Surround Sound Gurus?

[Phenom]

OK, got the LCD flat screen last year, now it is time to get some surround sound to go with it. Wife does not want to spend more then $500 on it. The room is about 200 square feet. I have searched out some on the internet, but thought there might be some people here that have some suggestions...:shrug:

 

[YankeeBaseball]

try the bose 3-2-1, it runs about $900 but you may be able to find a better deal.

also sony has a awesome dream system for $549.
dolby digital 5.1 and a 5 disc dvd player. it has a HDMI connection for a 1080i upscale convert.

hope this helps,

 

[marine]

I recently picked up a 5.1 surround system from Jamo and a JVC receiver.

the Jamo speakers and sub came to 399 I think. the receiver was 199. The Jamo speakers are similar to the bose style - small cubes that are not dominating the room but still putting out some killer sounds.

 

[njsammy]

I have the Bose 3-2-1 sounds is very good ... goes well with big screen

 

[gardenweasel]

i`m the last guy to not have a high def t.v....i bought a 37 inch mitsubishi around 11 years ago before a well known local appliance outlet was closing down(luskins)...and the thing wears like iron...beautiful picture(granted,not high def).....but i can`t see getting a high def t.v. while this thing`s still working beautifully...the t.v. in the den is also great(a sharp flat screen)....

i want one badly...but,that mitsubishi is a peach...years of great service...

whatever...what i really wanted to say is that i bought an nec avr-700 surround sound receiver around 18 years ago.....at tweeter(used to be called something different)....no shit.....the thing weighs around 50 or 60 pounds... ...all metal...sooo heavy.....and i also bought some solid wood speakers(3 way,huge and heavy...sounds so deep,you don`t need a sub-woofer)....and my rear speakers are old dcm mini towers(about 17 inches high and 7 inches wide..fabric wrapped with pine tops and bottoms)....

i know the new stuff is sleek and looks great...but this stuff just never wears out....and the place sounds like a concert hall........

the dcms are unreal...they could be used as main speakers....

is the new stuff that much better?...i mean,speakers and receivers?....i have a newer sony in the den and it can`t touch this old nec(even though the thing weighs more than a small freight car).....

i`m actually waiting anxiously for the mitsubishi to blow.....all this high def talk is making my teeth itch...

 

[marine]

weasel,

the sounds are nice on the newer model speakers and what not, although in my opinion for everyday tv viewing you really can't go wrong with whatever you have plugged in. the thing i like the most is that with all these newer speakers, they are not so large. I can stick them on the walls or in the corners and they do not dominate the room or look like another piece of furniture in the room and grab your attention. they are sleek, sound great, but are hidden.

same with the plasma tvs. I have a new 50 incher, which is a monster, but it goes on the wall and I just freed up a bunch of space in the room for other things.

home theatre systems shouldnt dominate a room.

 

[gardenweasel]

weasel,

the sounds are nice on the newer model speakers and what not, although in my opinion for everyday tv viewing you really can't go wrong with whatever you have plugged in. the thing i like the most is that with all these newer speakers, they are not so large. I can stick them on the walls or in the corners and they do not dominate the room or look like another piece of furniture in the room and grab your attention. they are sleek, sound great, but are hidden.

same with the plasma tvs. I have a new 50 incher, which is a monster, but it goes on the wall and I just freed up a bunch of space in the room for other things.

home theatre systems shouldnt dominate a room.

i hear you,bud......my stuff isn`t exactly obscure in the room...at least all the cabinetry is real wood and looks pretty nice...still,the t.v. and the main speakers are space eaters........i will definitely need a forklift to get this mitsubishi out when it finally goes the way of the do-do bird....the t.v. takes up mucho space...i want that lcd/plasma.....

but, i honestly hope that surround sound receiver lasts forever....i couldn`t even find much info on the internet on it....i think maybe it`s considered an artifact..... the sony i have has around 7 different surround sound settings(dolby,hall,surround,disco,live,theater,simulated,etc).....delay times,tonal effects.....

the nec has surround and by-pass..that`s it......lol

and the sony sounds like you`re speaking through a tin can attached to a string compared to the nec.....

when that t.v. goes up,i`m going for broke.....