Ian S wrote:

Your points are well taken. Still I think it would be tough to come in under
$1000 for a 6.1 system - as the O.P. wanted - with decent small tower
speakers (I assume just for the fronts) and well-matched suround, center and
back speakers. The surround and back speakers are still going to have to be
raised off the floor somehow so stands of some kind may still be required
since wall-mounting is out. That said, I think one thing that sets HT apart
is the need for great LFE which relies on the subwoofer and that's why I
recommended Hsu which is known for excellent value and great sub
performance.

Tough, but not impossible. Athena is a good starting point, and
a little HSU sub - it will be close - maybe $1100 or so, but it is
possible.

Another point for the O.P.: the Consumer Reports test ranked the Pioneer
system you mentioned considerably below the Yamaha HTIBs I referred to.

Not me - I like Denon. A real seperate amplifier. Even their
little AVR-485S for $299 MSRP($250 is possible, *with a warranty*
if you shop around), and $100 for a good DVD multi-region player
that also plays AVI and DIVX files.

http://www.divx.com/hardware/detail.php?p=7
Great inexpensive player with a ton of features. 24/96 decoding
and MP3 CD playback as well.

That leaves about $650-700 for speakers, give or take. A HSU
STF-2 sub is $300, so 5 channels for $400. Tough, but doable.

$600, though($1200 total budget) would nearly double the sound
quality. $100 per speaker can get you quite decent sound and
good construction.