What makes a surround sound system good: the receiver, the speakers, or combined?

Speakers will have the biggest effect on the sound quality but really everything counts to some degree....you could buy very expensive speakers and if you have cheap electronics the speakers could end of getting ruined....For good speakers at reasonable prices take a look at Jamo; Fluance Energy and Polk Audio all of these are better than Bose and sell for less money....Its also a good idea to audition speakers if possible with your own material either a CD that you are familiar with or DVD...tastes differ in speakers so what sounds good to me may not necessarily be your cup of tea...

As there are already lots of comments pointing at Bose (not to buy Bose)... I won't go too deep into it, but I'll confirm that Bose products are OK at best; and at the same time way overpriced (by about 4 times*). But- Bose does do a few things well: they have formed an awesome "consumer image" and did their due diligence with ensuring that their secrets about the truth about their products, price fixing, and multi-million dollar marketing strategies... Are kept under wraps, safe from consumer ridicule. Think about it, this is probably the first time you got so many negative comments about "the most trusted name in audio", and the top selling audio product in the USA. Bose also fits a certain demographic: a certain type of consumer: one that is "rich"- or do not care about the "sound quality": but only wants the IMAGE of great sound: "all show, no go"--- a want for the tiny speakers that look good, compact, polish... And sound quality is way at the bottom of the list because either the person is "ear-blivious" or is buying a system for their vacation home and heaven forbid speakers from wrecking the decor and ambience of the room! Which means they are "bragging rights" only and they'll only be put to use a few times a year, bleh. Anyways, enuff about that... Let me know if you want more facts to support my opinions on Bose... ... So while you already had a decent receiver, you can get a set of passive speakers. Quality of speakers will make a big difference, especially when it comes to music playback*. the problem with most home theatre speakers is that they skimp out on the enclosure of the speaker: most use thin plastic... And most do not even have tweeters* (tweeters are needed to do the high frequencies: like cymbals clashing)... And finally, they have badly designed (for budgetary reasons) subwoofers... Yes, stay away from these htib (home theatre in a box) systems that will get you yearning for more+ upgrading again within months of your purchase. Luckily, all bestbuy purchases are 30day satisfaction guaranteed... And also, they will refund your money if you like. They have the decent brands like: Klipsch, Polk, Energy, ... And these systems are available in "small" form factor designs: at competitive prices: wait for a sale (black Friday) and you got a winner! I'll give you some warning though: any "form factor" speaker design will sacrifice on sound quality to a certain extent... So my #1 recommendation that bridges the gap between super small & large speakers is from a brand that is relatively young: new: AudioEngine USA. I own one of their products and am very happy with them... But they are powered computer speakers (which you cannot use with your receiver) ... But they just introduced a passive line of speakers: AP4 bookshelves. Check them out on their site or amazon.com... They do offer a 30day return policy. These ap4 speakers meet all the technical criteria of quality speakers: -solid, thick wooden cabinets -front vented (ported) so they can be wall mounted -dedicated silk dome tweeters -dedicated Kevlar (carbon fiber derivative) woofers -and available in black, white, and real bamboo to fit any decor;) Best of all is that they are sold in pairs: $250 each pair... The bamboo one is a little more* cuz it is real solid bamboo. I sound like a sales rep for Audioengine... But I'm not, and not even in in the sound industry. I just have a passion for great products (in general) that are offered with very reasonable prices. Although these ap4 speakers are great specs-wise, the ultimate test would be to have them, listen to them for extended periods of time, in your living space, with your favorite music. Hope this helps!

It's a combination of things. But unlike a music system, budget but decent gear can give a great movie experience. First - do not buy Bose. Their marketing department makes you think they are 'premium' and their legal team sues anybody who tries to post a review. You DO want to stick with brand names, but they all have budget versions of things that are still good quality. Here is just 1 of many combinations that will work well: Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR series. These receivers have been making the "Recommended" list for the last few years and forcing the other makers to reduce their prices. While not really the 'best' amps, they pack tons of features like many HDMI inputs, auto-calibration, iPod and HD radio features, etc. They start at about $380 and one of the higher end units just make Home Theater Magazines recommended list again. Alternate: Yamaha RX-V series, Pioneer Elite or Sony ES. NOTE: Run out and find Home Theater magazine. They have their "Best of the Year" article in the current issue which will show you the brands that are winning acclaim. Subwoofer: One 'secret' to a impressive HT system is a better-than-average subwoofer in a corner. Small monitor speakers for the voices and music and a self-powered subwoofer are a great combination. But for a huge room like yours - you need a bigger-than-average subwoofer to fill the room. (You may even need 2 for a room that size). Look into names like "SVS Woofers" and "HSU Research" as two brands that sell over the internet and are well respected. They also have "B-Stock" where you can buy refurbished units for less money. IMPORTANT: The subwoofer must be self-powered. This removes some of the power duties from the receiver. Speakers: The one trick is to only buy speaker brands from companies who make speakers as their main business. Definitive, Polk, Energy, Paridigym, Klipsch, etc. are all good names and most of them sell small 5-speaker sets for under a grand that work well. WARNING: Do NOT buy a crappy $399 system in a box even if it comes from Sony, Samsung, Philips. These systems are glorified DVD players with cheap plastic speakers. They often do NOT let you hook anything else to them. If you do go for a boxed system, buy one of the better ones that include: * Big, black receiver with lots of spare jacks on the back * Self powered subwoofer that takes an RCA jack as input * Separate DVD/BluRay player These will serve you better in the long run. Hope this helps.

