Ok, I have always been into home theater but living from apartment to apartment has limited me from buying all the necessary items needed to build a nice setup. I have a 55" toshiba hdtv ready tv and a panasonic a-310 dvd player. trying NOT to spend a fortune, what do you suggest and please let me know prices!

I am looking for:

Center speaker
2 rears
2 fronts
NO sub
new DVD player?
new CD player
new tuner

I would like to spend as little as possible, yet get something much better than home theater in a box.

THANKS!

Well, a few thoughts-

No need for as cd player the dvd will do that.

Speakers are like religion so this is very tough call I guess you should give a budget first and then it becomes clearer.

A sub is a big plus for movies, if you are leaning toward more movies then music you might want to rethink this part.

You will need a receiver so you also need to think of how mush you want to spend there and what formats are important.

I would not discount HTiB systems so fast- There are some pretty good systems that have come out this year (many with dvd/receivers) but for the most part the speakers are entry level.

A receiver takes care of the tuner part.

You do realize that without a sub you will be missing alot of bass content (I understand your living situation). Small(er) speakers need a sub and I believe that every HTIB that is decent quality will have a sub.

Progressive players can be had for under $300 from a variety of manufacturers.

A budget would be nice to have some idea how to spec this too.

Ok, well you guys say I do need a new DVD, one with progressive scan I presume. I can get one fron under $300.

I doubt I should use my DVD player as my CD player. I can get a decent CD player for under $300 as well. Should I get a 300 cd jukebox?

The reciever should cost around $300 for a good one. What specs do I need?

I dont wanna spend a crazy amount on speakers but I want them to be decent and to last long.

Id say $2000 max total to spend on the whole system.

Your call but a dvd player plays cd's just fine.

It is hard to recommend a receiver without knowing the speakers to drive.

Here are some links

http://www.federalstereo.com/psblcrspeakp.html

(I do not know if you could delete the sub)

http://www.av123.com/popup.html

The Diva's are a hot topic on several boards, not sure if this sale is over

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S...LSV925&o=m&a=0

This is a complete Onkyo package.

I would go to a site like www.crutchfield.com and do some reading. Know that they only carry some of the brands but the site is great for information. You need to get a little clearer idea of you wants, likes and dislikes and then it will be easier to help.

Crap shopping is half the fun

I'd say, on a budget:

center/2front/2rear = JBL NSP-1 = $250
subwoofer = JBL PB-10 or Sony SAWM40 = $200
DVD = Toshiba SD-3750 = $150
Receiver = Yamaha HTR-5460 = $350

Total =~ $1000

You will also need to allocate about $150 for speaker stands, and $200 for all the cables you'll need.

The JBL speakers have been rated very well, especially for their size and price. The DVD player is a high quality, no frills progressive scan DVD video player. The receiver is probably one of the best 5.1 receivers in the $500 range.

The JBL's are very well engineered and sound good. I know some of the guys that designed them. But for me the plastic enclosures would make me listen to some competition with reguards to the bass performance. But for rears this really is not an issue. You might want to get the N36 for fronts which have the same driver components but wood cabinets.

I think you mean JBL N38's.. but, based on your response on the other thread, I think I'm going to get N38's for the fronts and N24s for the rears.. Do you think that having such large speakers on the front, and such small speakers in the back will cause any discrepancies?

Also, I think the N26 is also plastic moulding, and you need to go up to the much more expensive N28 to get a wood enclosure.

http://www.jbl.com/home/products/pro...26II&SerId=NOR

This is the one I was thinking of. No problem going with bigger fronts. I guess the main issue is the same sound. They both use the same HF unit (tweeter). As for the LF units (woofers) they are very simular in design between sizes in the whole lineup.

My suggestions:

Receiver: Onkyo 595/600 - $380
DVD Player: Panasonic RP56 - $200
5 speakers: Everyone has their favorite brand. I would listen to entry level bookshelves from brands like PSB, Paradigm, Energy, B&W, Mirage, and Klipsch. You should be able to find 5 excellent speakers for around $800.

I would also recommend adding a sub. What are your reasons for not wanting one? Because you will be giving up a LOT of performance.

If you're going with Energy, their e-XL series is great entry level HT stuff but they're not the greatest for music. They're bringing back the C series which sounds great but is pricey. My advice is to do some looking around on ebay, great bargains on used stuff. Here's a list of stuff I've been able to score on there, you can't beat the prices:

$100 Energy ES-10 sub
$400 Energy C-8 speakers (you'll never see these again at that price, got super lucky)
$150 Energy 3.1e speakers
$200 Energy AC-300

Shipping might hurt, goes from anywhere between $20 and $100 depending on where and how big. Also check out the classifieds at audioreview , I scored an Energy EXL-S12 sub on there for $275. Do your homework and figure out a budget. After that just bargain shop to get the most for your money.

** EDIT **

Noticed you need a receiver too. Forget the Onkyo, spend the extra and buy yourself an Outlaw 1050. This thing kicks the crud out of anything I've heard in the $500 range, very tough to beat it until you get upwards of $800. Getting great reviews at audioreview and they have an owners forum at outlawaudio . Again I highly recommend. It puts out raw CLEAN power, excellent sound quality and more than enough to drive any speaker you're looking at (runs the C8's no prob). BTW you really should look into a sub if you're getting bookshelf speakers, they need serious reinforcing on the low end. A Velodyne 8" should do it, or if you have the money to spend look at Hsu Research or SVS.

Great help guys! Thanks, I really appreciate it!

What about a new DVD player. I dont need all the bells and whistles, but since I have a HDTV ready TV I know I need a progressive scan player. What are some suggestions? I dont wanna spend $750 for that Pioneer I read about in another thread.

almost all brands pregressive players for ~$300 now.

Sounds good....But...can you guys suggest a good one that plays CDRs

I second these recommendations. The Onkyo receivers are great.

His not wanting a sub may be related to living in an apartment. They sometimes cause problems with the neighbors.

Nekobus-EXACTLY! We will see though....Now what about DVD players.....Suggestions?

Panasonic RP-56. $179 at Sears. $186 with free shipping at abtelectronics.com:

http://www.abtelectronics.com/script...t.php3?id=6541

Or wait until next month when it's replacement is released.