This Speaker

Buy.com has the Onkyo SKSHT540 7.1-Channel Home Theater Speaker System for $221.99 + $18.67 shipping = $240.66 Shipped.
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Vanns.com has the 2-Way Synergy Series Center-Channel Speaker for $149.88 with free shipping.

Product description from Vanns.com:

Introducing the C-3

The Synergy Series C-3 is a two-way Tapered Array system that utilizes a pair of 6.5″ magnetically shielded, IMG woofers and a 1″ magnetically shielded, aluminum-dome tweeter coupled to a square Tractrix&#174 Horn, which increases sensitivity and minimizes room interactions that blur sonic detail. The C-3 offers bi-wire capabilities allowing the use of one or two speaker level inputs as desired for improved connectivity.

Center channel for center-stage sound

When you are putting together a home theater system, you won’t want to m
iss out on the detail a center channel speaker provides. High definition media like Blu-ray discs and high-def audio CDs are recorded in such a way that a special channel is created just for things like dialog, vocals, and other “center stage” information. When you don’t have a center channel speaker, this information is simply sent to whatever other available speakers there are, and sometimes those details are blended in with other channels. But, with the center-channel speaker, you get separated, distinct sound that enriches the entire experience. The C-3 offers a seamless, engaging soundstage that puts audiences in the middle of the action. By adding this center channel to your home theater system, you will transform songs into live concerts and movies into lifelike adventures.

Tactrix&#174 what?

Tractrix&#174 Horns have always been the key component of many Klipsh speakers. It’s a horn-shaped device inside the speaker that sends sound effortlessly into th
e room. The Tractrix Horn’s carefully calculated flare drama!
tically
increases driver efficiency, allowing production of very high sound levels with minimal amplifier power and no strain or distortion. It also controls the sound’s directivity, ensuring excellent coverage of the listening area while minimizing detail-obscuring reflections off of walls, floor, and ceiling. Fed by a smooth, accurate titanium-dome tweeter, the Tractrix Horn is the key to the vibrantly realistic, emotionally compelling Klipsch Sound Experience.

Are you dainty or are you NOT

Look. You can have it both ways. Say you want your wife to know you are a real gentleman, with fine, genteel tastes. But say you also don’t want your football buddies to know that. With its grille on, the B3 offers a sense of elegance that nicely blends in with your home d&#233cor, but take the grille off and you get an aggressive and powerful statement that exudes extreme performance. So when the wife is home, keep the grille on. But when she isn’t home, there’s nothing going to
stand between you and SUPREME SPEAKER POWER. (Ladies, we can just pretend we aren’t doing the same thing when the men are gone! No harm in letting them think they are the only audiophiles in the house!)

Enjoy Klipsch’s cherished history

When you bring a Klipsch speaker into your home, you’re joining a well-loved legacy of fine speaker heritage. Klipsch has been building no-compromise, premium-quality audio products since 1946. As one of the first U.S. loudspeaker companies, Klipsch is now a leading global manufacturer of high-performance speakers and other entertainment products for homes, professional cinemas and commercial venues. Right out of Hope, Arkansas.

Don’t forget the cables

If you are using an Blu-ray player, a receiver, or anything else that is capable of sending a high definition signal, don’t forget to purchase the right cables. Many people don’t realize what a significant difference the right cables make, and when they get the
ir new high definition equipment home, they think the equipm!
ent itse
lf is to blame when the sound isn’t as good as it should be. This is because most components (Blu-ray, receivers, etc) don’t come with cables, so people often use whatever they have around the house, or buy cheap cables, thinking “it will do.” Another reason people don’t buy the right cables is because trying to figure out which cables you need can be daunting, and it’s hard to know where to start. Our sales representatives are there to explain all your options, so you can make the best purchase and get the most out of your speakers.

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Etronics.com has the Yamaha NSAW390BL Natural Sound All-Weather Speaker System - Black for $97.88
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Newegg.com has the Polk Audio VM30 3-Way Floorstanding Loudspeakers - Black for $379.99 with free shipping.

Product description from Newegg.com:

Model Brand Polk Audio Model VM30 Tower Spec Type Floorstanding Speakers Sold As Single Driver Units Subwoofer: 4 - 4″ Diameter, Planar bass radiator

Mid/Woofer: 4 - 4″ Diameter, Dynamic Balance mineral filled polymer composite cone drivers

Midrange: 2
- 4″ Diameter

Tweeter: 1 - 1″ Diameter, Ferro-magnetic fluid-cooled Aluminum Dome Tweeter Power Rating 20-225 w/channel Frequency Response 50Hz-26kHz Nominal Impedance 8 ohms Connectors Inputs: 5-way binding posts Dimensions & Weight 49″ x 6″ x 6″

25.50 lbs.

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OneCall.com has the Elan Home Systems 12” 300 Watt Powered Subwoofer - Black for $299.98 - coupon code “SCHOOL” ” to get free Subwoofer Cable (Expires 08/10/2009) + $52.50 shipping = $352.48 Shipped.

