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How do I select the best home theater system? - redsoxbebe My boyfriend just bought a plasma TV and I'd like to buy him an home theater system but I don't have a clue where to begin. I've been trying to research online but it seems like there's so many details to figure out - how many watts do I need, do I need a new DVD player with it, do I want to buy it piece by piece or HTIB? Ahhh. I'd like to spend somewhere around $200, max $300 but I don't know if this is realistic for a good system and don't want to get him a cruddy one just for the sake of getting one. I know he's really interested in the ones that have a rear wireless speaker - and I don't know too much more than that. Anyone knowledgeable out there with some good recommendations, a place I should begin my research or willing to have some dialouge with me about the best systems and what I should look for? I think I'll eventually go to CC or BB but I'd like to be armed with some info first. Thanks ahead of time for your help!

Best Answer: Simply browse the top price/product comparison websites and review sites. Here's what I use... H a p p y H o m e T h e a t e r i n g ! - XenonAudio

Go to www.crutchfield.com http://www.crutchfield.com/S-lpAMulav9OJ/?pfxid=k9693&afsrc=1 or call them at 1-888-955-6000 They are more helpful and knowledgeable than the "CC" or "BB" people. Like some of the previous answerers, I also recomend the ONKYO HT-S790 http://www.crutchfield.com/S-PCTsnFKczQ8/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=37600&I=580HTS790B It is currently $379 at Circuitcity. http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onkyo-Home-Theater-System-HT-S790/sem/rpsm/oid/148967/catOid/-12954/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do - mixmaster

With that budget, I'm afraid you are pretty limited in what you can get. The $399 Onkyo system mentioned above sounds pretty good (But I completely disagree with his "blows away systems that cost 10 times more" statement) Even a cheap HTIB system will be better than the built in speakers on the TV set. - beasties70

I myself got an ONKYO HTS-790 HTIB! I love this system it onloy costed me $399 and it blows away system that might cost 10 times more. It uses dicrete components and make good use of all the movie format and HDMI, optical fiber. If you want something that you will be happy with and plasma screen you should be ready to spend over $2.500,,especially if you want to have full HD 1080p and make use of Blue-ray or the PS3,,the PS3 by the way are having problems with HDTV's that only uses 480p and 1080i. Because everything is set to 1080p Anyway, you cant go wrong with the system that I bought. Check out the link I provided, it is well worth $399 - Joakim G

Hi, I shop a lot and I always use cheapest prices search engine for all they offer. Almost every regular store and online merchants is listed there, lots of consumer reviews and a lot of other ways to save time and money. I hope I helped you and good luck to you. Lisa p.s. check out the consumer written reviews, they should really help you! - Gina J

Hey, putting a system together piece by piece is the best way. The only downfall is that you will spend a lot more than your desired amount and you will have unusable pieces sitting around for a while waiting to piece them together. So I would recommend getting an HTiB. Not all are cruddy. I bought an Onkyo HT-S780 for $350 over a year ago from circuit city. So I'm sure the price has gone down since then. The thing I like about this system is its ability to upgraded with better speakers down the road. Don't get me wrong, the speakers with this system will serve your boyfriend nicely! It offers Dolby Digital EX, DTS, DTS-ES, Pro-Logic II and many more decoding features to give a great sound. You can set it up as 5.1 or 7.1 depending on room size. I have my dvd/vcr combo, ps2, mp3 player and a few other things hooked up. It's not a wireless connection though but I prefer the wires because I know they give superior sound. There are also ways to conceal them if you are concerned about that. Here's a few sites for you, good luck! http://www.us.onkyo.com/model.cfm?m=HT-S780&class=Systems&p=i http://www.htib.com/ http://www.newsfactor.com/news/Review--Onkyo-HT-S580-Home-Theater/story.xhtml?story_id=023002LYWX8C http://www.htib.com/reviews.htm - Jason C

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