Help me decide

[Fishman2010]

Hey guys, I've been out of the whole home theater game for awhile but am glad to say I'm back, already obsessed and looking to pick up where I left off.

So, I'm looking for a HTiB as I am on a budget and from my research some can be great entry level setups. I was originally going to get the Onkyo 3500 but it not having a Pre Out and powered sub was kind of what lead me to the Onkyo 5500. My goal at some point is to get a pair of Aura Bass Shakers, and with the 5500 from what I gathered out of my hours of research is I can do that (with an external amp of course). I know some of you are probably thinking "get a proper receiver, etc before thinking about addons like bass shakers!" but what can I say...I want cool toys and room for a few upgrades if I want in the future.

Anyway, I've been doing a lot of research and am going a little crazy here trying to decide on what to get. I want to be able to have some flexibility and most importantly get something that will last me many years. So now I ask the experts...

- Do you guys think the 5500 is a good choice?

-Think it will last 5+ years? I hear they make a pretty good quality product.

- Think I should buy a refurb from accessories4less ? I see they are much cheaper.

- Will a refurb from them be good as new? I'm very picky about the condition of my things.

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated and sorry for rambling so much. Oh, and my budget for a HTiB is $400 or less....but the "less" the better as it gives me more money for other things. And thank you very much in advance.

[UNCMT9]

Have you considered the Energy Take Classic 5.1? It's about $380 shipped and sounds great. You can buy a cheap/refurbed receiver to run these. I think you will be happy with the big sound put out by the speakers. It seems as though the reviews on the Onkyo say the sub has a high failure rate after a few months. I also don't (personally) like Onkyo receivers as they have had issues with over heating and HDMI issues.

http://www.amazon.com/s?url=search-a...0classic%205.1

You can also buy the speakers without the sub for $300.

http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Take-Cl...energy+quintet

[Fishman2010]

Originally Posted by UNCMT9

Have you considered the Energy Take Classic 5.1? It's about $380 shipped and sounds great. You can buy a cheap/refurbed receiver to run these. I think you will be happy with the big sound put out by the speakers. It seems as though the reviews on the Onkyo say the sub has a high failure rate after a few months. I also don't (personally) like Onkyo receivers as they have had issues with over heating and HDMI issues.

http://www.amazon.com/s?url=search-a...0classic%205.1

You can also buy the speakers without the sub for $300.

http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Take-Cl...energy+quintet

Thanks for the response. Those speakers do look good, and the reviews look even better. That might be a little too much for me at this time tho, $380 plus I need to buy a receiver. You have a particular receiver in mind you would use because I might just wait a little bit longer till I can afford both depending on how much a good receiver ends up being. I would rather wait little longer than buy something I wouldn't be happy with.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

"Help me decide [insert specifics about your decision items here]" would be a more appropriate tread title.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by Fishman2010

- Do you guys think the 5500 is a good choice?

Receiver, yep.

Originally Posted by Fishman2010

-Think it will last 5+ years? I hear they make a pretty good quality product.

They do. Not so sure about them speakers though.

Originally Posted by Fishman2010

- Think I should buy a refurb from accessories4less ? I see they are much cheaper.

Nope.

Originally Posted by Fishman2010

- Will a refurb from them be good as new? I'm very picky about the condition of my things.

Because of this, nope.

[Fishman2010]

Originally Posted by Derb

.....

Thanks for the response, much appreciated.