Product description from OneCall.com:

Hitting the Sweet Spot.

ELAN has been delivering the highest quality sound experience throughout the home for over 17 years. We?

Vanns.com has the Klipsch QUINTET SL 5-Channel Home Theater Speaker - Black for $399.88 with free shipping.

Product description from Vanns.com:

Small but mighty

Klipsch recognized that while everyone wants realistic, powerful sound in their home, not everyone wants furniture-sized speakers taking up valuable space. So they created the Quintet series of sleek and slender home theater speakers. The Quintet SL system with three left-center-right (LCR) and two satellite speakers has the oomph to rock your living room inside a package that fits in small spaces. A perfect complement to your flat panel HDTV, Klipsch’s high-output woofers and proprietary horn-loaded technology deliver lifelike perfor
mances. In fact, the Quintet SL system uses the same cutting-edge technology as Klipsch’s professional cinema products, guaranteeing power, detail, and emotion in your film or music.

Built to be obvious to the ear, not the eye

Each magnetically-shielded LCR speaker employs dual 3.5″ high-output woofers and 0.75″ aluminum dome tweeter mated to an exclusive Tractrix Horn, a design that delivers genuine lifelike sounds as well as produces more output using less energy. The two surround satellite use a 3.5″ long-throw woofer for remarkable detail and clarity and a 0.75″ aluminum dome tweeter coupled to a MicroTractrix Horn for precise high frequencies. The best part about the Quintet SL speakers, though is their placement versatility. Plant discreetly on a bookshelf, or mount them directly to the wall. The LCR’s offer easy keyhole wall mounting and include a pedestal foot for free-standing use as a left/right main speaker or center channel. The satellites feature
a swiveling pedestal foot for convenient wall mounting or b!
ookshelf
placement.

Tractrix what?

The hallmark of Klipsch speakers is their bright, realistic sound, and that can be credited to the patented Tractrix Horn. The Tractrix Horn’s carefully calculated flare dramatically increases driver efficiency, allowing production of very high sound levels with minimal amplifier power and no strain or distortion. It also controls the sound’s directivity (80° horizontal x 80° vertical dispersionon the Quintet SL’s LCR speakers), ensuring excellent coverage of the listening area while minimizing detail-obscuring reflections off of walls, floor, and ceiling. Fed by a smooth, accurate titanium-dome tweeter, the Tractrix Horn is the key to the vibrantly realistic, emotionally compelling Klipsch Sound Experience. The new 90° by 40° MicroTractrix Horn used in this Quintet SL speaker package incorporates the advances of Klipsch’s Tractrix Horn technology in it’s most compact application ever. Integrated into the front baffle
to minimize diffraction, the horn delivers high output, low distortion, broad dynamics, and — most importantly&ensp— true Klipsch sonic character.

A quick note: A Stock status

While B Stock products are those that Vann’s has received from a third party, often at low liquidation prices, and may have minor damage to their packaging, A Stock products like this Klipsch Synergy speaker pair are brand new, in-the-box speakers that have been received directly from the manufacturer and carry a full manufacturer warranty.

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Vanns.com has the Omnipolar Two-Way Bookshelf Speaker Pair for $149.88 with free shipping.

Product description from Vanns.com:

The next generation

Way back in 2002, Mirage introduced the first generation of OMNI Series speakers. This was the first traditional box speaker series that featured OMNIPOLAR technology. The OMNI Series set the standard in manufacturing quality, reliability, and affordability. Now, Mirage is introducing OMNI’s second generation - with as many hallmarks of design and audio as the first generation. In a nutshell, the Mirage OMNI 150C Bookshelf Speaker pair features patented OMNIPOLAR technology in a sleek design with an incredibly small footprint.

How Omnipolar
speakers work

Omnipolar technology is what gives Mirage its superior loudspeaker technology. Research has shown that in a live musical environment, about 30% of what we hear is direct sound, while the remaining 70% is reflected sound, from walls, ceilings, and floors. Reflected sound reaches our ears a few milliseconds later than direct sound, but our brain assimilates the two by using direct sound to identify and establish location, and reflected sound to determine space, direction, and music type and quality. Conventional direct-radiating speakers with front-mounted drivers produce the opposite ratio of direct-to-reflected sound (70% direct and 30% reflected sound). To increase the proportion of reflected sound to more closely reproduce the live sound experience, audio engineers developed speakers with both front- and rear-mounted drivers and use the patented saucer-shaped OmniGuide deflector.

Designed to perform

The versatile OMNI 150 OMNIPOLAR b
ookshelf speaker is small enough to tuck into a corner, plac!
e on a b
ookshelf or even mount directly to a wall. Yet it also offers the sonic performance larger loudspeakers. The OMNI 150C was designed and endowed with the same precision and accuracy as all other models of this series, and is voice- and timbre-matched for uniformity within the line. That gives this speaker pair the versatility to be used as either front or rear speaker channel alongside other models in this series. By using Mirage’s exclusive OMNIPOLAR technology, the OMNI 150C envelops and draws you into any music or home theater presentation. So dim those lights, turn on your favorite CD, and experience unparalleled clarity and sound accuracy.

