Topic: Can anyone recommend an affordable, reliable home theater system?

[Anglachel]

I'd like to expand my current HDTV/PS3 setup by setting up some speakers. Can any recommend a good home theater system that's not too pricey?

Please post too what you have (if you have it) and a quick review of it. Thanks!

[BLOOD MONKEY]

I'd like to expand my current HDTV/PS3 setup by setting up some speakers. Can any recommend a good home theater system that's not too pricey?

Please post too what you have (if you have it) and a quick review of it. Thanks!

Mine is completely custom, but I only use Sony. :\

[JR]

So are you looking for a "home theater in a box" type setup?

I have a Panasonic HTIB that I got 5 years ago...hardly use it, though. The sound lags (and only gets worse through the duration of a playthrough), and there's really no way to make quiet movie dialogue louder without making everything else deafeningly loud. Probably the best bet would be to get a receiver and choose your own speakers, especially if you want to upgrade later down the road. Some HTIB setups have somewhat proprietary ohm levels on their speakers, which make upgrades nearly impossible. But then again, if you're wanting to keep it cheap, HTIB is probably your only option.

You might check Cnet to see which sets have good reviews. This helped me out a lot when I was looking for a TV - which, funnily enough, led me to a Panasonic.