Like me, yours was probably a result of some items you had on hand but with the addition of a new receiver. I was always very pleased with the results (particularly with great DTS DVD titles such as Saving Private Ryan):
Sanyo 32 inch TV
Pioneer Elite VSX-21 receiver (two channels failed after just two years; replaced with Denon 3802)
Pioneer DV-525
Onkyo 6 disc CD player
Bose Acoustimass 5 for front left and right (double cubes) on Bose stands
Def Tech ProCenter C2
Acoustic Energy Aegis One bookshelves for rears (on those IKEA folding steel stands)
Hsu VTF-3 sub

Today: M80 fronts, VP180, M22 rears, EP800, Rotel 1570/1575, PS3 (original release), Rotel 1520 CD player, Oppo BDP-83, Onkyo T-4555 tuner, Roku HD player... and just a 37 inch Sony 3LCD TV (yes, I'm more into the ultimate sound)

Please share your first setup!!

My first was/is my Axiom setup. Zero to warp 10 in the blink of an eye.

Sony DAV-DX315 "1000W" Home Theatre in a Box... 1000W @ 10% THD :-/

Link:
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-home.pl?mdl=DAVDX315&LOC=3


Today:
M22, QS8s and a Denon AVR 1910 in a 4.0 System. Sub and Centre to follow some day.

snazzed

My first setup was:

Panasonic 32SF27: 32" SUPERFLAT TV
Sony DVPS7700
Polk RT5000 speaker system: At the time this had the largest center channel I had ever seen..UNTIL NOW
Velodyne 15" Sub
All cables were good ol Monster Cable... LOL

Today:
Elite 151
Denon 4810
OPPO BDP83
M80's: JUST ARRIVED YESTERDAY
VP-180: WILL BE HERE THURSDAY..:
M2 inwalls for front height channels.
M22 inwalls for rear speakers.

This is my first setup, but as you can see, one step at the time...
I don't believe in buying stuff that you will need to replace within a short period of time, but that's just me. As someone once told me, buy the best you can afford.

I had a Pioneer receiver with stereo, analog inputs, and Dolby Prologic (not II) processing that had left, right, center, and two surround outputs (old Prologic only sent the same signal to both of the surrounds). I had Fisher mains (12" woofers with 12" passive radiators), and Pioneer center/surrounds. That would have been in 1992 or so. Used this setup with a JVC S-VHS HiFi VCR. Displaying on a 28" Sony Trinitron TV. I hadn't even graduated high school yet (paid for with proceeds of delivering news papers for 7 years).

In 1998 I upgraded to a Sony receiver, and all Sony speakers, including a sub. This receiver had digital inputs and understood Dolby Digital and DTS for true 5.1. It still only had Prologic processing for stereo signals, as version II wouldn't show up until 2000. Sony DVD player, until it broke, then I used a PS2 as my player, until it began to wear out, moved to an original Xbox for a while, until I got my DV-79AVi. Most of this time I was using a 36" Sony Wega, but substituted in a 32" View Sonic LCD TV for a bit while saving up for a Kuro. This system started when I was in college.

I'm back to Pioneer now, having bought the 1018 in 2008. Running 7.1 now. Still have some of the Sony speakers (waiting to be replaced). The Kuro is my display, and the PS3 is my primary player, but still have the Pioneer Elite DVD player for DVD-Audio discs.

1976-1980: (Was stolen and never replaced)
Bose 4 channel 250 WPC power amp (Don't remember model number)
2 Bose 901 Series II speakers.
Soundcraftsman stereo pre-amp/10 band per channel Equalizer.
Techniques Turntable with Shure cartridge.
Kenwood receiver.

2005-2009:
27 inch Westinghouse LCD TV.
Sony Home Theater in a Box, called Dream Machine, with wires going up the wall inside those narrow hard plastic housings.

2009-2010:
Samsung LN37B550 37 inch LCD TV.
Pioneer Elite VSX-21TXH receiver.
Panasonic DMP-BD30 (oldest piece, used with HTIB when the player in it went out)
Monster HDP-1800 power conditioner/surge suppressor.
All Axiom speakers: Bookshelf M22v2 + On-wall M22v2 + On/In-wall VP100v2 + EP350.
Axoim speaker wire and dual banana plugs.
Monster mini banana plugs.

Planned acquisition to replace existing equipment:
Axiom On-wall M2v3 to replace the On-wall M22v2. (Mounted above Bookshelf M22)
Axiom full metal brackets for M22.
Used VP150v2 (Boston Cherry) to replace the On/In-wall VP100v2.
New Blu-ray player.
46 inch plasma.

Harman Kardon AVR 20 receiver
JBL L3 floor standing speakers
JBL center
Bose dunno which book shelf speakers for rear surrounds
Velodyne 10" sub
Toshiba VCR Hitachi VCR [memory fart]
Sony 36"

Thought it was great.

