Need some opinions from people who know things about audio

[Cliffio]

ok, i work at best buy, and i just picked up a pair of JBL S312 II's studio series

and i know nothing about these speakers, or any other speakers, but i heard that these were good, and i got them for around half price or so, anyways, i want to know if im gonna notice alot better sound than if i went with say..... the S310 II's which are cheaper or if i went with something from someone else, im really looking at things we sell at best buy since i get a discount

i just want peoples thoughts on the S312 II's

also, im looking into a new reciever cause mine is crappy and old, but i dont wanna spend ALOT of money, im looking into the Yamaha HTR-5540, its like 299 regular price, that gonna be ok?

im wanting to hook up my tv, dvd, computer, floor speakers, maybe a cd player, and a sub to this reciever

and on a last note, how are the JBL floor subs?

thanks guys

Cliff

heres a picture of the speakers i bought

[Creative Mayhem]

I thought JBL speakers sounded good. They have good bass response, and a nice mid - high range. However they sounded good in the store, but not at home. I was fortunate enough to be able to return them, I then bought a pair of Paradigm Monitor 9. They had the sound I liked, I did however, pay more. You need to try them at home, speakers are a funny thing to pinpoint, it's all subjective. As for the Yamaha amp go for it, but make sure it has all the audio channels for what you wnat to use it for. You may want to think a little farther ahead, I'm not sure about the model, but you should make sure it has Dolby digital 5.1 surround. When you get into home theater you'll want this. As for the floor sub, depending on the size of room, you should look into the different sizes of subs. The larger the sub the more low rumbling sound and smaller size gives you a more punchy sound. I have a fairly large volume room, high ceilings, so I opted for a 12" powered sub. BTW pay the extra for a powered sub, you won't regret it. The passive subs will draw off the rest of the cahnnels therefore, lowering overall efficiency. Stereo systems are so subjective, you almost have to feel your way through it. I'm on my third system now and I am completely satisfied with my current setup. I hope this helps with your choices.

C Mayhem