Sugguestions for 5.1 Surround Sound Setup

[endoftheline2]

I'm looking to setup my first surround sound system with with my Media Center PC, Cable Box and Xbox 360 (all HDMI inputs). The room I will be setting it up in is 11ft x 12ft. I'm looking for either a 5.1 home theater in a box type system with speakers,sub and receiver or speakers and a separate receiver. Right now I"m looking at this receiver and speaker system:

Yamaha RX-V371BL 5.1-Channel A/V Receiver
$179.95
http/amzn.com/B004QQXDVC

JBL CS6100BG High-Performance Complete 6-Piece Home Theater Speaker System with Brackets (Black Gloss)
$399.99
http/amzn.com/B000O7LEG8

Wondering if this seems like good value, or if anyone else have any other ideas.

Also right now I'm not planning to wall mount anything, but will probably put the speakers on some basic stands or something I can find.

 

[batuchka]

Honestly the Yammy AVR is a good deal at that price but the speaker set not so much and for decent HT you'd want a decent active sub for the oomph

How about Jamo S 426 HCS 3 $130 now
http/www.amazon.com/Jamo-426-HCS-WENGE-5-Piece/dp/B003GGXGU6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1354712681&sr=1-1&keywords=jamo+5.0

BIC F12 12" Sub $198
http/www.amazon.com/BIC-America-F12-475-Watt-Subwoofer/dp/B0015A8Y5M/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1354712804&sr=1-1&keywords=bic+f12

 

[endoftheline2]

Honestly the Yammy AVR is a good deal at that price but the speaker set not so much and for decent HT you'd want a decent active sub for the oomph

How about Jamo S 426 HCS 3 $130 now
http/www.amazon.com/Jamo-426-HCS-WENGE-5-Piece/dp/B003GGXGU6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1354712681&sr=1-1&keywords=jamo+5.0

BIC F12 12" Sub $198
http/www.amazon.com/BIC-America-F12-475-Watt-Subwoofer/dp/B0015A8Y5M/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1354712804&sr=1-1&keywords=bic+f12

Thanks a lot for the suggestions, I really like the look of those floor standing speakers and the nicer sub.

I see in the reviews for the Jamo system that they have a "nominal impedance of 6 ohms" and that you have to ensure that the receiver supports this because they normally support or use 8 ohms. Do it look like this receiver would support that ok, or I could enable that setting (if that's how its done?)

I'm also wondering about good speaker wire to use. I was thinking of using this 14 gauge:
http/amzn.com/B002HPNDDW

The longest runs I would be doing are about a 30ft run to one of the satellites and then 20ft to another.

 

[endoftheline2]

I see in the manual that it has a setting to switch from 8 ohms to 6 ohms so that is taken care of.
This system seems pretty sweet, I just want to make sure it should still work well in a 12x11 room, I suppose I can just turn it down if it is crazy loud. Also is it an issue if I use different lengths wire to connect the speakers, as in 30ft for a rear speaker, 20ft for another rear speaker, but only 5ft for a front speaker?

Also I'm thinking of getting a slighly cheaper sub:

Polk Audio PSW10 10-Inch Monitor Series Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)
http/amzn.com/B0002KVQBA

I'm not sure if I need that powerful of a sub, since I probably can't have too much bass without really annoying my neighbors. Does this Sub seem like it would be ok for a entry level system?

 

[ssddx]

your receiver should allow you to set speaker delay or ideally provide a microphone and a speaker setup mode which plays various sounds and automatically calculates speaker delay for the target location. my receiver comes with an on screen display (osd) which provides pretty pictures on my tv (instead of just on the front display) to make this even easier.

i know for a fact my wires are all of different lengths.

i would also like to recommend pioneer receivers and klipsch/sony speakers.

i have a vsx-30 receiver, quintet iv and 450w sub and i've been happy so far. my components may be out of your price range but i do know klispch makes a HTIB unit similar to the quintets i bought that looked VERY appealing.

i bought my parents a pair of sony tower speakers a few years ago and for the price of $120/pair i was definitely impressed. while sound quality may not be the same as what i use they definitely provide more than enough bass to not need a subwoofer and volume in general is more than plenty even without a dedicated amp (they use it with an old tube 32" tv hooked up to the back ports)

the sub i use is probably way overrated for the size of room i have (similar in size to yours) but i normally keep it turned low. up to you if you want to downsize but i managed to get a 450w for the same price as the 350w so how can you say no?

just a few more options into the mix.

as far as wire goes, i hate monster cable as their products are normally way overpriced but for some strange reason their speaker wire (which does appear to be pretty solidly built) was rather cheap so i picked up two rolls of it.

i used bananna clips on the back of my receiver and use faceplates with bananna clip ports on the walls. this not only looks cleaner but if you ever need to move the system for some reason such as cleaning, painting or repair work its so much simpler. i ran the wire under the floor with conduit which also works out great.

i had to use the binding posts on the back of the speakers since bananna clips dont fit well but on the other end of the short speaker lead i do use bananna clips plugging into the wall plate. convenient for speaker removal for the same reasons above.

just some ideas!

 

[batuchka]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions, I really like the look of those floor standing speakers and the nicer sub.
Also I'm thinking of getting a slighly cheaper sub:
Polk Audio PSW10 10-Inch Monitor Series Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)
http/amzn.com/B0002KVQBA

Well the lower end Polk is not in the same class as the BIC F12 - if $$ is not tight i'd advice getting the best you can afford and enjoy rather than cheap out and upgrade sooner rather than later Yep u are welcomed ^^