they have a S-Video option I just didn't want to bother buying a cable for. The reason I am asking is "just in case". Say a friend brings over a camcorder or old tape deck that they want to hook up for a demo. I don't want to say "sorry, my receiver can't support that".

Out of curiousity, what devices do you have that are *not* component?

There is no up-conversion on the AVR-435. If you NEEd this you will need to step up to the 635 or go for the Denon 2805. The 2805 directly competes with the 435. The HK has superior auto-calibration and equalizer though. So be aware of the trade offs.

All I have that is not component is a gamecube. I don't use a VCR anymore. You would need to connect your receiver to your TV with 3 cables in your case...one component, on S-video and 1 composite. Or you can do what the previous post mentioned and use Composite on the device that is currently using S-video and let your TV use its comb filter. It might result in a better pic quality

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: sygyzy
YOyoYOhowsDAjello - I had followed that thread. I don't think I can afford the Rockets. Or rather, I don't want to spend $1700 on speakers and still another $600 on the receiver. That means I'd go over budget $300. I think it's probably a better idea to have bookshelf fronts since having floorstanding means more weight to move. And I move about once a year on average.

Good idea about the 170 system with 340 center. Actually, they have a "higher end" package that is 340 fronts and center and 170 rears. Is it reasonable to assume that the front three speakers are most important?

By the way, my breakup for usage is probably 70% HT/Movies and 20% games and 10% music.

Ascend offered the AVR-435 to me for $600. Not much of a discount but at least competitive.

Where can I purchase the SVS? What about the VTF-2? I know I can get the VTF from Ascend but I think that might be only in a package. Do they have a good price seperately? I don't know of any other vendors.

Did you check out the "System Advisor" at Ascend Acoustics?

You can get 340s up front with 170 rears and a VTF-2 MK2 for $1647 shipped.

Actually to me the STF-2 seemed like a better deal than the VTF-2. You can find more info on the differences at HSU's website.
Knocking the sub down to the STF-2 would get you down to $1547 shipped.

The front three speakers are definately more important. The back speakers are more important when you're listening to multi-channel audio, so you can skimp on the for HT if you're on a budget.
Even wall mountable HTM-200s would be a good choice for the surrounds.

You can purchase SVS or HSU subs from their company websites.
HSU
SVS

I went with towers for fronts and rears because they were basically the same price as the bookshelf Rocket 250s but had an extra driver and the speaker itself was kind of a "free stand".
I started out looking at bookshelf speakers, but the deal on the Rockets was too appealing to me.

Are you thinking about getting the matching stands for the Ascends?