Lived in a neighborhood that had yearly street sales. Happened to be near a college and had a lot of audio gear for dirt cheap prices, so I could experiment with different brands. A local thrift store had a complete set of Infinity Primus speakers in surround, four floor standing speakers and a center, $80. Right now, after getting rid of a lot of excess speakers, I settled on the Infinity Primus 250s from the surround set for my small room. With prices like these, I could afford to buy before trying. Also got a/d/s, Klipsch and Advent speakers this way. Also, three subs, kept the Sonus "Son of Sub" that set me back $50, used of course.