I'll echo what Grumpy Mac and Lance said, particularly the stuff about Bose. Without getting into an anti - Bose diatribe I'll just add that their products are designed to trick the ear rather than to reproduce accurate sound. To directly answer your question: Combined. Any sound system is only as good as the weakest link in the chain. The room is an integral part of the sound system. So lets start there. You should take into account that if the room is highly reflective - no carpet, sparse or minimally upholstered furniture - large glass windows - you will have a less than ideal acoustic environment. Most people have carpets, couches and upholstered chairs. Enough said. Players: CD players, turntable, tape decks, etc,. The new wave of MP 3 and other purely digital devices really do not deliver excellent sound quality. The CD is still king. LPs are making a comeback and have remained the choice of the "golden ears" crowd. Read reviews and get a top quality device. Personally I've had luck with Sony CD players. Most any good, name brand, stand alone CD player is going to sound good and last. Receivers / Amplifiers: Your 5.1 Sony Digital A/V Control Center may be adequate. I don't know. You don't list the model# so I can't look it up. Personally I like Marantz products. Grumpy Mac's recommendations are good but I should add that your receiver should have a minimum of 80 real watts per channel. If you like to play it loud, go up to 100 or more. There are real watts and fake watts. For instance a Marantz receiver will rate it's output at 100 watts 0.08% distortion where a Sherwood, Aiwa or other cheapo brand will rate it at 100 watts 10% distortion. The more power a receiver pushes out the greater the distortion number gets. Watts sell so the cheaper manufacturers rate their wattage at higher distortion. The same Marantz receiver would be rated at 150 watts 10% distortion. Also, always refer to an RMS rating as opposed to a Peak Power rating. Speakers: The trend right now is little plastic boxes, towers, sticks and bars. They are all a huge compromise. The towers are probably the least offensive to the laws of physics. Many, many years ago someone found that the ideal shape for a loudspeaker enclosure conformed to "The Golden Ratio" - 0.6 x 1.0 x 1.6 This was no arbitrary assumption. It is based on solid physics and as far as I know the laws of physics have not changed. The proponents of the towers, sticks and bars derisively call these speakers "Monkey Coffins." Ya know what? The old Monkey Coffins sounded pretty good. Professional sound companies still use the Golden Ratio. If you go to a concert at Madison Square Garden the speakers in the arrays won't be little plastic boxes, towers, sticks and bars. If you look at classic high fidelity speakers like the Altec Model 19 http://www.digitaltrends.com/buying-guides/buying-upgrades-when-to-save-or-spend-on-hdtvs-pcs-digital-cameras-and-more/attachment/altec_lansing_model_19/ you will see that it is not a little plastic box, stick, tower or bar. It is not only a fine looking piece of furniture but is a carefully crafted electro-acoustic device. It will also knock you into the middle of next week if you crank it with a 100 watt receiver. I guess what I'm trying to say here is avoid the trendy little speakers that are trying to look like something from a bad sci-fi film. Don't be afraid to get a nice, floor standing speaker that looks like a piece of furniture. Big room - big speakers. The small ones have to strain and reach their limits to fill a large room. The surround speakers can be smallish but that is because they do not have to produce much bass. Bass is where all the power is. That brings us to the next point: Subwoofers: Most modern, off the shelf consumer grade subwoofers aren't subwoofers. They are bass modules. This is because all the little plastic boxes, towers, sticks and bars can't produce much bass. Bass is non directional so they rely on the "subwoofer" to produce bass which is summed up and given to a common channel by the receiver. Ergo; by modern terms if you have main speakers that have decent bass response, you won't need a "subwoofer." However if you like to shake the floors (I do) and feel bass in the seat of your pants a subwoofer is the thing for you. Like Grumpy Mac said, powered is the way to go. As I said most of the energy is in the bass. Dedicating a separate amplifier to the sub lightens the load on the receiver. That amplifier is the "power" in the powered sub. If you want a "real subwoofer" Velodyne is the big name in that field. In conclusion, yes your Sherwood speakers were sorely lacking. Yes, the quality of each of the components make the overall quality of the system and No, don't buy a Bose system or any system that includes little plastic boxes, sticks and / or bars. Get something that looks nice and doesn't try to hide or defy the laws of physics. Sony STR-DG720. 105 watts 1% distortion. You could do worse.