Speakers -- Great 2.1 or go decent surround sound?

[panzerfaust]

My roommate just dropped like $500 on a nice projector, and we're pretty hyped to be watching movies and playing games on it. But now the question is what sound system to get?

If the budget here is $175 or less, what's a good deal on a surround sound system? Or, if you can't get decent quality for that price, would it be better just to get an awesome 2.1 set up?

currently looking at

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Z-23...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1284935428&sr=8-1

 

[YodaEXE]

I recently picked up a set of Logitech X-540s for my computer and have to say, they sound awesome. I would definitely recommend them.

 

[shrike4242]

What exactly are you hooking up to this projector? All you say is that you have a projector, and you're watching movies and playing games. How're the devices you're using to watch movies and play games hooked all together to the projector?

Those speakers above are more computer-type speakers, so hooking a receiver to them might be a bit difficult.

Starting with a very good 2.1 or 3.1 setup and working into 5.1 or 7.1 is always a better option than a passable 5.1 set out of the gate.

 

[rcpettit]

I just picked up the Vizio sound bar for $99 at Costco. They also offer the bar with a subwoofer for about $175. Sounds great in my living room and no need to run speaker wires across the room for surround sound.

 

[Access_Denied]

Depends on what kind of room you are watching it in. I didn't want to bother setting up a 7.1 system in our apartment living room because it's so small, so I just got a very large stereo set of speakers and they fill the room with sound just fine. I personally won't be upgrading to 7.1 for a few years, because I think 2.1 is just fine.

 

[Emiroo]

Buy the Klipsch Promedia 2.1

I've been using them for home theater for years. The sound quality is unmatched in a set at this size/price. They are THX certified and easily rattle the windows/floor/etc. The only caveat is that they do not come with a remote control, so make sure your tv has variable audio out when not using the internal speakers. If it only has fixed, then you'd be stuck having to walk up to the speaker everytime you wanted to change volume.

Other than that, they cannot be beat.

 

[shrike4242]

[quote name='Access_Denied']Depends on what kind of room you are watching it in. I didn't want to bother setting up a 7.1 system in our apartment living room because it's so small, so I just got a very large stereo set of speakers and they fill the room with sound just fine. I personally won't be upgrading to 7.1 for a few years, because I think 2.1 is just fine.[/QUOTE]Unless you have a lot of PS3 games or BR movies that have 7.1, there's no real reason for it. I went 7.1 because it cost me a whole $100 more to do it when I was buying my speakers, and I do like having it for the titles that support them.

5.1 is certainly nice for games and movies, no question there. Though, it's best to do it piecemeal from 2.1 or 3.1 up to 5.1 as money allows with a good set of 2.1 or 3.1 speakers to start with.

Making sure you have a good receiver that can do 5.1 or better is also a good idea, though even the basic AV receivers these days will do 7.1.