What do you think of the Sony Dream System?

For the $800 or so you would spend on a HTIB, I would get a nice Pioneer AVR, (around 300), klipsch quintet IIIs 5 speaker system(500 but you can find a deal)and add a nice sub for 300-500 (get a demo at your local electronics store) and your sound will be much much better. The advantage of the HTIB is not having to mix and match, but even a 3.1 system will give you better sound than a HTIB and a lot of brands have speaker systems designed for home theater. Running wire is the worst part, and if that is done you are in the clear.

What he said. Energy brand speakers regularly get high marks for value for money, although those might be in a higher price bracket. Watch out for deals on speakers; when Radio Shack inexplicably put their best-reviewed speaker on sale for 1/4 price, I visited every store around and grabbed 6 of them.

If you're handy with woodworking, consider building your own subwoofer. All you have to do is build a sealed box out of MDF, bolt a speaker in one side and an amplifier module in the other. Check out the subwoofer forum at diyaudio.com as a start. You can get much more bass for your money that way.

I haven't tried that out yet.

Volker Flenske: (While torturing David) I don't know why you're doing this to yourself!