The Cost Factor

A good rule of thumb is you should reserve anywhere from half to 60% of your system budget for your speakers. Speakers are the voice of your system. If you blow your budget on the latest receiver with 20 surround modes and 5000 watts, it won't do you any good playing it through little computer speakers. Conversely, if you spend 90% of your budget on a pair of speakers based on the latest speaker review, you'll only have a fraction of budget left to spend on your receiver, cables, DVD player, etc. There is a definite balance to maintain if you want a cohesive, enjoyable sound system.