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~$500 stereo budget

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darthsidious

Senior member
I'm interested in building a 2.1 system + reciever for about ~500. I'd like to keep it upgradable in the future. I'm being torn between two routes:

1. Buy a ~$200 stereo reciever(like the Onkyo TX-8255) and spend the rest on speakers.
2. Buy a el-cheapo thrift store receiver, and spend the entire budget on speakers.

In addition, I'm not sure if I should just get a pair of floorstanding speakers, or 2 bookshelves/floorstandings+ subwoofer.

What course do you recommend? Any particular brands that I should look at? This will be almost strictly for music listening, not HT purposes. If it's relavent, I listen mostly to jazz, bossa nova, latin music, drum and bass, and abstract hip hop.

Thanks in advance,

Mr Confused....
 
I'd recommend checking around for a vintage stereo receiver. Since music is the focus, I'd say to aim for just two nice speakers. If you really need extra bass you can always add a lower end sub later.

Sometimes you can find something on Audiogon. A quick look there and I see this: ttp://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrplan&1253156422&/Magnepan-MMG
 
Any chance you will be using solely a computer as the source for the music? If this is the case, you can forego the receiver and just use your soundcard as the pre/pro. Further, you could get professional stereo monitors that have their own amplification.

Examples (I've gotten good cus. support here, but you can shop around):

Mackie MR8
Maudio BX8a Deluxe

Another example that usually gets a recommendation:
Audioengine A5

A very entry level subwoofer could be:
Dayton ES8

However, for subwoofers, the story isn't as cut and dry. Speakers - either you like them or you don't. Subwoofers are more defined by requirements as needed by the size of the room and your specific bass requirements. If your room is large and very open to other areas, you will not be able to get away with an inexpensive solution (especially if your demands are high). For example, if you have a goal of obtaining 20hz at 100dB with low distortion at listening position from a subwoofer, costing e.g. $100, this is not possible.

At the start, I would forego the subwoofer and put the money into the speakers. Once you read up more on proper subwoofer placement and configuration and learn what your bass requirements are and obtain an appropriate budget for a subwoofer to fulfill your needs, then you can start looking for subwoofers.

If you just want a bit more kickdrum from your music, perhaps you can find a subwoofer from 100$-300$ that fits your needs. However, room placement is key, and improper placement and calibration would just be a waste of money.
 
Originally posted by: darthsidious
I'm interested in building a 2.1 system + reciever for about ~500. I'd like to keep it upgradable in the future. I'm being torn between two routes:

1. Buy a ~$200 stereo reciever(like the Onkyo TX-8255) and spend the rest on speakers.
2. Buy a el-cheapo thrift store receiver, and spend the entire budget on speakers.
Click to expand...
Neither! Get this 😀 (or this/this, for fancier DACs, but the latter *is* almost $200). Bass management and digital inputs are very useful.

(I do like the idea of using active bi-amped studio monitors -- like this JBL pro -- though.)

I'd probably start 2.0 until more money appears, but this is a decent $100 sub if you want.

What's your room size and layout?
 
Originally posted by: Tiamat
Any chance you will be using solely a computer as the source for the music? If this is the case, you can forego the receiver and just use your soundcard as the pre/pro. Further, you could get professional stereo monitors that have their own amplification.

Examples (I've gotten good cus. support here, but you can shop around):

Mackie MR8
Maudio BX8a Deluxe

Another example that usually gets a recommendation:
Audioengine A5

A very entry level subwoofer could be:
Dayton ES8

However, for subwoofers, the story isn't as cut and dry. Speakers - either you like them or you don't. Subwoofers are more defined by requirements as needed by the size of the room and your specific bass requirements. If your room is large and very open to other areas, you will not be able to get away with an inexpensive solution (especially if your demands are high). For example, if you have a goal of obtaining 20hz at 100dB with low distortion at listening position from a subwoofer, costing e.g. $100, this is not possible.

