i would not want to pass by on all of the home theater systems in a box.
because if i did,
that means all of the people who buy them are really really suffering and it shows clearly that the audio industry doesnt give a care for those people.
i would much rather think there are some home theater in a box systems that do actually sound good, but there is always something else that should be a 'no-no' for the person to buy it.
when somebody makes a choice, that says something about the person.
so if the speakers and amp sound good.. maybe the cost is too high for the lack of features on the receiver.
a lot of getting confused with the sound presets.. and none of the real tools that people need to make their system sound better.
kinda like hiring some person to do some work for you, and the person shows up with all of their tools in ONE plastic case.
i really havent ever seen a tool set that has everything.
i thought i would work on my car with the tools i have, and as it turns out.. i needed some torx sockets that were bigger than what i had.. needed some deep dish sockets that were smaller than the ones i had.. needed a giant allen wrench that was bigger than what i had.
also needed to drop the ratchet and use a wrench sometimes.
i was not as prepared as i thought i was.
a real equalizer that can be adjusted.. not some punk parametric eq.
some real time alignment for each speaker.. not some nonsense that is for both speakers at once.
the ability to adjust each speakers loudness individually.
these are real tools for serious construction of tweaking the sound for the room.
without these, it is like the person is a child with a toy.. because you cant fix a car with a screwdriver and some tape.
about your issue with wanting loud.. you probably only need 100 watts per channel.
and yes, home theater in a box receivers sometimes have less watts for the rear channel.
but
i would say, for an upgrade.. it is worth looking at the products for sale, and maybe expect to pay an extra $75
i remember back in the day, you couldnt find a home theater in a box system for $300 or more.
they usually stopped at $250
so a system for $300 - $400 (or even $500) doesnt seem like such a thing, since the value of the dollar went down.
i would tell you to grab a used 5.1 receiver that doesnt have the bluray support.. people are selling these as they buy new receivers.
but
the problem here is.. you dont know if the receiver sounds average or above-average.
and if you had the choice to spend $150 - $175 for two different receivers.. the price might be the same, but getting the above-average sound quality would obviously be better for your listening room, as well as your wallet.
as another person might simply want 5.1 functionality and not be as concerned about the sound quality.. one goes to you and one goes to the other person, it would work out well.
time will bring change and the receiver's will sound better and better when you buy 'em used.
but
maybe i am pushing on an industry that doesnt have the same plans to go forward.
the new surround sound formats are supposed to be an improvement, but they were recently released and there is no word of when the industry will improve again.
you could try to read reviews on the older receivers for sale.. i suppose some of the better receivers will have reviews that hint towards the receiver being above average.. but that doesnt mean what is for sale is going to have those reviews.
kinda like going to a garage sale and expecting something to be there, you really cant do it because the distance between what you want/need and what the person is selling for 'old junk' is way too far apart.
it is a matter of chance and luck.
and it would be the same chance and luck when you try some of those home theater in a box systems.
i am in a situation like that myself.. but for headphones.
i would be willing to try anything with my ears, no matter what price or brand name.. simply looking if something that makes me happy is out there some where.
and when the stores keep the headphones in the package, it gets real hard trying them out and bringing them back.
people get embarassed.. people waste gas going back and forth.. and some stores refuse to give a refund, only store credit.
but
if i ever did find a pair of headphones for a lower price than i expected.. or from a brand name i didnt expect to satisfy me, i would take those headphones and treat them like my pet.
it isnt easy when you are buying new and dont have the money to make a quick grab for something expensive.
there are products out there that punish people who DO have the money to make a quick grab for something expensive.
a person does no research and thinks to themselves 'you get what you pay for'
and with the internet, it is supposed to be 'you get what you research for'
but
i have browsed the internet for information myself, and i have learned first-hand.. the information isnt really there.
only a bunch of articles that dont really teach you anything except a brand name or a model number.
otherwise they use generalized terms without going into detail about why they are important, sometimes leaving out some of the most important details that must be learned before you can make an informed choice.
do yourself a favor and listen to those home theater in a box systems.. because you might be embarassed if you pay for each piece seperately and the home theater in a box sounds about the same, but for $200 less.
wouldnt it be odd if the home theater in a box sounded about the same as the seperate pieces you bought for $200 more.. and the sound didnt really get any better until you spent like $300 - $400 more?
one would think you are supposed to look and find out for yourself before that happens.
just like a vehicle.
you change the oil and put all 5 quarts inside of it.
later that day or the next day you see the oil light blink.
you have the choice to say 'i just put oil in it and it cant be all gone'
or
you could look under the vehicle and on the ground for oil that has been dripping out.
the person who looks is going to know if the oil light was a liar, or if the car has a leak and needs more oil.
as the person who didnt look is going to take a chance driving the engine with no (or little) oil, causing damage to the engine.
people cannot stop doing things for themselves and expect somebody to do it for them.
some people dont know.. some people dont care, and that is why they dont know.. and some people will buy something expensive and demand they get something of high quality for their money.
maybe the person who spent a whole lot of money gets a receiver with a bunch of extra features they dont need or use.
if they would have done the research and looked at the feature list, they would know about the features and what they do.
cant just go into a store and shove the most expensive box into your shopping cart.
the rich get punished for being dumb and lazy.. and the poor get rewarded for all of their research (well they are supposed to get rewarded, but i dont feel they do)
maybe if they research and dig deep for long enough, they might find something that they have to save up for.. but at least it is supposed to be worth it.
but
if the product they save up for is ment to punish rich people.. then the whole thing goes foul, as all that research and effort and saving money went down the drain.
people would stop being interested with the product.. or really angry/depressed for a while.
to say those home theater in a box systems arent very good.. the same thing can be said about all of the speakers they sell at the stores too.
maybe they are a little bit better.. but a whole lot more expensive.
and when the chance of finding something good for less money is like 1 in 30 ... people start asking other people for advice as to which one is the best out of the 30.
obviously we didnt find it yet.. otherwise we would be giving you a model number to go buy.
this has proven to fail in the past.. people recommend something that isnt very good.
my mother and i went through this back in the early 1990's before i was 10 years old.
she was messing around with cleaning products and asked other people what they thought was better than most.
sometimes the person would come back with a product that my mother hadnt tried yet.. and when my mother did try it, she quickly found out that the product recommended wasnt as good as what she already knew.
then she would contact the person and say 'this product is better than what you suggested to me'
and sometimes people would be skeptical or argue.
cant help people who dont want to be helped unless you force the help onto them.
so when i see people asking for 'which product is the best' .. i am thinking they want the help forced onto them.