This is awesome. It's loud it's simple to use! Highly recommend this speaker for all your party needs!!!!

I've been wanting a home theater audio setup in my basement for a while now so when these speakers went on sale in June I snagged them. I paired them with an Onkyo receiver I got used from a friend, and after a couple hours of mucking around in my ceiling we got everything set up and calibrated.

Before I talk about the audio, I'd like to describe the speakers themselves, which are quite good looking. The fabric coverings are quite high quality, the plastic cases are unobtrusive and nice looking, and the sub will vanish surprisingly well with good placement. The speakers hang by two screw slots, and are light enough to put almost anywhere. I put my front speakers directly on the wall and my back speakers on shelves so they could be turned into the room.

There are only two issues when mounting the speakers, and in fact these are the only issues in general. First, while the spring clips you connect your speaker wire to are big and easy to use, there is no channel for the wire in the back of the speaker housing. In other words, if you want the speakers mounted directly to the wall (which looks great, by the way) you'd better run your wire through the wall too because the wire needs to come out DIRECTLY behind the speaker. Second, the speakers can only wall-mount facing straight out, so if you don't have walls on both sides of your viewing area, you will need shelves like I got. I am not dinging the item any stars for this as these are both common issues in surround sound speakers, and I don't want to gripe too much about 80 dollar speakers...

...Especially when they sound so good! In spite of their size, there is not a trace of tinniness to these speakers, and properly calibrated via your receiver, they will provide SEAMLESS surround sound. I just let a movie play the other night and walked between them; except when a sound was meant to come from a certain direction it was almost impossible to tell that what I was hearing was coming from any one speaker. Even when you listen to a basic stereo or mono video, the audio will fill a small space very effectively. And when you do watch something in 5.1, the quality is really excellent. It may sound like an odd choice, but when I showed my son one of the Thomas the Tank Engine films last night (yes there are Thomas MOVIES, and yes they are in 5.1) the distribution and depth of audio was really spot on.

If you have a small to midsized room, I would not hesitate to buy these speakers, even at full price. They are an outstanding value. Just be aware that you will need a receiver to use them (or any device with 5.1 output, I suppose).

I grabbed this system for the price and I got what I paid for. Its good, not great. Onward.

Caveats:
1) I am not an audiophile.
2) I have been listening to 2.1 since 2000(3) through my awesome Yamaha RX-V2095 receiver (pre-HDMI from 2000), my awesome Bose 401 direct-reflecting stand-alone speakers (from 1989), and a cheap RCA subwoofer (.1 added in 2003).
3) All HDMI inputs go to TV, then optical audio out to Yamaha receiver.

This system upgraded me from 2.1 to 7.1 and I could really hear and feel the difference. My Bose are still my mains and still awesome. The four small speakers are front and rear secondaries and serve well as secondaries. The center channel is my main complaint about this system. As a primary voice speaker, I expected a bit more, but this center lacks the dynamic that a better speaker could provide. The sub that came with this system is much better than the RCA it replaced, but is not the earth-shattering that can be expected of more expensive boxes.

Overall, I would recommend this system to anyone who wants to move beyond a soundbar but doesn't want to, or can't, bang out $1000 for just for speakers. But follow these rules:
1) YOU MUST HAVE YOUR OWN RECEIVER TO POWER THESE SPEAKERS!!! This is not a soundbar. A separate receiver is REQUIRED to supply power to these speakers. And make sure the receiver is capable of at least 5.1, but 7.1 or 7.2 is better; read on.
2) I recommend a pair of stand-alone mains that are capable of making a full range of good quality sound. These can be garage sale as long as they are still capable of making good sound.
3) Plan on replacing the center channel. The included will suffice until you do so, though. As of this writing, I haven't done so, but I will.

This speaker system was inexpensive, but I got what I wanted. I had existing equipment, listed above, that helped make this purchasing decision much easier. Most of the stuff I suggested to make this speaker system better can be had at garage-sale prices. Furthermore, this speaker system would be excellent for smaller apartments and dorm rooms without the added stand-alone mains I mentioned earlier.

Anyway, four stars because of the inadequate center channel and because I doubt the ability of these small speakers to suffice as quality mains.

I am writing this review after my first evening of thoroughly enjoying these speakers:

Since getting a Smart TV, we were using a very good soundbar with a wireless subwoofer. And I must say that I was basically satisfied with the sound it gave us. It was certainly superior to the pathetic sound attempted by the TV's built-in "speakers." But I wanted to graduate from a soundbar to surround sound.

I hesitated for days before ordering these speakers. In spite of the the 4 and 5 star reviews this System received from most of the current 532 reviewers, I could not get past how "cheap" the speakers looked in the picture.

DO NOT MAKE THAT SAME MISTAKE.

The photo that accompanies this item does NOT do the System justice! The speakers are much more attractive when you see them, than the photo would lead you to believe. I will say this... they are smaller than I expected, but what they lack in size, they MORE THAN make up for in terms of bringing the sound of a Movie Theater right into my living room! The sound is clear, crisp and powerful. The bass is deep and rich and delivers EVERYTHING I could possibly ask for in terms of the kind of sound I want to accompany the movies and programming I watch.

When things are blowing up on screen, and the orchestra's score is raising the roof, Yamaha's 5.1 Speaker System absolutely delivers! We have a rectangular living room. The TV is in the center of one of the long sides of the room, with 8' of space on either side to the opposite walls. Now, instead of sound (from the soundbar) coming just from the width of the TV, the entire room is filled with a crescendo of various sounds coming from all directions. These speakers transport me INTO the scene. It is quite incredible, and very satisfying!

Are you worried about the speakers' looks? their size? their cost? Relax! These are Yamaha Speakers!! With the very minor exception of having to swap out the included wiring (going from 18? Gauge to 14 Gauge) I am completely satisfied with this purchase FAR beyond my highest expectations!

There is only one way you can appreciate what I am hearing: Buy them! You will NOT be sorry!

I wouldn't give 5 stars to this if it cost $200 or $300, but for the price it's worth it. I hooked these up to a new Yamaha RX-V773 and they worked without a hitch. I have 5 HDMI inputs coming into it that these are producing sound for - Xbox 360, PS3, Uverse DVR, Alienware media center PC, and a Wii U. It's great playing games and hearing that surround sound, knowing where something is behind you by the sound. Movies reproduce well also. I also have great playback of music, up to this point mostly kids songs, a few soundtracks for PIxar and Disney movies, and some of my Jazz and Rock. I'll have to fire up some Classical when it won't scare the 9 year old.

Sub is adjustable so you can fine tune it manually if you can't do so via whatever amp or receiver you're running them from. The cable was weak - I had one speaker that wouldn't hold it in the clamp, although the others did. I just doubled up that end and it worked fine. I'm planning on replacing it anyway since I have to run the rear channel through the basement to get them off the floor, but for now I"m using the thin cheap stuff they sent and it still sounds great.

I had looked at two systems, both just shy of $400, but I figured I'd give these a shot first. I have a 9 year old so he's not a fan of high volume, so I have no plans on ever cranking up to a serious sound level, and figured these should work.

And they have, just wonderfully so far.