Sony 5.1 Speakers but with some Harmon Kardon bookshelves for fronts. A Panasonic receiver that is still in use as my stereo unit today.

The speakers impressed me at the time and it's all I really had room for in my first house, but it's all relative, I could never go back. Although the HKs were nice little speakers and will serve as rear channels when my 7.1 room is finished.

Sony 5.1 w/prologic Dxx915(can't really remember the model number) and a Sony VCR.
Bose 201's as mains and Sony center and surrounds with a D-Box 12" sub I bought from Costco.

Upgraded the center and surrounds to VP100 and QS4s only to find the Bose's sounding muddy and muffled. My wife told me I had to upgrade them, so I bought the M22's.

Now Running M80s, VP150, QS8's and an SVS PB13 Ultra sub. I am using a Denon 3808 to drive them all with. Just using a Samsung 1400 BR player to send the movies over and I stream all my music from my NAS to the 3808.

Started in stereo with various 'borrowed' bits from my older brother including:
- 'furniture grade' huge @$$ JBL speakers powered by a receiver brand I don't remember but had glowing blue analog dials and displays all over the place

- followed by some very nice B&W monitors with an HK receiver - sounded great and my brother has them back in his posession again in his basement setup

- followed by my very own 1st surround setup with Kenwood 5.1 receiver and Polk RM6500 speakers with Polk PSW404 sub. Actually not too bad a sounding rig for the price and micro size of them. I still use the L & R and the sub for casual stereo listening through Sonos ZP-120 in my living room.

And currently Axiom 7.1 with W-22's, W-150 (on/in wall models), QS8's and EP500 with Pioneer SC-05 receiver, PS3 and Sonos ZP-90.

Mine was a $200 Sony Prologic receiver from Sears that came with a FREE box of 5 speakers! AWESOME deal! That setup is what made me appreciate good quality sound...sounded so bad, I couldn't wait to get rid of it.

axiom epic80/500 .

:P

Here's mine:

Mitsubishi 36" CRT TV
Onkyo TX-DS575 5.1 DD/DTS receiver (I'm still using this
Paradigm Monitor 9 fronts
Paradigm CC-370 center channel
Cambridge Soundworks The Surround (bipole-dipole switchable)

Well my very first 5+ channel system was in my car.

My very first 5+ channel HOME THEATER was......... (drum roll), an Aiwa bookshelf 5.1 system. I can still remember playing that thing in the store (Target if I remember correctly) and thinking that absolutely nothing could ever sound any better than that! I actually thought that for quite some time, until one of my buddies was over watching a movie with me and I cranked it up trying to show him how indestructable the speakers were... and I blew ther front left AND right speakers!!!! Ouch

Next I purchased one of those Sony 'rack' systems that came with a 500 (claimed) watt reciever, a CD player, dual tape deck, and twin tower speakers. I used the Aiwa center channel and surround speakers for a while, until I upgraded to Cerwin Vega tower left, right and center channel speakers... Cambridge Soundworks 6 speaker satelite surrounds and my Denon 4802 reciever.

I really thought I was in heaven with that HT until I had my fire. That might have been the best thing to ever happen to my ears, as I discovered Axiom while looking for new satelite speakers. I was originally looking at getting Cambridge Soundworks powered towers until I searched for them and found out they no longer produced them. At the same time I also found out they no longer produced the surround speakers I loved so much! So I was researching these towers and those towers while also looking up satelite speakers when I ran across the QS8's. I liked what I saw and read, so I looked deeper into Axiom (whom I'd never heard of before) and liked EVERYTHING I saw and read about practically everything they offered.







....See my signature for my current 5.1 channel Home Theater

Whoa, I have never noticed you had Cambridge Soundworks as well! Those surrounds did very nicely for the 4 or 5 years I had them. When you bought them did you ever see their tower speakers with the powered subwoofers built into the side of the speakers? I remember dreaming about getting those forever after getting their surround speakers and really liking the way they sounded. However I had only purchased the Cerwin Vega's about 3 or 4 months before finding Cambridge Soundworks, so I couldn't really justify buying brand new $2000 dolar tower speakers at that time. But when that fire wiped out my HT, I was certain they would be my next HT anchors.

I'm rather glad they didn't make them anymore when I went looking though I must say. Because I can't imagine they sounded anywhere near as good as my Axioms do. I guess God does work in mysterious ways!

This was my first surround system:



DCM TimeFrame 600's, Technics receiver, 32" Sony, Radio Shack surround speakers, JBL sub. I had several two-channel systems going back before this (including one with NAD separates which I now miss!!!), but this was the first surround setup.

Note for one person in particular out there: I couldn't remember what type of speakers these were, so I had to search my first post here. When I did, I noted that I used the word "veil" in my very first post!

