Newbie needs speaker/subwoofer help

[Southpaw]

Evening All,

I am looking for a subwoofer (piecemeal) right now and possibly a DD speaker setup in a couple of months. Any help on those 2 and possibly the room setup would help immensely. Here is what I have (old and new)right now:

Pioneer VSX-D509S
Toshiba SD1600
Hitachi 52" Ultravision (10 years old)(S-Vid In)
Explorer 2000 Digital Cable Box (S-vid and AC-3 out)
HT/Music Usage: 80%/20%
Old Sony Speaker setup from my current Pro Logic System
--Mains: Floor, 3-way, 270W max, 40hz-20Khz, 8 ohm, 89dB/m/w
--Center: Full range, 4 ohm, 60W
--Surrounds: Full Range, 8ohms, 30W

Room Setup: http://images.honesty.com/imagedata/h/141/34/21413478.gif
one exception on the room setup is that the longer dimension is actually 25ft.

I am trying to utilize my current speakers until after Christmas when I can work up some more money..I was trying to go no more than $200 for the subwoofer and $500 for the speakers. (I am not a serious audiophile) Due to my "rectangularish" living room, my surrounds can't hang on the walls at ear level, but there is hardly enough room for stands on either side of the end tables either...input here would really help.

thanks for all the help and plz let me know if I have left anything out...

Southpaw

[svadas]

I'd switch the budget around and spend $500 on the sub now, and gradually get the rest of the speakers at prices around $200 a pair. To skimp on the sub, you'll lose most of the home theater effect. For $500 you can get the HSU Research VTF-2 which claims to be the best sub less than $1000 and comparable to subs costing several grand. For the speakers, take a look at www.goodsound.com (http://www.goodsound.com) to see what is recommended at that price point as a starting point. If you can budget the $700 now, then in a few months get a center to match the fronts. You may or may not even need to bother with new surrounds, but this way you'll always be maximizing you're investment.