First EVER!!! surround sound system.....what do I need?

[Pittsteelers1345]

I am going to get a surround sound system for my basement room. The room is 12x13 with a 5x5 extra area. I wanted to get a 42in tv and get the other half of the experience by getting surround sound. The only problem is that I know all about TV's and nothing about surround sound. I am looking for a 5.1 system but I am on a pretty low budget. I also have 2 old speakers in my attic and I was wondering if there was any good way to incorporate them into a new system or if that is a stupid idea. I am looking for good sound quality at a nice and cheap price. A woofer would be nice because I like bass. The other thing is i need the receiver box too so I have no idea what would work. My budget is low and keep in mind on a scale of 1-10 I am not expecting a 10 by any means sound quality wise.

[Loves2Watch]

This would rock your world. It will do everything you can think of and more both now and in the future. Speakers are included so no mismatches will happen.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make...e-Black/1.html

[Daniel-a]

I guess you already have 2 speakers and you want to had those from the attic as surround speaker. That's a good cheap start.
Buy a used 5.1 receiver, no central speaker ( switch to none) and enjoy.
If you don't have a dvd player, you'll need one. ( Blue Ray latter)

When finance permit, you'll upgrade to something else.

[rlpiii]

Originally Posted by Loves2Watch

This would rock your world. It will do everything you can think of and more both now and in the future. Speakers are included so no mismatches will happen.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make...e-Black/1.html

That's a good deal for a HTIB. I was surprised to see it does video up-converting.

[gstarr]

In your situation and budget, I would google "Sound and Vision", which is a magazine (online too) which has many reviews and a "best of" section in all price ranges. "Audioholics" is also an excellent site, as is "Secrets of Home Theatre".

Your best buy will unlikely be a HTIB (home theatre in a box) and see what fits your budget. Read the reviews too.


Greg

[AndyH]

Go to Audioholics.com. They have a store. The store currently has an EMP Tek speakers 5.0 setup for $200. Buy this setup. If they are out of stock go to the internet and look for EMP Tek. There are a couple of other dealers with the same price. This has free shipping, so no additional cost. It is actually 5 center channel speakers but you place four of them vertically on stands for your fronts and surrounds. Go to www.thespeakercompany.com for your subwoofer. They have a 10" sub for $150 that will more than satisfy your needs. Again, free shipping. I would buy the entry level Onkyo or Denon receiver. Either one will do the job well. That should be about $200 +/-. Go to www.monoprice.com for your speaker, subwoofer, and HDMI cables. They also have really inexpensive wall mounts for your television if you want to go that way. I would get the Panasonic DMP-BD60K Blu-ray player, you can pick one up for under $150. Total you are looking right around $750 including cables. This will blow away any HTIB system. Good Luck.