At the start, I would forego the subwoofer and put the money into the speakers. Once you read up more on proper subwoofer placement and configuration and learn what your bass requirements are and obtain an appropriate budget for a subwoofer to fulfill your needs, then you can start looking for subwoofers.

If you just want a bit more kickdrum from your music, perhaps you can find a subwoofer from 100$-300$ that fits your needs. However, room placement is key, and improper placement and calibration would just be a waste of money.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your suggestion - that's a route that I didn't even consider earlier. A computer will be my primary source ( I may add an external CD player later). How does the internal amplification of these studio monitors compare to the external amp + speaker route?

Also, would going with studio monitors preculde adding a sub later (I'm fairly clueless about audio equipment)? I'm assuming that these powered moniotrs can't be later used with an external receiver/amp, if I decide to upgrade my system later.

Based on all the suggestions, I'll probably be going with a 2.0 system, rather than buying a subwoofer.

Thanks, and keep the suggestions rolling!
 
Originally posted by: s44
Originally posted by: darthsidious
I'm interested in building a 2.1 system + reciever for about ~500. I'd like to keep it upgradable in the future. I'm being torn between two routes:

1. Buy a ~$200 stereo reciever(like the Onkyo TX-8255) and spend the rest on speakers.
2. Buy a el-cheapo thrift store receiver, and spend the entire budget on speakers.
Click to expand...
Neither! Get this 😀 (or this/this, for fancier DACs, but the latter *is* almost $200). Bass management and digital inputs are very useful.

(I do like the idea of using active bi-amped studio monitors -- like this JBL pro -- though.)

I'd probably start 2.0 until more money appears, but this is a decent $100 sub if you want.

What's your room size and layout?
Click to expand...


It's a roughly 11feetx15 feet living space, attached to a 7''x8''open kitchen and a 10''x10'' dining area. The speakers will be in the living room, which has a TV, computer and magazine rack on the front wall; side tables and sofa on the back, bookshelves on the side short wall; windows on the right. The floor is carpet.
 
You can run powered monitors with the pre-amp section of a receiver, but you obviously won't be able to give them more power than what they have built in. That said, you'd have to go all the way to separates to deliver more power than what most of the pro stuff has built in.

The main problem with a computer source is electrical interference from the other components inside, and possible ground loop issues. Hence my suggestion of a digital input...

Meanwhile, this is a ridiculously good passive speaker deal. Get this and a $100-$150 receiver and you actually could afford a decent sub.
 
$300 per pair of mini-monitors seems like entry point for audiophile type speakers, specifically Paradigm Atom or PSB Alpha.

Maybe check out Audiogon.com for good price on used pair, then research synergistic integrated amp / receiver for those particular speakers?

(I own Audio Engine A2 and think they are very, very musical speakers, for what it's worth; I also own Hsu HB-1 mk. 2 and Hsu VTF-1 mk. 2 sub for home theater and think they are very nice, too - they are supposed to be very synergistic with Pioneer VSX-1018AH-K, which is basically same and Pioneer VSX-01 or -03 - they have the darker, weightier heft of Klipsch, but are more laid back in overall character and refined in treble than Klipsch).

edit: from what I've read, Hsu used to recommend Onkyo 606 with their speakers before they found better match with Pioneer. You may be able to find an used one or refurb one at Onkyo Store for good price and would probably work well with HB-1 mk. 2 without sub till you can afford one. If you call or e-mail them, you might be able to speak with designer Pete Hsu himself and get his recommendations.

 
Actually, you can probably get a pair of PSB Image bookshelves for about that price (~$300). PSB updated the line (B5/B6) so the old ones (B15/B25) should be on clearance.
 
Thanks for all your help guys. I decided to go with the Audioengine A5's. I'll let you know how they sound soon, when they arrive.
 
You could get a pair of the Dayton BR-1 speakers. It's a DIY kit, but is very easy to put together. $150 or so. Then use some money for a receiver and a cheap subwoofer. Trust me, it sounds great. And that kit is generally said to sound about as good as $300-400 dollar speakers.
 
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