Today I offered innovative home-audio ideas in my weekly column, but what about traditional setups? For those who don’t want a home theater, we’re talking about a good old-fashioned stereo receiver and a pair of nice-sounding speakers, a component setup to which you can add an iPod dock, CD player or whatever.

For some advice, I called Bill Solderholm, whose family has owned the Minneapolis-based Stereoland stores for 43 years. Like many independent electronic retailers, he carries high-end equipment that’s not available in the big-box stores, but Stereoland also stocks some can’t-miss brands that offer great sound at an affordable price.

Bill points out that at the lower price range, speakers are vitally important. You should spend as much as (or more) on a pair of speakers as you do on the receiver, he says. He recommends the Paradigm Atom Monitor, a two-way speaker with rich sound that’s a popular seller at his stores in Minneapolis and Eden Prairie. A pair retails for $298.

For a receiver, Onkyo’s entry-level TX-8222 is just fine at $249. Onkyo often sells it and its other receivers for bargain basement prices through its Shop Onkyo website, which was down when I wrote this. You have to register to shop, but it’s free and you get a $10 credit for doing so. Other good midrange brands for receivers include Yamaha and Denon.

For more traditional home-audio ideas, check out Don Lindich’s recommendations in his Sound Advice blog.