I am looking to purchase surround sound speakers for my theater room. The size of the room is approximately 18'x14'.
I found this system on bhphotovideo.com. Each of the individual components got good reviews on a few sites like amazon and audioreview.

Here is a link to the speakers: JBL speakers
So it seems it is a 7.1 system. The Subwoofer is 150w, 2 front that was 100w each, 4 side and rear that are 50w each and a center that is 75w.

Also, I am interested in opinions for a suitable receiver. I am thinking about the Denon AVS2807. It was highly rated at CNet .

I'm really new to all of this, so your opinions will be highly valued.
Thanks!

I've seen many good reviews about the Athena Point 5 MkII speakers. I see that they are considerably cheaper.
Should I just expect that I get what I pay for here? $200 vs $850?

Once again....Home theater=Loaded question...

In the quest to save money, a lot of people are doing online shopping for speakers and audio equipment. For some this is easy as they are just looking for something to "fill the bill". They can quote stats to their friends and their friends can nod their heads appreciatively and still have no idea what you are talking about.
I don't recommend this method.

The one I DO endorse is the one where you actually go out and listen to a speaker set and their characteristics. If you want to, you can decide on a set after you have listened and then shop them out afterward on the net.
Buying speakers without listening to them is akin to buying a car without driving it.
I use cars as an example because they can be very personal things.
So can speakers.
They are the make or break component in your system. Great system + bad speakers still equals a bad system no matter how good the rest of your components are. When I sold stereo, I usually pushed for 65% of the money in a system to go torwards the speakers. They are that important.
Your ears will quickly tell you which ones you like and don't like so its important to get that listening time in. Its also very important to understand that different ears hear different things. I have one ear that has some hair cell damage between 2500-5000 Hz. If there is ANY distortion in that range it feels like there is a bee in my ear. So I look for speakers that don't do that...
Your ears must be included in the purchase of your speakers if you are going to get any amount of satisfaction from them.

As an example. I had a friend who came into the shop often and espoused the virtues of some monolithic speaker with all kinds of cool features. He finally got a pair. Two weeks later he was offering them to us in trade for a set of AL 15's. They just weren't his type of speaker.

So, would you let someone else buy your underwear?
Would you let someone buy your computer monitor for you?

Go listen to some speakers and choose the ones you like best. Don't be ashamed if they aren't the biggest and the best. You are shopping for yourself, not to impress anybody.

PS. The Athena line has gotten raves, but the JBL set might do better for your size room. Settle on your receiver first so you can choose a similar one when you go to listen for speakers. Make sure you tell the salesperson to run the signal straight from the receiver to the speakers. No expanders or extra amps...

SJ

There is another option that I have chosen to do. I'm building DIY! If I can build the projector....which I have done and it is awsome, I can build a set of speakers that will blow all but seriously expensive speaker out of the water.
Check out the AV website. Many proven designs tested and built by people just like us.
The Dayton speaker sold by Parts Express seem to be the driver of choice by many DIY builders and thats what I'm building starting with a real subwoofer.
The sub that came with my theater-in- the- box system rated at 600 watss @5.1 sounds like a cow.
Other fine designs for the satellite speakers are also availabe on the PE website.
The estimated total cost for the system I am building is $350.00 for the sub. 15" dual voice coil driver and a 240watt plate amp. Am building it in a Sonotube enclosure for the simplicity of it.
Satellite speakers estimate out at $56.00 each, but...... the response at 100 watts each, audition at the "wow" level by builders
So for less than $700.00 I've got a system that reaches down to 18 hz @ 90 db. with no distortion and there is no gap between the sub and the rest of the speakers.
I'm sure that SJ, having been in the audio business, could equate what something comperable would cost off the showroom floor.

Oh excellent! I deleted your fist post because it didnt contain anything other than the quote from the last post. Good to see you came back to check!

For 350 you might be building the 10 inch titanic as well. The sonotube design will be a little bulky, but if you have the room... Nice sub. Good boom for the buck and solid. But Im curious what you are going to do with the sats. You wanna let me in on your design for your sats?

Sure SJ, my pleasure. By the way, let me say that it was your plog that really hooked me into actually building my projector. So for that thanks... I think.
Looked where it got me. More bucks down the internet highway.
Anyway, The sat speakers that I'm intending to build at this time anyway,are located at: www.partsexpress.com/projectshowcase/homeaudio.html
This is a list of several projects and the one I'm interested is the Lytle five.
I would be interested in your take and other ideas you might have as I'm new at this and open to suggestions.

See ya at the movies!

Thanks...I think...

For that design of system you may find yourself wanting in the area of lower mid bass. Critical listening may give you an actually noticable hole in that area. I would suggest moving the tuning of the sub up into the 26 range and then augmenting with tactile tranducers to anchor it all in. By the time you are twenty most humans cant hear below 26-30hz due to hair cell damage. It gets worse as you get older. I am personally in love with the area between 40-60 Hz. Dont get to hear it much because of ther neighbors.... The ten inch sub kit may be just the thing, but I would go for the twelve. The sonotube is great, but do you have room for what is basically a 55 gallon drum in your viewing area? How would it sit with the wife?
Could you hide it behind the couch?

WAF must be high.

Thats a fair system. Dont forget to add in the center speaker cost and the misc materials.
The Athena system that you mentioned has been noted to be a "startler" in terms of what it can do for the buck. If you can get a listen in to them, by all means do. I have read not a few reviews that could summed up as "Holy *&%&^%@#@!!!. That sound is coming from these speakers?!?"

SamuraiJack

Right now I have a panasonic SA-XR50, 2 paradigm titans, 2 paradigm atoms, and a paradigm cc-170. Lovin all of it. Too bad my TV is only 25 inches, but the projector should solve that problem.


Good luck
Erock

I went with Definitive Technologies 7002 tower speaker, center channel, sides, and rear (7.1).

The towers and sides are bipolar to give a really big spread out sound field. The music/sound really envelops the room rather than eminating straight at you from the speakers. The def tech towers also have each their own powered subs.

I compared them directly to Klipsch towers. Klipsch have excellent sound but are in your face straight on. Great for music but not as good for home theater.

The best is to try several side by side and let your ears tell you what is best.