Home Theater Systems

Recommendation: Onkyo HTIB
Q1) Yes
Q2) If you want to, sure, make sure they are not out of phase though.

for probably best prices & selection. Onkyo brand is the one most often mentioned as best bang for the buck.

You can always use fewer speakers than amp channels. No problem.

Basic setups most always use one sub woofer. Once one decides to have fine quality for their speaker set, then emphasis changes to determining finer quality. Yes, two sub woofers are sometimes used in ambitious setups. In that case the sub woofers are likely to have cost several hundred dollars each if not a grand each.

Frankly, any $500 HTIB is a budget, not a mid-range solution. At that price range too much is attempted within the price. Some fatal compromise is included within the set. Though a very common way to go, I regard HTIB as a temporary solution, as for beginners. Obviously, many never go beyond that. However, for, say a $1500 investment, resulting sound can be pleasurable for many years. Yes, permanent solution speakers can be had for a grand, but that probably excludes a receiver &/or disk player.

Even for basic HTIB buyers, we who value sound highly say get out there & audition every candidate with a serious listening to. Speakers are never perfect, but each brand has its own sound character. Selecting what is best for your own ears is always a very personal decision.