Amen to that.

But getting KEF + reciever for $500 would be next to impossible.

$500 isn't a huge budget. IMO you're better off buying something you'll keep for a long time rather than waste money upgrading. Speakers are things you can keep for a long time.

Better off buying a decent reciever + a good pair of bookshelf speakers and slowly adding to the system.

Otherwise for a entry HTIB the Yamaha systems aren't too bad.

Good idea.

Here is a decent package that includes a Yamaha HDMI receiver and the Energy take classic 5.1 speaker system for $899.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...gon=&langid=EN

i also want to get into the act...what about soundbars?

on a related topic,

people with 7.1 lossless claims that it's so awesome

is it actually significantly better than say 5.1 DTS/Dolby D?

and if yes, say you get a reciever supporting true-HD 7.1...is there a significant difference over 5.1 if you're still using regular entry-level speakers?

The amount of speakers you have doesn't really say anything about quality. It just gives you a better experience when watching movies. You basically hear sounds coming from all directions. The extra 2 speakers from a 7.1 setup are usually placed to the middle right and middle left. You normally have Centre, Front Right and Left, Rear Right and Left, so the extra two would be Middle Left and Right.

If you can wait for the sale this would be excellent

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=39...Bundle%20Deals

I've seen this on the weekly sales twice already for like $1,300 or $1500 if I remember correctly