Help my friend put together a decent HT rig for $700

iskandam

Title says it all. $700 is the max for 5 speakers, a sub, a receiver, and cables. I was able to pull off a great entry level system based on the R series for about the same budget, but the problem is he wants thin and skinny speakers like this.

Are there any good (read: non-HTiB) recommendations for my friend that would fit his tight budget?

leroyjr1

Look at the VM series. Thin and shinny. Check out Polk Direct eBay store.

coolsax

yeah you can get the VM 10s and sometimes 30s' for a really good price on the polk store if your patient on waiting for them to end and not just go BIN. Other than that.. he can look at some of the polk RM systems like the RM 20 that is on the polk direct store as well.

MrGlobe

Newegg has open box VM30 towers for $285. Not sure if thats a good deal or not

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290143R

apphd

MrGlobe wrote: »

Newegg has open box VM30 towers for $285. Not sure if thats a good deal or not

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290143R

That's a great price, but it is per speaker. I don't think he could fill out the rest of the sys. for $130.

OP have you looked at the RM's, or the SurroundBar Instant HT? Or would these fall into the HTIB category? Tough budget to work with.....any problem with all or partial used? You're going to need to do a lot of looking.

djseafood

***EDIT**** Sorry, I got carried away with the "$700" mark and forgot his other requirement of tall and skinny speakers. What I've listed doesn't fit that requirement but please read on. I think there's still good info here. I'll be less of a spaz next time

---

I'll take a stab at this because that's right around what my system cost me.

Receiver:
The deal I got on my receiver isn't available anymore, but tell him to keep his eye open at www.shoponkyo.com
If he becomes a "club" member you get points for signing up. Points = $$
I got my TX-SR506 refurb for $140 and that included the addition of a 3 yr warranty. The warranty was like $30 so the receiver alone was going to be only $110!

Fronts:
I love my Monitor 40's and they are currently $129 a pair at Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/NewProduct.aspx?Item=N82E16882290011&cm_re=monitor_40-_-82-290-011-_-Product

Rears:
Go with another pair of 40's or get the Monitor 30's for $99 a pair that can be wall mounted:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290009&cm_re=polk_audio_monitor_30-_-82-290-009-_-Product

Center:
CS 2 is highly recommended and what I have on the way for $85 from Polk Audio Direct Ebay store. I called Jessica directly to negotiate the price (410) 764-5211
Or get the CS2 or CS1 from Newegg. If he wants more money to go to the receiver the CS1 is only $99 at Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290021&cm_re=polk_cs1-_-82-290-021-_-Product

Sub:
PSW505 at jr.com. Great price at $249.99. Fantastic sub. I love mine! Very musical:
http://www.jr.com/polk-psw505-powered-subwoofer/pe/POK_PSW505/

Cables:
Monoprice.com
He will not be disappointed. Ridiculous prices and very good build quality from what I can tell. Get a 100' spool of 14/2 for $16.51!
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10239&cs_id=1023902&p_id=2791&seq=1&format=2
Oh, and he can hook up the sub with this cable:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236&cs_id=1023603&p_id=2682&seq=1&format=2
Only $3.87 and as good as any Monstercable that you'd pay at least $60 for.

So, the total for the above listed minus receiver:
Fronts = $129.99 free shipping
Rears = $99.99 free shipping
Center = $99.99 free shipping (assuming CS1 option from Newegg due to availability)
Sub = $249.99 + about $40 shipping/tax (using my zip 89521)
Cables = $20.38 + about $8 shipping
__________________________
Total = about $640 - receiver

Okay, so I didn't hit the magic $700, but you can see how much of a system he can get for damn close to that.

Just did some searching around and bhphoto.com has the Onkyo TX-SR507 for $240 with around $20 shipping.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart_accessories&A=details&Q=&sku=605596&is=REG
That will put him $180 over budget but this system will blow away any Home theater in a box IMHO.

I'll keep looking for a screaming deal on a receiver.....we're getting close!

Hope this helped.

Oh, and by the way, I can say that I researched the hell out of every single component listed. I was stuck on a job in Tunisia for 37 days and we couldn't work for about 27 of those days due to weather so I searched the internet all day long for those 27 days and came up with what I deem to be the best budget HT system your money can buy.

iskandam

Thanks for the detailed recommendations! With that budget he's open to used gear.

djseafood, I've been trying to convince him to pull the trigger on the Monitor series, especially since there are very good deals on those at our local craigslist, but he thinks they're still too big and bulky. I'm not giving up though!

mystik610

iskandam wrote: »

Thanks for the detailed recommendations! With that budget he's open to used gear.

djseafood, I've been trying to convince him to pull the trigger on the Monitor series, especially since there are very good deals on those at our local craigslist, but he thinks they're still too big and bulky. I'm not giving up though!

The Monitor 50's are actually pretty compact. They're a lot smaller in person. They're shorter than the VM's.

cnh

VM series would be perfect for your friend but the budget just can't handle it? Not with a receiver and a sub thrown in...can't be done.....sure if you went HTIB speakers you could do it....and there are some nice Polk RM series sets available at a price that is really good on the ebay site....I'd buy a set of these and perhaps get two of the V towers mentioned above....Then a cheap AVR...maybe used or refurb H/K 254....and over time you can replace the RMs with more V series speakers as you get the money...otherwise...realistically dj..food has put together a nice system for you above....if you can talk him out of the 'slim' towery aesthetic.

cnh

iskandam

While I am still trying to sell him on the Monitor series, which, with all the deals at our local craigslist, will actually come in under budget at the end of the day, he's really set on that tall, thin, and skinny aesthetics. He likes the VM series for that reason alone lol.

With his budget I may suggest picking up a pair of VM20s (used if available), a used or refurb HK 254, a used sub off craigslist (I'm thinking Velodyne), and cables from monoprice. That should get him started on a decent 2.1. He can add the VM center and rears next year when his budget opens up.

While I know what the older R and RTi series sound like (because I used to own them), I haven't heard any of the Monitor or VM speakers. How do they compare against each other and where does the VM line sit in the Polk foodchain in terms of sound quality?