I believe the sentence it was in went something like this:

"Hi guys, I'm looking for a new set of speakers that will allow me to sit down and enjoy the music rather than try to make it seem better by dancing around in my diaphanous gown and veil."

So was it his 2nd or 3rd post when he asked if Axiom made headphones that he and his pet unicorn could listen to music on while they went rainbow hunting?

Wow! Really close to my first setup:

Mitsubishi 32" CRT
Technics SA-GX790 (Now driving my T2's quite nicely)
L/R Mitsubishi 3-way Big A$$ towers w/ 15" Woofers
C Cambridge Soundworks
L/R Surr Cambridge Soundworks DiPole/BiPole

Followed shortly by the addition of the Cambridge Soundworks L/R satelites w/ "bass module" - ooohhh, aaahhh and the grandeous exit of the huge Mits - much to my wife's delight.

I actually still have all the CS 5.1 (??, more like 5.05) speakers. I tried the bass module with the Axiom T2's and it made a noticeable improvement, but it didn't pass WAF... need to find another way to get some bass in that room.

Scott

Sanyo 27" CRT
HK 630 (still have)
low end Sony DVD player
M2i mains
VP100 center
white box mains used as surrounds
PSB 6i subwoofer

My first true 5.1 was Axiom's and a big SVS cylinder. Had some earlier two channel systems that I pieced together from my dad's old stuff but the only thing that came close to 5.1 is my 4.1 Kilpsch computer speakers. Had a 2.1 Bose Accustass at one point as well.

Its funny now, because before I built the Axiom 5.1 system I just anticipated adding on to my Bose 2.1. Started reading Home Theatre Spot and quickly learned what was up about Bose and first heard of Axiom.

Originally I built an HT in the family room but found that by the end of the night, and the kids were in bed, we would just rather watch a movie in the master bedroom. So built a second Axiom system with another SVS in the bedroom. The problem now is that the kids and wife won't let me play any of it at any decent level to really enjoy my creation. Wife hates the woofers!

So my sister moves into a new house a few months ago and I notice her two closest neighbors have HT's setup in their garages. The dad's are out their with their sons kicking back in couches enjoying the show -- loud too! So now I'm onto my third HT.

Love Axiom's, the company and the community!

For crying out loud, here all this time I thought I was the only one who even knew what Cambridge Soundworks even where. Anytime I ever mentioned those speakers to anyone, blank stares was all I ever got back in return. I had four of the square switchable bipole/dipole surrounds for my four rear surrounds, and two of the half circle speakers with 3 speakers in each as my side surrounds. I was very impressed with my surround sound performance with those handling the duties and never would have looked else where had it not been for the fire.

But that was before I knew the magic of the QS8's!

Here's mine in 1998...

ECE 29" CRT TV
Sony DE589 DTS surround AVR
Sony DVDP (forgot the model but the player is with my sister in law now....very robust and long lasting)
Sony satellite 5.1 speakers....

All these cost me around $1,500 back then....

I don't really remember my first surround setup, but I know it was pretty low-rent. I think they were some computer speakers, though I don't recall what kind. Maybe some Boston Acoustics. I had a little standalone Dolby Digital/DTS decoder that fed into a Sony receiver that couldn't decode those formats on its own. I also watched DVDs on my computer for a long time while the format was still new, since it was cheaper than buying a normal player, but I don't remember my audio situation at the time.

Anyway, I eventually moved up to something a little more real with Polk bookshelf speakers handed down from my father. Those tided me over for a while, but then I finally had to move up again, and that's when I found Axiom. I bought a whole bunch of v2 stuff over the years, and now I'm wanting v3. Ha ha.

freshman year highschool (~1999) a Kenwood in box setup, receiver and all... $300 from Circuit City. Boy did I have a lot to learn! I remember not seeing the Dolby Digital sign and being so angry, it turned out you needed more then a red and white RCA to get 5.1, some high tech piece of equipment called fiber optic cable!

First HT system was:

Onkyo ProLogic reciever
Energy Pro 4.5 mains (similar in size to M22s)
Energy Center channel
Energy Pro .5 surrounds
Energy ES10 sub
Sony 27" tv
Sony VCR (the very first DVD Player came out 2 weeks after my purchase and had built in AC3 decoding !..)

What I have now:
Anthem AVM20
Anthem MC20
Adcom GFA7400
Energy Veritas 2.3 mains and Veritas 2.0c center channel
QS 8 surrounds
EP500
and still have the Energy ES10 (running dual subs)


On Order:
Acoustic Zen Adagios

I am curious to hear your thoughts on the Zen Adagios after you get them. My first 5 channel HT is M60s for fronts, VP150 and M22s with a HSU VTF-2 for sub (later replaced by a EP600).