Hi and welcome to the forums. The home theater is going to be a tough one to answer. So far everyone that didnt get the Harman Kardon package is happy with the sound quality of the system. I personally have the Harman system and I'm also happy with it. For me the big difference is watching movies. The surround sound processor on the Harman does an amazing job of proper imaging. With that said, are you going to be watching movies primarily through the speakers or through the headphones? Most will be watching them on the headphones but our daughter is 2 and the headphones slip off her head so it's over the speakers the majority of the time. If you're going to be doing headphones I'd say save the money. Hopefully this helps. I'm sure more members will chime in with their opinion as well.
Good luck with the purchase.