Originally posted by: cremefilled
The comparable system from Orbaudio is $380
Actually, emeraldsky, he must be recommending that you buy a stereo amplifier, which will be a minimum $100-150 more. That brings the "hot deal" price for tiny 1-way speakers+sub+cheap stereo receiver to at least $630 for a 2-channel stereo system.
From the orbaudio site:
and a value subwoofer we select from existing subwoofers in the marketplace. Subwoofer brand and specifications determined at time of shipment and subject to variation
You know, nothing says "quality" like a company that won't even tell you the name of the off-brand subwoofer they are selling you.
I don't mean this in a confrontational way, but you clearly have no idea of what the audio market is like if you think that these are a "hot deal" in the $600-700 pricerange. For people who need tiny, tiny speakers, or who value aesthetics above all else, they may be a reasonable buy (the same people who buy Bose Acoustimass), but you can do much better by going to a real stereo store and listening to some of the brands I mentioned above. (Even mainstream brands like Polk Audio and JBL will give you more.)
And I'd turn the "Seething Rage" knob down just a bit.
And if someone really doesn't want to spend a ton on a complete 5.1 package, check out Fluance. They get good reviews and will do the job for 90% of the people out there. Same with the Paradigm, PSB, and other brands you mentioned. I just figured I'd add Fluance as an option since nobody mentioned it yet. For $200-300, you CAN get pretty good multimedia/home theatre speakers.