Receiver Question(s)!?

[mogden92]

Hey guys, I have a question about receivers.
First of all, I know next to nothing. in general. but i have a jensen jht525 surround system, all 5 speakers and the sub. i need a receiver but i dont know what to get. A little info, it doesnt need to be amazing sound. this was a free system i got from garbage day, and it is going with me to work, in a woodshop,so it will prolly crap out at some point anyway. that being said, is there a cheap reciever than will work with it? here is the manual that gives the speakers and sub's specs: http://www.voxxintlcorp.com/docs/common/JHT525/JHT525_OM.pdf

Thanks!

 

[queequeg99]

Given the quality of the speaker set up and your stated usage, I would look on Craigslist for a cheap 5.1 receiver. Given your usage (audio only), you might be able to find a really excellent buy. I recently bought what used to be a relatively high end Pioneer Elite receiver for around $100 because it was old enough to have no HDMI features, no networking, no room correction, etc. But it was powerful as hell and in excellent working condition. About the only downside is that it weights about 40 lbs and is a pain to move around.

Depending on your physical setup, I might hook up just the two front main speakers (right and left) and the sub. Hooking all five up might be more trouble than it's worth and, if you're moving around the shop a lot, might actually produce a worse listening experience than if you limit yourself to the two front speakers. Surround sound systems sound best if the speakers are set up in specific locations relative to the listener. If the listener is moving around a lot (especially if you find yourself working very close to one of the surround sound speakers), you might not like what you hear.

If you want to go really cheap, are sure you won't ever use anything other than the two mains and subwoofer, and have a separate input source such as a CD player or mp3 player, you could just pick up a t-amplifier from parts express for $25-30. I would take this route only if the craiglist offerings in your area are pretty much non-existent.

 

[NutBucket]

I was going to suggest finding the cheapest thing you can. Those speakers are junk. I'd look at the thrift shops if I was you. Less hassle than CL and there should be tons of serviceable receivers on the shelf for under $50.