Active Powered speakers or Bookshelf Speakers with Amp?

Kyaw25 · 23 Oct 2010 at 00:10

I have a budget at £130 highest.

Currently, i own a Logitech X-540 5.1 speakers and AD700 headphones.

I listen to the likes of Pink Floyd, Muse, Porcupine Tree, King Crimson etc although sometimes i like to listen to some drum and bass like Pendulum, Noisia.

I want to upgrade from the current speakers. So i was looking into buying an amp with bookshelf speakers or self powered/amped speakers.

I am looking at Wharfedale Diamond 9.0 bookshelf speakers but i dont know which amp to get.

Also living in UK, Wharfedales are hard to come by and only RicherSounds is selling them instore only.

As for active speakers i was looking at:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SP-000-AE&groupid=702&catid=22&subcat=

Are they any good? And which amp to power the speakers and also within my budget?

EDIT: I'm planning on hooking up my PS3 as well to the sound system, i play games on my PC too.

What are your thoughts and input?

I am relatively new to the whole audiophile scene so i would appreciate any help i can get!

Thanks

Marsman · 23 Oct 2010 at 01:36

An amp and bookshelf speakers would get you better sound quality for your money. It's not that Wharfedale speakers are hard to come by in the UK, it's because 9.0 speakers are discontinued, and only Richer Sounds are able to get them.

The Aego M's are very good, and you wont require an amp. However, the Aego's are beaten for SQ by Audio Engine A2's, which are active, and also cost about the same, around £125. The Aego's will provide more bass, due to the sub, but for SQ, they are not as good as the A2's.

A stereo amp will give you multiple inputs, whereas a pair of active speakers, you would need to use splitter cables etc, unless they have various inputs. If you decided to go down the amp and speaker route, a new Cambridge Audio AM1 would be a good choice, or something 2nd hand.

Kyaw25 · 23 Oct 2010 at 10:24

Thanks Marsman.

Which Bookshelves will be good but be still within my budget?

Also wouldnt Bookshelf speakers provide less bass than Aegos?

Also would Cambridge Audio A5 from ebay be a better choice since i found one for like £15 bidding.

Gribs · 23 Oct 2010 at 13:07

A 2nd hand amp is definately the way to go in regards to value for money.

Kyaw25 · 23 Oct 2010 at 13:16

Now, i just need to find appropriate speakers that are not hard to find... ><

Marsman · 23 Oct 2010 at 13:42

A5 is certainly a good amp for the money. Bookshelf speakers will not produce as much bass as a sub, however, good bookshelf speakers can produce more bass than what you think they are capable of. For music, the bass provided by bookshelf speakers is certainly ample, but depending on the users expectations, the bass with games and movies may be lacking. The biggest difference, is the quality of bass. Many a person goes from 2.1/5.1 PC speakers, to amp and bookshelf speakers, and says 'where's the bass?'. It's there, it's just better quality, and isn't so prominent as booming bass from PC speakers sub. Having said that though, there is still going to be less of it, however you look at it.

Kyaw25 · 23 Oct 2010 at 15:48

Yeah, i dont really mind the natural 'better' bass. As i have AD700s, they dont have much of a punch but its still satisfying.

I think i will go with Cambridge Audio A5 amp and possibly Diamond 9.0s or Tannoy F1s.

Also, would it be possible to hook up a sub to the A5 amp??

Marsman · 23 Oct 2010 at 17:33

Yes. There are 2 ways to go about it, depending on the amp and sub in question. The A5 does have pre out RCA's, so you can use those to connect a sub, as long as it has LFE inputs. The other way is to use the speaker wire connections, as some subs don't have LFE input. Some amps don't have pre outputs, like the 340A for eg. Anyone with a 340A would require a sub that has high level inputs.

Marsman · 23 Oct 2010 at 17:35

Tannoy F1's will be better than the 9.0's. I have the 9.1's, which are great.

Kyaw25 · 23 Oct 2010 at 20:26

The bidding on A5s didnt go well... would A1s suffice?

Or i could go for the 340A and wait for a few months before getting Tannoy F1s.

Marsman · 23 Oct 2010 at 21:02

A1 is still a good budget amp. It's less powerful, 25w per channel I think, and the A5 is 60w. When going for a lower powered amp, you want easy to drive speakers. The easier they are to drive, the louder than can go. Tannoy F1's are 87dB sensitivity, which makes them pretty easy to drive.

Kyaw25 · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:49

Unfortunately because of my budget issues, i wont be going for any purchases now...

In about 5-6 months, i should be able to buy a receiver/amp but for now i am gonna nick the Sony 5.1 from downstairs, good bass but not that good balance or extreme details, it will do for now...

Thanks for the input guys!