WHAT is the best surround sound system i can buy?

Question

I'M LOOKING TO SPEND BETWEEN 700-800 BUCKS ON THE RECEIVER AND SPEAKERS I'M LOOKING IN TO THE ONKYO TXSR605 BUT I HAVEN'T FOUND ANY SPEAKERS YET.

Answer 1

If you want to go with onkyo I was amazed at the performance this little guy offered. Its THX certified and has great connectivity. Great for the budget you specified but if you spend a little more or buy gradually a series of speaker you may have better results. Make sure to use good interconnects for your system.

Answer 2

Since Onkyo is about $450, you are left with $250-$350.
You will not find anything decent in this price range - there are offerings form JBL, Polk and other manufacturers. They will all sound about the same... and a very nice Onkyo receiver will be wasted...

I suggest to in stages - get a good pair of gfront speakers first - like PSB ALFA 1 for $280. When you get some more money - get a sub, then surrounds, and then a center.

If you absolutely have to have them all at once - get the PSB, and get some cheap speakers for rear surround - they only reproduce noises anyway... you do not really need a center - you can set up receiver to send dialog to the front speakers. Sub - there are no really cheap good sub, so just buy whatever you van get on your budget. Decent subs start at about $350 - HSU, Velodyne and some others.

You will be much better off this way that to buy "surround package"...

Answer 3

I'm assuming you already have your sources, since you mention only a receiver and speakers.
The Onkyo is a great choice, but, you're only left with about $300 for a full set of 7.1 speakers. That's a waste of the Onkyo's ability.
I would either spend less on the receiver, leaving more of your budget for speakers, or, buy only 2 speakers now, and add more later.

Answer 4

From experience, I've sold for years and owned 2 Onkyo Receivers (Current model, TX-SR602) and have been absolutely rapped with them!! Highly recommend.

As the others have suggested, not silly to spend a little more on speakers, to compliment a lovely Receiver.
I will recommend B&W speakers, as they blend beautifully with these amps, and are the biggest selling brand of speaker on the planet. (Obviously good)

You can always start with the Fronts and just keep adding when can afford too?? Thats exactly what I did.
I bought Onkyo Receiver with pair of B&W bookshelf speakers. Later purchased Sub to match, then eventually Centre and Rears to complete full home theatre!

You will be impressed!

Hope this helps, and all the best!

Answer 5

Hi there.What is your SOURCE? (DVD Player ,CD Player, Tuner . ) These can all sound different,so you need a good one for sound.quality .Next spend as much as you can afford on the RECEIVER,especially one with good sound quality. It's the audio of your system that will determine a good from an average system.Even the best Receivers have to compromise the sound because all the circuitry is controlled by one power supply which puts a strain on the amplifier to do its job. So get the best SOURCE you can afford and the best INTERCONNECTS you can afford to connect the source with the RECEIVER.(Every bit of equipment degrades the signal going through the components.The idea is to have equipment that does not degrade the signal as much as posssible before it gets to the speakers.) I would just get 2 speakers at first for stereo.They don't have to be that great as long as your first components are good.You will be supprised how good the sound can be even with average speakers because they are receiving a better signal from your Receiver to work with.Some people buy expensive speakers and a cheap Receiver expecting it to sound good ,but it does'nt ,the speakers need a good signal from the amp to give you a good sound from the speakers. At least you will know what high quality sound can be like. Later on if you can afford better speakers ,then your system will be on the way to being something really good.
Most Receivers with similar specifications sound about the same .Some may have a softer or sweeter sound which is desirable, while others sound a bit hard or dry.These i would ovoid if possible.Yamaha,NAD ,Rotel and other British designs tend towards the softer sound.By softer i don't mean mellow or low quality but more musical and accurate which is more pleasing to the ear. OK,this is what you need to start with ;

The best SOURCE you can afford
The best RECEIVER you can afford
The best INTERCONNECTS you can afford
A pair of speakers to start with. (they don't have to be expensive or superb sounding-that will come later if you want to complete the improvement)
The 3 above are the most important at the moment.because the signal starts at the software ,goes to the source, travels to the receiver via the interconnect cables,is processed by the receiver then travels to the speakers.and it only travels in one direction and if any of it is changed too much at the source nothing else down the chain can make up for, or repair it.

Answer 6

look at an Onkyo HT-S3400, this is a 5.a million receiver and a series of audio device. only upload a Panasonic blu ray disc participant and you have a amazing device for in straightforward terms $500. The type could be diverse due on your area. this is extra useful than a sort of living house theater in a field, that are actually not very solid or versatile for including different products to it. wish this could help you out.

Answer 7

that is a really good reciever, but that leaves a small budget for a good source and decent speakers. Use more of your budget on speakers becuase they have more to do with sound quality than a reciever does.