Help choosing a home theater system

[beitzel15]

I was in Sams Club today and decided to try the demo on these bose 2.1 speakers.
Bose CineMate Digital Home Theater Speaker System - Sam's Club
HOLY SH*T! They literally blew me away.... The sound was outstanding to be 2 small speakers.... I almost bought it right then.. just due to how great it sounded.. but that's a lot of money.... I know you get what you pay for.

It'll be in a small'ish room.. not too big, not to small... Im just bored with my flat screen speakers... they sound good for tv... but gaming and movies, i want more.

Is $450 a good buy for these?

Any rec. on anything $300 and under? I thought about a Sony sound bar with the sub... but nothing sounds anywhere as clear and crisp as these bose speakers do.

[acwildcat]

I just bought this

Sony SoundBar

Sony SoundBar

Its in a fairly small room but the sound is fantastic and I could see it working for even a much larger room. It definitely makes Call of Duty sound a lot cooler . All in all a great buy for under $300.

[SRD]

I never understood people and bose. They really aren't considered good home theatre speakers but people love them. Personally I would buy a decent denon amp and just buy good speakers are you can afford them.

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[Scottpants]

If you're looking for something somewhat cheap, you can find pretty decent "home theater in a box" systems in the range of $300. I got a Yamaha set for my parents that is awesome. Just make sure if you do that to get one that actually has a receiver with multiple inputs rather than just a DVD player that has plugs for the speakers.

[SRD]

If you go cheap in box set I remember onkyo used to make some decent ones. Not sure now though.

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[Wired]

Keep in mind the cheap box set receivers usually do not allow for HDMI video switching. You'll get to use the receiver, but maybe not how you'd like. IMO, if you're going to get a receiver it should do video switching.

[VDubbinMI]

With bose your paying more for the name than the performance. I'd look into starting with used components as you can normally find good deals on craigslist or the like. Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon are all good brands. I picked up a refurbed Yamaha Rxv663 7.2 channel reciever for $300 last year. Best sounding receiver in the low-mid price range I've owned. Add a good set of bookshelf speakers and a powered subwoofer and you have a 2.1 system way better than any bose system. Slowly build up your system as your budget allows adding a center channel, floorstanding fronts and moving your bookshelf speakers as your rear or side channels, etc.

Be warned tho that home theater systems can be as addicting if not more than guns.

[tizzo]

Originally Posted by VDubbinMI

With bose your paying more for the name than the performance. I'd look into starting with used components as you can normally find good deals on craigslist or the like. Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon are all good brands. I picked up a refurbed Yamaha Rxv663 7.2 channel reciever for $300 last year. Best sounding receiver in the low-mid price range I've owned. Add a good set of bookshelf speakers and a powered subwoofer and you have a 2.1 system way better than any bose system. Slowly build up your system as your budget allows adding a center channel, floorstanding fronts and moving your bookshelf speakers as your rear or side channels, etc.

Be warned tho that home theater systems can be as addicting if not more than guns.

This is on the right track. Personally I would avoid sound bar systems and those small speaker systems.

I would start out with a good receiver (Sony, Pioneer, Yamaha, etc.) book shelf speakers (I recommend 6" woofers or larger) and a good center channel. Follow these purchases with your subwoofer and surround speakers (5.1 system, 7.1 is overkill)

I would also avoid big box stores for anything beyond the receiver.

I will close with the affirmative, I am an audio snob to a certain extent.

[VinnAY]

Since you're willing to spend $450, spend $429 and be WAY ahead of that Bose 2.1 nonsense:

Amazon.com: Onkyo HT-S5300 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver and Speaker Package with iPod Dock (Black): Electronics

Amazon.com: Onkyo HT-S5300 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver and Speaker Package with iPod Dock (Black): Electronics

This may be overkill for your needs but the point is is that you can get a sweet at least 5.1 system for less than Bose where you're paying for name over quality.

[beitzel15]

I ended up getting this last night since it was on sale and Im moving into a room 1/2 the size of the 1 im in now....
Samsung - 2-1/2" Soundbar with Powered Wireless Subwoofer - HW-451

Sounds really good for the money.