Help out a poor audio ignoramus

[Sethomas]

Hi. I don't know shit about home theater systems, but I'm a quick learner when it comes to putting shit together. I don't really have the time to submerge myself in the lingo, but I need to figure out what brand is best for the money. I'd prefer something compact, but I'd like something like a 5-piece system for as cheap as possible. What would you guys recommend? Otherwise, I'll probably just play on local classifieds/craigslist to get things piecemeal and ask my friend if he approves of every little thing.

[FartinMowler]

I would go and score the best reciever (Yamaha/Denon/Nad) and a pair of nice quality speakers first and then later buy rear speakers and a Powered sub not passive. (Polk/Infinity/Klipsch) ...Small JBL speakers for the rear are cheap to find and a small powered sub (Polk) with some wattage will shake the pants off your girlfriend. The center channel is the most important investment if you care about watching movies (Paradigm) ... I've been to friends homes that have those cheap Walmart "Surround stereo in a box sets" that just sound horrible.