Discussion
I've just bought the above amp (which, ironically, isn't THX certified) to replace my aging Technics SA-DA8 (neither was that).
Both amps were overkill for what I use them for (small room), but had for a good price so couldn't resist.
At the moment, I'm feeding two Heybrook floorstanders plus a couple cheap Logitec satellites (which actually are THX approved?!?!) and no sub, so hardly pushing the limit of what it's capable of.
Could anyone recommend a set of good AV speakers to suit the amp?
Bearing in mind I'm not made of money... <£1 would be (just about) OK!!!
Cheers,
Both amps were overkill for what I use them for (small room), but had for a good price so couldn't resist.
At the moment, I'm feeding two Heybrook floorstanders plus a couple cheap Logitec satellites (which actually are THX approved?!?!) and no sub, so hardly pushing the limit of what it's capable of.
Could anyone recommend a set of good AV speakers to suit the amp?
Bearing in mind I'm not made of money... <£1 would be (just about) OK!!!
Cheers,
Plenty of choice at that price from Richer Sounds or alternatively you could look at a higher end choice but 2nd hand for massively more bang for your money.
Picking speakers is highly subjective IMO and very much depends on your intended usage. Do you intend to listen to music or will it just be for Movies, possible gaming and TV?
If music is part of the intended use of your system what sort of standards a do you have, by which I mean were you previously happy with a cheap mini system or speaker or do you have higher expectations, also how important music is music quality to you?
A few suggestions in the meantime.
Right at top of your budget, well slightly over and ideally you'd want the L&R speakers on stands. The rears should work well in a smallish room, they're switchable so can work very well on a side wall if you sit close to the back wall and the bi-pole design lends itself to being close to your listening position.
http://m.richersounds.com/#!/product/PAH011055
This leaves some of your budget for some stands and cable. Always been a fan of the Q Acoustics systems.
http://m.richersounds.com/#!/product/PAH01309
There's plenty of others depending on your requirements, so for example in a small room where the system is only used for Video a sub/sat system wooption a good option. Kef are very good at sub sat systems although IMO they're not suited for music if you have higher expectations than just some background tunes.
You might also think about using your budget wisely by just going for some better main speakers, possibly some floor standers and possibly a centre speaker, you could then retain your existing rears and upgrade later. This will likely help with music.
As you can tell when I built my system Music was an important factor so my system is built with that in mind. I'd have done things a lot differently if it was for Video only or mainly
Picking speakers is highly subjective IMO and very much depends on your intended usage. Do you intend to listen to music or will it just be for Movies, possible gaming and TV?
If music is part of the intended use of your system what sort of standards a do you have, by which I mean were you previously happy with a cheap mini system or speaker or do you have higher expectations, also how important music is music quality to you?
A few suggestions in the meantime.
Right at top of your budget, well slightly over and ideally you'd want the L&R speakers on stands. The rears should work well in a smallish room, they're switchable so can work very well on a side wall if you sit close to the back wall and the bi-pole design lends itself to being close to your listening position.
http://m.richersounds.com/#!/product/PAH011055
This leaves some of your budget for some stands and cable. Always been a fan of the Q Acoustics systems.
http://m.richersounds.com/#!/product/PAH01309
There's plenty of others depending on your requirements, so for example in a small room where the system is only used for Video a sub/sat system wooption a good option. Kef are very good at sub sat systems although IMO they're not suited for music if you have higher expectations than just some background tunes.
You might also think about using your budget wisely by just going for some better main speakers, possibly some floor standers and possibly a centre speaker, you could then retain your existing rears and upgrade later. This will likely help with music.
As you can tell when I built my system Music was an important factor so my system is built with that in mind. I'd have done things a lot differently if it was for Video only or mainly
Hey that's great - thanks for that.
At the moment I have a pair of Heybrook HB(somethings - floorstanders) which are pretty good. So I'm not anticipating huge gains, even spending £400+ on the fronts.
A sub would be great (previously had a Tannoy that could rattle your spinal column - but power supply broke down and parts were out of manufacture) but perhaps a little overkill for the room. It would have to be really good at lower volume to be workable.
My main concern is getting the right centre speaker (always found the centre channel to be lacking. In both bass and clarity) and surrounds that, although good, not overkill for what they'll be doing. I don't want to spend loads on four surrounds (+ a centre rear) just to hear a couple rain drops or fireworks for two minutes out of every movie.
At the moment I have a pair of Heybrook HB(somethings - floorstanders) which are pretty good. So I'm not anticipating huge gains, even spending £400+ on the fronts.
A sub would be great (previously had a Tannoy that could rattle your spinal column - but power supply broke down and parts were out of manufacture) but perhaps a little overkill for the room. It would have to be really good at lower volume to be workable.
My main concern is getting the right centre speaker (always found the centre channel to be lacking. In both bass and clarity) and surrounds that, although good, not overkill for what they'll be doing. I don't want to spend loads on four surrounds (+ a centre rear) just to hear a couple rain drops or fireworks for two minutes out of every movie.
Having big speakers in a small living room may not be as good as you think. I've moved to a flat where the room my floorstanders are in is twice as large and to me they sound better. I dunno whether it's because they have more room and are designed with a bigger room in mind? You may find 'bookshelf' speakers with a good sub may sound better.
I have a 5.0 setup as my neighbours probably wouldn't like the .1 bit
My front 3 are KEF and I've never found issue with the center. Remember you need to check what setup you've got. I have my center set to small and the main stereo pair set to large, my surrounds are also set to small. While the fronts can't reproduce the .1 channel fully they can do a damned better job than the center or surrounds.
I have a 5.0 setup as my neighbours probably wouldn't like the .1 bit
My front 3 are KEF and I've never found issue with the center. Remember you need to check what setup you've got. I have my center set to small and the main stereo pair set to large, my surrounds are also set to small. While the fronts can't reproduce the .1 channel fully they can do a damned better job than the center or surrounds.For films only, I always found my original series B&W M-1 satellites did an excellent job, combined with an SVS sealed sub.
The only reason that I moved away from them is because I do not like the sub/sat sound with music, so swapped them for a large pair of floorstanders that work well on their own for music. For movies, though, the .1 is essential as even my large floorstanders don't do much really low bass.
If you are happy with the sub/sat style you should be able to pick up the latest M-1s at £100 each and add a BK XXLS400 sub for £400 and that would give you a great system for under £1k.
The amp is a good one, however, so if you can go full size, it would be a better all round experience. You would probably have to look second hand to get something reasonably good for £1k.
The only reason that I moved away from them is because I do not like the sub/sat sound with music, so swapped them for a large pair of floorstanders that work well on their own for music. For movies, though, the .1 is essential as even my large floorstanders don't do much really low bass.
If you are happy with the sub/sat style you should be able to pick up the latest M-1s at £100 each and add a BK XXLS400 sub for £400 and that would give you a great system for under £1k.
The amp is a good one, however, so if you can go full size, it would be a better all round experience. You would probably have to look second hand to get something reasonably good for £1k.
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