Hi. First, I apologize beforehand, because I am a complete newbie in respect to audio and home theater. The situation is that I'm right out of college, and I'm in med school, so I really have very little money to spend (I'm racking up the debt as we speak). However, four friends and I are planning out our apartment for next year and are each assigned to cover a different aspect of having a cool but cheap media room. One person already volunteered to get a 32" HDTV, someone else is covering the futon, someone else will get a game system... and I wanted to cover audio, since I listen to music constantly.
Unfortunately, my budget is real slim. And I mean REALLY slim. I'm looking to spend around $200 or less. I understand I can barely get anything with that amount of money, and any audiophile will scoff at whatever system I end up with, but I just want the best I can get with the money I have.
So I've learned that my two main options are buy a HTIB or start buying better components individually and build up from there. On the HTIB side, I learned that one of the best deals is the refurbished Onkyo S-590 (~$150), which has not so great speakers but a half-decent receiver that I can slow build around if I fall upon some money. (Please let me know if you have any other suggestions on a HTIB <$200)
On the other hand, I heard I "might" be able to get better components instead and build up from that, buying just a few components with the $200 i have and not having surround sound for a while (probably a year before I can buy more components). My question is that is $200 even enough to go this component route? What components would I start out with? A receiver and two front speakers? A receiver and two front speakers and a center channel? A receiver and two front speakers and a sub? Would having a system missing several components be worth it if I want it functioning right away and I won't be able to buy more for around a year?