$600 Challenge

[jayn_j]

You all missed the point of the OP. He has/had a strict budget. Half would have been spent on a game system/BD player, which the OP did not say he needed. The objective was to get the best system possible for the least amount of money. Hence the best speakers possible in that price range, plus a receiver and 5.1 speakers. $300 won't cut half way decent 5.1 speakers and a receiver.

S~

Unfortunately, the OP has not been back to comment on any of this. I find it unfortunate that the thread devolved into yet another PS3 as BluRay player discussion.

I agree with most of your comments back in response 2. I think I would go for an even lower BluRay player without wifi, assuming that the OP has wired lan access. That leaves a bit more to put into speakers.

The artin Logans are a good speaker choice, but there are good alternatives at about the same price point:
Amazon.com: Energy 5.1 Take Classic Home Theater System (Set of Six, Black): Electronics
Amazon.com: Klipsch HD 300 Compact 5.1 High Definition Theater System (Set of Six, Black): Electronics

 

[teachsac]

I do have a set of Energy 5.1 in my oldest daughter's room at college. Good for a small set-up. Not great for a main set-up. Matin's have a little more punch. It would be ideal if more could be dedicated to speakers. Personally, I would focus first on a nice matched 3.1 speaker set-up to start with.

S~

 

[Strino]

My intention wasn't to turn anything into a PS3 vs Stand-alone debate. I was merely offering a platform that offered Networked PC media streaming integration, something a stand-alone unit doesn't offer. The trade-off is playback performance. To date, I haven't seen any stand-alone units on the market that stream directly from your shared media on your PCs... and it is one of those things that most people will eventually want to do.... and have to spend more money on.. with some clever little box, with another remote..

That's it, that's all... I guess I'm not audiophile or "advanced" enough to really be able to see or hear that much difference between my PS3 and my Sammy BD player... but anyway... that's not the point.

It was just a suggestion.... you can put away your pitch forks and torches everyone.

 

[jayn_j]

Nobody is trying to attack you Strino, and you do make a valid point. Remember though that this discussion was on the best return on a $600 investment that included receiver, speakers and media. The PS3 price doesn't leave much for the rest of the system.

 

[teachsac]

No one is attacking you. Just sticking with the intent of the OP. Best full system for the price. As for streaming... I have no problem streaming from my PC to my Oppo, Sony, or Panasonic player. Panasonic formats are more limited than some others, but all of my files are fine.

S~

 

[Strino]

Lol.... wasn't taking it as a "personal" attack. I was speaking from the perspective of one unit vs another. Sorry if that sounded confusing. You're right though, I wasn't in line with what the OP was initially after.

I'm not in the least bit offended... really. The pitch-forks and torches I mentioned were for the PS3... not me.