Looking for surround system with ~$400 budget

Crono

Lifer
Aug 8, 2001
23,720
1,501
136
I have no experience when it comes to home theater setups, but just ordered a HDTV for my parents and now I'm looking to get a surround system to pair with it. Budget is $400 for sound system. It doesn't matter if it's a home theater in a box or separate receiver/speaker setup, I just want to get the best bang for the buck, and want everything to get here by next week if I order it tomorrow (I have Amazon Prime, so anything from Amazon with Prime shipping is a plus).

I have about $350 reserved for a dedicated Blu-ray player, PS3, or possibly a HTPC (I've got a spare HTPC case already) - haven't decided yet on which route to go for Blu-ray playback.

The room is 22 x 18 feet, pretty much empty at the moment.
Any recommendations on 5.1 or 7.1 set that fits my budget and would work well for movies, music, video games, etc.?

TV is this.
 
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Smoove910

Golden Member
Aug 2, 2006
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vshah

Lifer
Sep 20, 2003
19,003
24
81
is it an option to start with a 2.0 setup and expand as time goes on? $400 is a tough budget, especially for that size room...
 

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,716
417
126
tbqhwy.com
that's a pretty huge room for a tiny budget, i agree with vshas, start with 2.0 or 3.0 and go from there

first off do you rents even want/need surround sound? also forget about 7.1 on that budget
 

poofyhairguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2005
14,612
318
126
Jeez you all are picky. The system is for the OP's rents, not for himself. Given the rents budget, they probably don't have half the expectations of anyone in the forum.

To OP:

I have the older version of this set. It fits your budget and should work well with whatever Blu Ray player you decide to get (as long as it decodes in the box like the PS3 does):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-431-_-Product
 

Crono

Lifer
Aug 8, 2001
23,720
1,501
136
Actually, I was looking at the Onkyo before.

No, they don't need high end audio and probably could do without 5.1.
It's mostly going to be used for watching nature documentaries (a la Planet Earth) and some Netflix streaming. My brother and his friends will probably watch some movies on it too, but he's not an audiophile or anything.

How good is that Onkyo set? That's a compelling price, and the reviews look favorable. Plus, I'm leaning heavily towaward getting my HTPC parts from Newegg, anyway.
 
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VulgarDisplay

Diamond Member
Apr 3, 2009
6,193
2
76
I have the s3300 and I'm not exactly an audiophile, but I think it sounds simply amazing. Glad I picked this up instead of the logitech 5.1 system. It does so much more. It also decodes Dolby and DTS which many Home theater's in a box do not.
 

Crono

Lifer
Aug 8, 2001
23,720
1,501
136
I have the s3300 and I'm not exactly an audiophile, but I think it sounds simply amazing. Glad I picked this up instead of the logitech 5.1 system. It does so much more. It also decodes Dolby and DTS which many Home theater's in a box do not.

Nice to hear :)

I ordered it yesterday and it should be arrive on Monday. I already set up the TV and Blu Ray player.
 

Crono

Lifer
Aug 8, 2001
23,720
1,501
136
Thank you s44, unfallible and Vulgar for the recommendation. I got the S3300 yesterday, set it up today in about hour (mostly playing around with settings), and I'm very pleased with the audio quality. Glad I didn't put down more money for a pricier system, as I think it probably would have been overkill.

Sound fills the room just fine even at low-medium volume, and even with passive sub there's more than enough bass for the movies I tested on it.

I ended up getting a Blu-Ray player (LG BD570) with Netflix streaming capability, as I figured a HTPC would be too much hassle in the long run. Netlifx works surprisingly well and it was easy to set up as it detected the wireless router and I had it connected and streaming in less than 5 minutes.
 
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IceBergSLiM

Lifer
Jul 11, 2000
29,933
3
81
Thank you s44, unfallible and Vulgar for the recommendation. I got the S3300 yesterday, set it up today in about hour (mostly playing around with settings), and I'm very pleased with the audio quality. Glad I didn't put down more money for a pricier system, as I think it probably would have been overkill.

Sound fills the room just fine even at low-medium volume, and even with passive sub there's more than enough bass for the movies I tested on it.

I ended up getting a Blu-Ray player (LG BD570) with Netflix streaming capability, as I figured a HTPC would be too much hassle in the long run. Netlifx works surprisingly well and it was easy to set up as it detected the wireless router and I had it connected and streaming in less than 5 minutes.

does this upscale your video sources to 1080 ?
 

bearxor

Diamond Member
Jul 8, 2001
6,609
2
81
I bought the Oknyo S5300 on sale @ HH Gregg this weekend for $400. Only have it setup as 2.1 right now, as I'm looking to install my projector and screen in a couple of weeks, and I think it sounds great. And the receiver seems pretty top-notch. Even came with a iPod/iPhone dock. Really good value for $400.