Best 5.1 surround sound system for under $500?

Question

I have a 42" LCD tv, with HDMI and all that jazz. I am look to get the next peice in the home theater, the sound. So my budget is $500 the room size is....roughly 20' by 20' maybe a little larger, ceilings are roughly 14'. If you purchased a good system and love it please let me know so I can compare everything. Thanks everyone.

Answer 1

In a room that large your budget is not high enough to get good sound. However, it is high enough to get a basic entry level system. You have 2 choices. A HTIB (home theater in a box) system or very basic separates. Check out the audio and home theater web sites and see what is available that you can afford. Separates are better but more expensive.

Answer 2

I have the Denon AVR 787 system in the same size room as yours is...

Works very nicely in it.

I bought the reciever for $275, and the Home Theater speakers for $300, so it's a little over your budget, but it sounds great....

Yes, if I had $2000 I would spend it, but I didn't....

Answer 3

http://reviews.cnet.com/4244-6740_7-0-1....

heres a list of a bunch of home audio set ups, i didnt really look at it but i notied a few, cnet is the best place for tech info and news

Answer 4

Look at some HTiBs. Onkyo and Yamaha make the best HTiB. DO NOT GET SONY! Most people look at the box and it says something like "1000 RMS watts" and it's like $200. You are not going to get 1000 watts from a 5lb receiver. Most honest HTiBs will have 500-600 RMS watts, and have a pretty good sized receiver. But yeah, I recommend either Onkyo or Yamaha. They make the best systems in the $350-$600 range.