I just bought a set of old Pioneer HTZ-818BD Pioneer blue-ray system from jbhifi over the weekend. got it down to 500 flat.
I listened to almost every combo setup on display and with this system, although it is old, turn out to be the most ear-catching for myself. no cheapy plastic enclosure.
CNET review say it takes about 30 minutes to setup but it took me 3.5hrs to remove everything from TV unit and re-arrange every components i have to hook it up with the new blue-ray player, including all the tidy up work of cable behind the TV unit.
The user manual indicated HDMI connection alone to TV ARC HDMI port is enough, but I couldn't get any sound from the TV so ended up using optical cable for sound connection.
sound wise, the tall boy gives a clear sound and the sub punch the depth into my couch.
might worth taking a look for anyone looking to buy a lazy, basic system that's not too futuristic looking and with good quality components. sometime old looking design last longer.
Re ARC problem…
When you say "I couldn't get any sound from the TV", I assume that you couldn't get sound out of the system speakers with TV as the input source.
Did you consult the user manual for the TV? Does the TV in fact support ARC?
Are you using an HDMI cable supporting the 1.4 standard?
Have you turned CEC on in the TV settings and the Pioneer's?
Have you turned the TV speakers off? (shouldn't matter, but…)