Need Help Deciding on surround sound speakers for my pioneer vsx-515?

Question

I have a Pioneer VSX-515 that supports surround sound up to 7.1 channels. My budget is $250. Should I get speakers with a dvd player or just a speaker set? Whats the best value? All I need is a 5.1 ch. set of speakers. I see that @ online stores its cheaper to get speakers with a dvd player. I need help on what i should get

What do you recomend on this page: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=sort&A=search&Q=&sortDrop=Price%3A+High+to+Low&bl=&atl=Price_+80+%3C%3D++%3C%3D+249.99&pn=1&st=categoryNavigation&mnp=0.0&mxp=0.0&sv=9650&shs=&ac=&fi=all&pn=1&ci=9650&cmpsrch=&cltp=&clsgr=

Answer 1

Well, for $250 you can forget about getting quality speakers. But if you buy a DVD set (home-theatre-in-a-box), you'll get a simplistic setup that would make your current receiver useless. The DVD player in those sets basically functions as a very limited receiver; the speakers in that set attach to the DVD player, as do the other connections in most cases.

If you wish to use your Pioneer receiver, you'll need to buy standalone speakers. If you buy the DVD player/speaker combo set, then it will be used in place of your receiver. Obviously the superior quality will come from a dedicated receiver and dedicated speakers; but that costs far more than you are budgeting. Value-wise, the best bet is the DVD-speaker set. But quality wise, that's generally a no-no unless you really can't afford a proper system.

Answer 2

Most of the choices on that page are decent (avoid

the Bose system), but my suggestion for your proposed

budget would be going with a Dayton 5.1 system and a

Pioneer DVD player (see the links below). You are much

better off spending your money on quality over quantity

(i.e. 5.1 over 7.1). Case in point, generally, most "HTIB"

(home theater in a box) system are poorer quality than

purchasing each item (i.e. speakers, sub, DVD player)

separately. Also, if you can wait and save $500, a big

step up can be had (see the Hsu Performance 1 system).

Answer 3

Your budget is very low...you're lucky I came upon your question LoL.

This is really your only option if you care about sound quality. They're nothing great when compared to decent speakers, but they're way better than the tiny plastic one's with 3" cones you'll get in a home theater in a box type setup:
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/r150/
You can buy three pairs ($150) for a 6.1 setup from Frys.com:
http://shop1.outpost.com/%7B6istpQVWVqOpfTVhv-SOBg**.node2%7D/product/4965491;jsessionid=6istpQVWVqOpfTVhv-SOBg**.node2?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
http://images.pcworld.com/resource/graphics/116574-2208P131_3B.jpg

You're gonna have to spend more than $100 on a sub, period.
Velodyne 10"
http://www.idealav.com/item.aspx?eid=1&pid=93630
Dayton 10"
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-633

Speaker wire and gold banana plugs can be found here for a great price:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10239&cs_id=1023901&p_id=2789&seq=1&format=2&style=
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10401&cs_id=1040115&p_id=2801&seq=1&format=2&style=
You would need 4 plugs for each speaker wire x 6 speakers 24 plugs or 12 pairs.

This is really the cheapest I would recommend to anyone, yet it will sound much better than your typical home theater in a box.