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Recommedations for entry level 2 speaker home theatre setup.

jhbball

jhbball

Platinum Member
So, I'm interested in getting some decent speakers + receiver to fill a small room (8x8), to accompany a 37'' lcd.

Subwoofer isn't necessary, but I wouldn't mind if the speakers packed a little punch. I'm looking to spend ~200 for a pair of speakers, and ~100 for receiver.


Thanks for any input.
 
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
8x8 isn't a room....it's a closet
Click to expand...

I really liked my PB10 in a 10x12 room. I wonder what 8x8 would have been like :evil:

$100 for a receiver is going to be very limiting.

Does this mean that your total budget is $300 and you're looking for a 2.0 system?
 
Yeah, around 300. Though, I'm not really limited, I could spend more. Just want something reasonable. I'm really open to any reasonable suggestions.
 
Originally posted by: jhbball
Yeah, around 300. Though, I'm not really limited, I could spend more. Just want something reasonable. I'm really open to any reasonable suggestions.
Click to expand...

Did you look at my sticky thread at the top of this subforum?
 
Originally posted by: jhbball
xbox360, ps3, comcast hd box
Click to expand...

I was thinking that if you just had a single source you might be able to get away with just an amp for your system (maybe something like this)
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...ght_key=y&keyword1=amp

But with several sources you're going to want a receiver.

For really low cost receivers, sherwood can be found for about the $100 mark new and Onkyo / Pioneer have some decent sub-$200 units too.

Do you think you'd want to get a 5.1 receiver to leave your options open if you want to go higher than stereo eventually?

What about buying used?
 
Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Originally posted by: jhbball
xbox360, ps3, comcast hd box
Click to expand...

I was thinking that if you just had a single source you might be able to get away with just an amp for your system (maybe something like this)
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...ght_key=y&keyword1=amp

But with several sources you're going to want a receiver.

For really low cost receivers, sherwood can be found for about the $100 mark new and Onkyo / Pioneer have some decent sub-$200 units too.

Do you think you'd want to get a 5.1 receiver to leave your options open if you want to go higher than stereo eventually?

What about buying used?
Click to expand...

Ideally, this would be a 5.1 receiver I think, but it would only be used with 2 speakers for along time. I don't have the space/money to build a nice 5.1 setup, so I figure it's not really worth it at this point. I'd like to think of this a temporary setup, but not something that's going to be thrown away in a year.

I don't mind buying used products, so long they have a warranty, and they come from a reputable source.

Also, I saw you mentioned the Polk R50, which I've seen before. Is there anything else you recommend, or are those the best choice at their price point? Also, would bookshelf speakers be a better option than cheaper HT speakers?

 
Originally posted by: jhbball
Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Originally posted by: jhbball
xbox360, ps3, comcast hd box
Click to expand...

I was thinking that if you just had a single source you might be able to get away with just an amp for your system (maybe something like this)
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...ght_key=y&keyword1=amp

But with several sources you're going to want a receiver.

For really low cost receivers, sherwood can be found for about the $100 mark new and Onkyo / Pioneer have some decent sub-$200 units too.

Do you think you'd want to get a 5.1 receiver to leave your options open if you want to go higher than stereo eventually?

What about buying used?
Click to expand...

Ideally, this would be a 5.1 receiver I think, but it would only be used with 2 speakers for along time. I don't have the space/money to build a nice 5.1 setup, so I figure it's not really worth it at this point. I'd like to think of this a temporary setup, but not something that's going to be thrown away in a year.

I don't mind buying used products, so long they have a warranty, and they come from a reputable source.

Also, I saw you mentioned the Polk R50, which I've seen before. Is there anything else you recommend, or are those the best choice at their price point? Also, would bookshelf speakers be a better option than cheaper HT speakers?
Click to expand...

There are some places to look for used audio equipment that I think I linked to in my sticky thread including audiogon and videogon. It's mostly just individual sellers like an audio equivalent of ebay though, so warranties might not be still valid or transferable. It's also going to be tricky if you don't know what you're looking for specifically.

If you need floorstanders and your budget is $300 total, I think it would be tough to do better than Polk's offerings from outpost.

If you paired those up with a ~$150-$175 basic 5.1 receiver from Onkyo / Pioneer / etc., I think you'd have a pretty solid 2.0 setup.

Bookshelf speakers would work too, but a lot of the smaller and cheaper ones don't have very good bass extension. Not having a sub, this could hurt you. A small sub and bookshelf speakers could be an attractive way to go vs. floorstanders though.
 
Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Originally posted by: jhbball
Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Originally posted by: jhbball
xbox360, ps3, comcast hd box
Click to expand...

I was thinking that if you just had a single source you might be able to get away with just an amp for your system (maybe something like this)
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...ght_key=y&keyword1=amp

But with several sources you're going to want a receiver.

For really low cost receivers, sherwood can be found for about the $100 mark new and Onkyo / Pioneer have some decent sub-$200 units too.

Do you think you'd want to get a 5.1 receiver to leave your options open if you want to go higher than stereo eventually?

What about buying used?
Click to expand...

Ideally, this would be a 5.1 receiver I think, but it would only be used with 2 speakers for along time. I don't have the space/money to build a nice 5.1 setup, so I figure it's not really worth it at this point. I'd like to think of this a temporary setup, but not something that's going to be thrown away in a year.

I don't mind buying used products, so long they have a warranty, and they come from a reputable source.

Also, I saw you mentioned the Polk R50, which I've seen before. Is there anything else you recommend, or are those the best choice at their price point? Also, would bookshelf speakers be a better option than cheaper HT speakers?
Click to expand...

There are some places to look for used audio equipment that I think I linked to in my sticky thread including audiogon and videogon. It's mostly just individual sellers like an audio equivalent of ebay though, so warranties might not be still valid or transferable. It's also going to be tricky if you don't know what you're looking for specifically.

If you need floorstanders and your budget is $300 total, I think it would be tough to do better than Polk's offerings from outpost.

If you paired those up with a ~$150-$175 basic 5.1 receiver from Onkyo / Pioneer / etc., I think you'd have a pretty solid 2.0 setup.

Bookshelf speakers would work too, but a lot of the smaller and cheaper ones don't have very good bass extension. Not having a sub, this could hurt you. A small sub and bookshelf speakers could be an attractive way to go vs. floorstanders though.
Click to expand...

In your opinion, would spending an equivalent amount on better bookshelf speakers be a better investment? I could always use them with my computer down the line or something.
 
Originally posted by: jhbball
Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Originally posted by: jhbball
Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Originally posted by: jhbball
xbox360, ps3, comcast hd box
Click to expand...

I was thinking that if you just had a single source you might be able to get away with just an amp for your system (maybe something like this)
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...ght_key=y&keyword1=amp

But with several sources you're going to want a receiver.

For really low cost receivers, sherwood can be found for about the $100 mark new and Onkyo / Pioneer have some decent sub-$200 units too.

Do you think you'd want to get a 5.1 receiver to leave your options open if you want to go higher than stereo eventually?

What about buying used?
Click to expand...

Ideally, this would be a 5.1 receiver I think, but it would only be used with 2 speakers for along time. I don't have the space/money to build a nice 5.1 setup, so I figure it's not really worth it at this point. I'd like to think of this a temporary setup, but not something that's going to be thrown away in a year.

I don't mind buying used products, so long they have a warranty, and they come from a reputable source.

Also, I saw you mentioned the Polk R50, which I've seen before. Is there anything else you recommend, or are those the best choice at their price point? Also, would bookshelf speakers be a better option than cheaper HT speakers?
Click to expand...

There are some places to look for used audio equipment that I think I linked to in my sticky thread including audiogon and videogon. It's mostly just individual sellers like an audio equivalent of ebay though, so warranties might not be still valid or transferable. It's also going to be tricky if you don't know what you're looking for specifically.

If you need floorstanders and your budget is $300 total, I think it would be tough to do better than Polk's offerings from outpost.

If you paired those up with a ~$150-$175 basic 5.1 receiver from Onkyo / Pioneer / etc., I think you'd have a pretty solid 2.0 setup.

Bookshelf speakers would work too, but a lot of the smaller and cheaper ones don't have very good bass extension. Not having a sub, this could hurt you. A small sub and bookshelf speakers could be an attractive way to go vs. floorstanders though.
Click to expand...

In your opinion, would spending an equivalent amount on better bookshelf speakers be a better investment? I could always use them with my computer down the line or something.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure how good the polks are really, but I've used some budget floorstanders before and while they did sound pretty good, the jump up to the bookshelf speakers that I got for $175+shipping was taking it up to a whole new level.
I went with X-LS (original version) and use them with my computer now.
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/sp...in/web/Random/X-LS.JPG
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/sp...k%20System/Stands1.JPG

If I was going to get a starter system in your situation, I'd go with some good bookshelf speakers knowing that I'm the kind of person that likes to upgrade things so I know a subwoofer would be in my future eventually.
 
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