Audiophiles! Looking for a good home theater

[makattak]

-and budget conscious, I hope-

My family and I have recently moved into our new house and we finally have space for... well, pretty much everything we want.

On the list is an entertainment room with a good sound system.

We are looking for a good home theater system (surround sound, certainly) that will not break the bank.

My wife's father has what I like to call the absolute state of the art home theater... from the 1970s. (Which, if you know the tech, isn't bad. It's just HUGE.)

We, being a bit more modern are looking for true surround sound and a smaller package.

We've looked at Bose and are of course impressed, but that's out of our price range for the time being. Does anyone have a good recommendation for a receiver and speakers?

We are looking for an "immersive" movie experience. With children, we're going to be watching a lot more movies in our home than in the theater and would like to have as powerful an experience possible.

For an example of what I'm looking at, I've read good things about the new company "Onkyo" but I have never heard the product nor do I know anything about their longevity.

Another example: I resisted the urge to purchase the JBL 5.1 surround sound speakers on woot yesterday because I, again, know nothing about JBL and we also would need a receiver. I'm not tied to either 5.1 or 7.1 (or 7.2).

So, audiophiles of APS, what do you recommend that we look at? (err... listen to?)

[Brad Johnson]

What's yiur budget?

Brad

[makattak]

What's yiur budget?

Brad

I'd say $500 would be a good estimation. We would be willing to go a little more for a high quality system, but, of course, less expensive is always welcome.

(This is one of the systems we are looking at: http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S5600-7-1-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B00BLGUKFC/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1386614884&sr=1-4&keywords=onkyo+7.1 slightly above our price preference, but we get 7.1 out of it.)

[Brad Johnson]

The system you listed is okay, and certainly a far cry better than what could be had for that money a few years ago.   For the average viewing experience it would do just fine, but you will get a much greater bang for your buck if you'll move up the scale just a tad.  For the higher end of the "good" scale, about double what you've budgeted.  Maybe a smidge more.

You might want to visit the Home Theater Forum for reviews on systems, components, etc. (www.hometheaterforum.com).  They have their fair share of AV snobs, but there is a lot of good down-to-earth info there, too.

Are you going to switch everything through the system, or will it be for sound only?  IF it's sound only, the Onkyo isn't a bad buy.  If you are going to switch components through it, consider stepping up into separately purchased system pieces.  Right now is a great time to get last year's models on clearance at places like Fry's and Best Buy.  The reason for going to slightly more receiver is the number of inputs and source switching options.  Going to a higher up the speaker quality scale will pay dividends in both sound quality and quantity (mostly quality).

Brad

[dogmush]

Your budget is a little small for a good system.

I'm rocking an Onkyo Receiver and Yamaha speakers  Left and right Center and a ..........crap I don't remember who makes the sub.  My surrounds are the left over fronts from my last system (much like the one you linked, but Yamaha). Mine finally sounds good.

If you can spend money on good speakers.  IMHO that's where the Home Theater in a box falls short.