I'm new to audio here. I'm researching on what speakers to get with my Panasonic 50" TH50PX80. I'm going to be using a PS3 for blue-Ray. I haven't decided on a receiver yet but since speakers are the most important part I would like to start there. If you can suggest me a receiver also that will help me greatly.

Predicted usage: 50% movies/TV, 30% games, 20%music
Budget: $800-1000 speaker/sub, $300-500 receiver.
I would like to save as much money as possible since I would need some extra money for speaker wires and other equipment to set up my system.

Realistic budget for a 5.1 system $1500, but I might go for a 3.1 system if I need to and add speakers later on.

I would reccomend buying your speaker wires and sub cable (and any video cables you might need) from http://www.monoprice.com It's cheap, built well, and shipped fast!

If you decide on Axiom, which I highly recommend, you can order from the Factory Outlet as most of us have done through the years. You get 10% off the regular prices, plus 5% additional if you buy 5 or more items.

Also, don't spend a lot on speaker wire. Just get the appropriate guage for the length runs your looking at, as David mentioned monoprice is popular. Or, you can go to Menards, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. and buy wire off of a spool for pretty low prices.

You have a couple of options. It's going to be very tough to get an Axiom grade set of 5.1 speakers, including sub for 1000 dollars.

A decision may have to be made. Is this going to be a longer term project with the goal of achieving the perfect system or do you want a lesser, but still decent 5.1, system right away.

For instant gratification, I was impressed with the sound (for a home theater in a box) from Cerwin Vega's new 5.1 system that a friend of mine bought for around $650. Sony has an easy to find option option for probably the same price that gets good reviews. There are others but of a few I've heard, the CV's may have impressed me the most, but it's hard to tell if they are not side by side. ((Edit:: Just please don't get suckered into the BOSE scam or that other company with the baseball sized speakers that are supposed to be so great for even big rooms.))

We tend to make fun of HTIB packages here but I always tell friends that a cheaper home theater is still way better than no home theater.

On the other hand, you could start investing in a spectacular system a piece at time. Start with the front mains as they do most of the work and go from there. You didn't mention your room size but a pair of M22s would give you incredible detail for 564 plus taxes. This would leave you a couple of hundred to buy a temporary cheap subwoofer or surrounds.

If you prefer surrounds over a sub at this time, M3s throw a little more bass and are actually cheaper. Personally, I think a good sub brings more to the table than surrounds because so few movies truly utilize the surround channels to any decent degree.

Save up for a killer sub. Save up more and come back for some QS surround speakers, sell or reuse the old stuff and eventually you have a system to rival the best. I'd add a center channel last as the stereo effect of your two fronts will 'center' dialog and such as long as you sit near the middle.

Just depends on your priorities. Folks can probably be even more helpful if you further explain your room size, loudness preferences and maybe even music styles.

Hey Murph, good thoughts all around. Just to review, he did mention room size in the subject of the post and his listening preferences are in the first post as well.

Personally, my advice would be to go the piece by piece route... start with the front main speakers, then add the sub (EP350 would be my recommendation based on budget). Then the surrounds, then the center. On the mains, you have to decide if you want towers or bookshelves. In your size room, I think that the M3 + the 350 would sound nice, but a pair of M60s with the same sub would sound better.

If you are trying to stay as close to your budget as possible, I believe M3s + the 350 is where I'd start.

Which speakers you add and in which order is totally personal preference and has been discussed a lot here, but that is how I would do it.

Jason

Thanks. I didn't see the size listed in the subject. My bad.
Probably safe to say any speaker in the Axiom lineup would perform nicely in a room that size, unless you like it so loud it hurts.

I see music vs. movies vs. games % but I actually meant music genre when I said music preferences.

True enough that it shouldn't matter much as, a quality neutral speaker is a quality speaker, but in an extreme case, lets say he was strictly a bluegrass fanatic. A subwoofer or the little extra base from an M3 might not matter as much as the string scratching detail of an M22.

My reply over at audioholics based on 80% use being movies and gameplay, that he should spend more to get a better sub.

In direct comparison I found that the M22 + sub was an equal to the M60. This was in a similar size room. A tower would probably go louder, but thats probably not needed in his size room.

I actually think he should go with an SVS sub as it will reach lower than the EP350. Thats more bang/thump for the buck for his use. Perhaps even that Paradigm sub that Jason had/tried??

:runs for hide-under-chair smiley:

The OP has thread on avsforum and it looks as though he has decided on the SVS speaker system for the time being. I hope he will at least post a reveiw. I am considering oredering a pair of them for comparison during the Ninja M22 listening session.