Budget in a Box Home Theater Systems

By Miles Stoppard

Parts of audio systems consist of satellite speakers, a central speaker, a subwoofer and some sort of a receiver. The savvy online shopper will want to do some research on the various types of systems available and the price ranges. One option for consideration are home theater box packages. There are some terrific systems available at reasonable prices and it is convenient for the new buyer to have all of the components in one package.

The Onkyo SKS-HT870 is a budget in a box package that bears looking into. The AV receiver and a group of speakers come in this set. It provides large sound and impressive quality for a very reasonable price. The one drawback mentioned in some reviews is the look of the system; some describe it as a bit of a throwback to the'70's with a big boxy look. If budget is important to the buyer, it may be quite easy to overlook a little bit of retro faade.

The Onkyo comes with two slender tower-type speakers, four satellite speakers, a center channel speaker, and of course, a subwoofer. All speakers have fiberboard cabinetry and the finish is black wood-grain, hence the 70's type style. Black cloth covers front the speakers and these covers are not removable as some speaker covers are. This system has terrific sound, both in audio from DVD's and Blu-rays, or when listening to music CD's. The sound is spread evenly throughout the speaker system and the subwoofer does it job in defining the sound. The performance far belies the almost cheap price tag and makes it a superb choice for the first home theater buyer.

Another great option in the inexpensive box home theatre system area is the Energy Take Classic 5.1 Home Theater System. This company is known for making great small speakers and this holds true in this home theatre system. At a retail price of about $600, it is a little more expensive than the Onkyo system, but not by much. What is even more interesting is that this system is an upgraded version of the original Take 5 system and actually sells for about $200 less than the first system did over 10 years ago.

Black laminate speakers and subwoofer with a shiny finish are the design elements of the Energy Take system. This home theatre combination literally rocks with huge sound and a fully balanced pairing between the speakers and the subwoofer. Music CD's resound with layers of sound. When enjoying a movie on DVD or Blu-ray, Energy Take provides crisp clear dialogue and the right mix of background sound. The subtle sounds that make movies great, like stairs creaking and twigs snapping, all come through loud and clear. This is a credit to this company's expertise in producing great small speakers.

No home theater recreates the movie theater experience unless all parts of audio systems are synced to work together in perfect harmony. The systems reviewed in this article do yeoman's work for very little cost. When many home theater systems on the market today are listing at well above $1000, these two budget systems are well worth further review and consideration. - 29943

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