which home theater system (without DVD player but including receiver )would you recommend for under $300?

Answer 1

with that budget nothing stand out as really good. I say save up and look again later.

Answer 2

Nothing!

Do yourself a BIG favor. If you are "poor" and cannot afford a real HT system- go look at a 2 channel stereo system for the same amount of money. I bet you are amazed at the sound quality differences. 2 decent channels will kick the you-know-what out of 5 bad channels any day!

Another idea is how I got my first system when I was in college. Go buy a receiver now for $300. Go back in 6 months when you have the money and pick up 2 main speakers for $300. Go back again, and pick up a sub for $300, so on and so forth until complete.

Going super-cheap just so you can buy a system now will always disappoint. The materials and workmanship on a $300 "system" just aren't good enough.

Think of it this way, would you drive a $300 car? Why not- do you think that it would not perform at that price point? What if someone told you it was a Honda, and we all know Honda is a good brand, right? It's just too little to pay for a car in good working order- you know by the price that it's a hunk-o-junk... same here...

Answer 3

Below is a 600 watt Yamaha system that is XM ready regularly $329 on sale though right now at Best Buy, this one sounds pretty good and will be feature laden since it is a Yamaha.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8268386&productCategoryId=pcmcat40200050004&type=product&cmp=++&id=1170290375713

This Philips unit at Overstock.com is also a good one

http://www.overstock.com/?page=proframe&prod_id=2107609

You just have to realize that at this price point, you are more likely to get LOUD music, and not neccesarily great sounding music and movies. But for beginner systems HTIAB ( HOme Theatre In A Box) are the way to go.

For a little better sound quality than the phillips here is a nice Onkyo system that would also work well.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-kIxtWISqZ6P/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?wm=fp&I=580HTS590S&g=37600

If you have any other questions, feel free to email me at [e-mail]. THe nice thing is that all of these systems are under $300 which is what you asked for. And NEVER BUY BOSE !!!!!!! You will not be happy.

Answer 4

I looked at Robert P's link to home theater systems and there are some good setups costing less than $300. I would go with the Onkyo or Yamaha brands. These companies do not inflate their power ratings like the others do (including Sony).

Answer 5

I recommend the Kenwood HTB-405 which is on sale at the link below for $288.00. It sounds like a real system. The subwoofer is the best one I have heard in an inexpensive htib system and the speakers have a reasonably smooth sound with a high frequency performance that only comes with real tweeters (something most of the cheap systems lack). The site does not seem to be working at the moment, but I do recall that the only home theater in a box system the guy at whydoesmyhometheatersuck recommended was a Kenwood.

Answer 6

Have a look at the link below :
If you could stretch your budget to $409. the Onkyo is much better than the ones under $300.It rated 4 stars out of 5.

http://www.bizrate.com/hometheatersystems/buying_guides/prices.html

Answer 7

Under $300 -- nothing. Spend about $400 and get an Onkyo. It's the best brand under $1000.

Answer 8

Buy either Yamaha 600W 5.1-Ch. XM-Ready Home Theater System or Onkyo HT-SR600S Home Entertainment 5.1

Answer 9

I recommend the Intex company 4000W Elegant speaker.I also have the same one with me . Its sound quality is even better than bose or sony speakers