An appearance to match the sound

The beautifully finished curved cabinet of the OMNI 150 is now available in an attractive cherry finish. Aesthetics and a small package make this speaker pair a compact and appealing choice.

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Vanns.com has the Yamaha YSTSW325 Advanced YST II And QD-Base 8” 170W Powered Subwoofer for $239.97 with free shipping.

Product description from Vanns.com:

QD-Bass Technology Allows Free Placement

QD-Bass (Quatre Dispersion Bass) technology uses down-firing drivers with square, pyramid-shaped reflective plates to radiate the sound efficiently in four horizontal directions. The reflective plates (not used in competitors’ down-firing subwoofers) negate any effects caused by the floor surface and reduce resonance between sound waves reflected from the floor and the unit. Also, most other systems use circular cones, but by radiating in four directions to avoid the legs of the cabinet, QD-Bass re
duces turbulence caused by reflection from the legs. Changing the height of the square pyramid varies the acoustic load, permitting relatively simple high-cut adjustment and improved bandpass properties. The QD-Bass system provides extraordinary power and smooth frequency response from an extremely compact unit. It also allows greater freedom of placement, since the sound radiates with equal effectiveness in all directions.

Advanced YST II for Awesome Deep Bass

Yamaha’s newly-developed Advanced YST II (Yamaha Active Servo Technology II) combines negative-impedance and constant-current principles to drive the speaker cone with even tighter control than the previous system. Using Advanced Negative Impedance Converter (ANIC) circuits, this system dynamically optimizes effective speaker impedance to maintain excellent linearity. This means more stable and accurate low range response, not to mention higher sound pressure levels, for more natural and energetic bass
reproduction.

PWM Digital Drive High Efficiency Amp!
lifier

The YSTSW325 delivers high power outputs at deep bass levels, with excellent stability and low power consumption, even with their compact cabinets. This is made possible by a highly efficient power amplifier. The power amplifier achieves superior conversion efficiency by supplying maximum power (minimizing power loss) from the power transistors according to the output level. It delivers stable power output with high efficiency while minimizing power consumption and heat production. It does not require an output filter coil, resulting in extremely low noise and distortion. High speed transient response is also excellent.

Extra Features

The Linear Port on the YSTSW325 provides smooth bass response during playback and minimizing extraneous noise. The BASS (Bass Action Selector System) function lets you switch between Movie and Music modes, providing the optimum frequency response in each case. The YSTSW325 is also environmentally friendly. Internal parts a
nd circuit boards do not contain lead, which is often used in other subwoofer brands, and is harmful to the environment. The YSTSW325 also has a low-power standby mode, in which power consumption is only 0.5 watts.

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B&H Photo Video has the JBL CS480BG 6-Piece Home Cinema Speaker Package, 125W Subwoofer for $368.95 with free shipping.

Product description from B&H Photo Video:

• Speaker System
• Satellite Speaker (each)
• Center Speaker
• Sub-Woofer

• General

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Vanns.com has the Sony SSF7000 4-Way Floor-Standing Speaker for $219.97 with free shipping.

Product description from Vanns.com:

Outstanding Floorstanding Speakers

Sold as a pair, each of these floorstanding speakers include 4 drivers, providing a terrific range of sound while remaining less than 9 inches wide. The 3-way speakers include a 1-inch balanced dome tweeter, a 3.25-inch midrange driver, a 8-inch enhanced H.O.P. cone mid woofer and a 8-inch mica reinforced woofer. They can handle 200 watts of power and have a frequency range of 35 Hz - 50 kHz, presenting you with clean, powerful sound. The speakers are magnetically shielded, allowing placement right next to your television set withou
t worry about interference. The black ash finish fits well with most decor, and speaker cables are provided so you can hook up these speakers as soon as you take them out of the box.

H.O.P. To It

The 8″ mid woofer and 3.25″ midrange drivers in these speakers feature improved H.O.P. cones to bring you overall sound improvement. H.O.P. stands for Sony’s exclusive Highly Oriented Polyolefine, which is a speaker cone material of extraordinary strength. It’s up to 30 times more rigid, per unit weight, than polypropylene. This material delivers sound with lower distortion and extraordinary transient response when compared to more traditional materials. So get some extra H.O.P. out of your music with these speakers.

One Fine Tweeter

Of course, the woofers and midrange drivers aren’t the only parts of these speakers to get special attention. The tweeters were built with their own Nano-Fine technology to improve sound delivery. Conventional material su
ffers from high internal loss and low resistance to both hea!
t and hu
midity. The Nano-Fine material gives you much lower internal loss, and high resistance to both heat and humidity. The result is crisper sound at the high end, adding to your overall sound experience.

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