Low Budget Set up

wutadumsn23

I'm not a fan of the 360, and I don't know how you can think the PS3 is overpriced for what it does. It is a Blu-Ray player, storage device, media center, computer and game system all in one for $400. IMO, you can't beat that price for what you get. Also, lose the HD DVD idea, lol they are gone and dead. If your laptop has HDMI out, you wouldn't need a Blu-Ray player to connect to your laptop, you would connect your laptop to your TV, because the laptop would be your player.

eloplayspolo

uhhhh i thought i made it clear that i was going to buy a blueray drive for my laptop... it doesnt have blueray now... and the drive im looking at is HD/blueray DVD... and i can get HD dvds NEW for 2 dollars

eloplayspolo

so 4 book shelves mounted in the top corners of my room angled at me going to be good? i guess later if i upgrade i can move to a 7.1 and put some towers in front... and then have the bookshelves as the others.

eloplayspolo

how are paradigm speakers?

zingo

The ones that I have heard sounded good, but they weren't budget...

eloplayspolo

I guess i should rephrase the title. I can get those speakers for cheap. cheaper than i can get the 199 tower polk speakers.

So should i go with 4 bookshelves?

apphd

eloplayspolo since you get these deals from your place of work, can't you take them home for at least 1 night to see how they would sound in your room? One night is not a totally fair audition time but it would tell you something. The best thing would be if you could try the speakers with the unit you plan on driving them with. It sounds like equipment comes and goes through work so I understand that speakers and amp/AVR may not be there at the same time but you might hit it right.

It sounds like a lot of quality gear goes past you so any of the brands you have mentioned have a lot of strong points going for them. So your decision really will be on what sounds best to YOU. I think at the prices you can get, you will not get a bad deal what ever you choose. All I could suggest is to listen to the speakers to make sure all the drivers are working, inspect the surrounds for damage and possibly check the crossovers (I have no idea how). Foam surrounds seem to last maybe 15-20 years so avoid older speakers unless that is part of your job to replace them before sales.

eloplayspolo

how are the RM8 speakers? what if i went with all RM8 speakers (front, rears, center)? and then got a Polk sub... tell me how big i need... i love bass... but my room is tiny. and then i went with a Harman Kardon AVR 247, which is 50W @8ohms? is that a good setup in a small room? and which sub should i go with? i think i can get all that for around 750 right now

eloplayspolo

yeah i can get the RM95 set for 300.00 is that worth it? im thinking that. + that receiver.... and the psw111 for 135.00 so 435.00 for the whole speaker system. the Receiver for 144.00 so 579.00 for everything.... then i just need wiring. in a small room how is this going to sound? and are these good choices if i plan to upgrade later? for example what if i wanted to go 7.1 and add some amps to the speakers?

apphd

If you know the HK 247 is in good working order then a big yes. As to the Polk RM95/RM8 can't say. $600 new $300 used I'm not sure if I would go that route. But for your small room they might do, just don't think they will grow with you when you move into something bigger. You definitely would need a sub. I think to stay close to your price I would maybe go 4 OWM3 ($400) and a CSi25 ($70 shipped from Newegg) I do not have any knowledge on the OWM3s or if they with timbre match the CSi25 hopefully someone who does will chime in. I just don't care for sat. speakers YMMV but I think something closer to a true bookshelf will make you happier. You will still want a sub and should check out the Bic Acoustech H100, which is probably more than you need in your room now but can grow with you to a larger room and still perform fair until you want more.

rabies_70

I've got a HK247 in my living room and I really like it. Sounds great for the money and looks cool to boot. The blue knob thing is nice