Amp + Speaker setup

Simmy

Simmy

Simmy

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Joined
26 Dec 2003
Posts
2,260
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UK
Having just purchased an xbox 360 and a 37" panasonic tv, I'm looking to setup a nice sound system aswell. I've only ever used PC speakers, so I'm not entirely sure what is best.

I'm looking to buy a second hand Panasonic SA-HE70 as it has two optical inputs which I need for my xbox and PC. Is this a good amp or can anyone suggest a better one for the same price? These amps go for £40-70 on eBay which seems good value to me. Looking to spend ~£100 for a second hand amp.

I'm also completely clueless about what speakers to go for. I wouldn't mind a pair of decent floor standing speakers as I'm not too fussed about surround sound atm (although I might change my mind in the future!). Something cheap and cheerful would suffice - upto £80 for a pair.

Thanks :)
 
Ok, this is the amp I've bought second hand. Comes to £100 including postage;

Panasonic SA-HE70 Home Cinema 5.1 Amplifier / Reciever
•100w x 5 in home theatre and stereo modes
•Dolby® Digital and DTS® decoder with Dolby Surround Pro Logic® II
•Independent simple subwoofer level control and subwoofer output for extended bass reproduction
•2 optical and 1 coaxial digital inputs
•Selectable sound field control
•Quartz synthesized digital tuning

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Now I just need some help with speakers. Any suggestions for what would go well with this? The budget might need to be raised to £100-150 for the speakers. Either a decent set of floor standing speakers or a 5.1 setup would be fine :)

Thanks for any help.
 
Simmy said:
The budget might need to be raised to £100-150 for the speakers. Either a decent set of floor standing speakers or a 5.1 setup would be fine :)

Thanks for any help.
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You wont get either for that budget id just stick to a decent set of book shelf speakers and stands ive got a pair of warfdale diamond 9.1s that i got 2nd hand for about £80 which i love. But the best advice is to go out n demo different speakers and then go on the hunt to find the best price
 
Thanks for your suggestion. I will take a trip to richersounds at some point and see what they can offer.

I was looking at a pair of Kef Q3 speakers on ebay which appear to sell for around £130 second hand. Wouldn't these be any good?
 
A mate got a couple of floorstanding Wharfedale Pacific Pi-40's for £150 off the bay. I've got the same but paid double that for new ones.

They're big floorstanders that sound surprisingly articulate for the price.

Fairly easy to drive loud too. I have mine on on a 60 watt Cyrus Smartpower and PSX-R and my mate uses a 75watt Yamaha surround amp with his.

Q3's are good - i'd recommend them at that price too!

gt
 
Well I'm keeping my eye on the Q3's, but I've also purchased a set of Eltax Symphony 6.2 speakers for £38. It will be interesting to see what difference there is between these and the Kef speakers :) Has anyone else used these Eltax speakers? What did you think of them?

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gt_junkie said:
The Symphony's are quite good.

Not the be all and end all in quality but for £38 you can't complain! ;)

Nice purchase fella.

gt
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Cheers :) I don't feel the need to spend massive amounts of money, so hopefully these will be ok for me.

squiffy said:
Don't even think of powering those Kef speakers from the amp. :rolleyes:
Eltax- rubbish.
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Care to explain why I shouldn't run the kef speakers from the amp?

What speakers would you have suggested for the price I paid?
 
That amplifier will be incapable of powering harder to drive speakers.
And Eltax are just white van speakers, fit for the bonfire.

Buying cheap floorstanders is a bad move, buying Eltax is even worse. Still if you're not bothered with sound quality.

I guess it'll do as your first audio system, until demo something else ;)
 
Of course the amp will be able to drive the KEF speakers. It might not make them sing as nicely as a better amp, but they'll work.
 
^

I agree. :)

He can always upgrade to a better stereo amp later on when he can better afford it.

Just need to think about it constructively.

I'm sure £5k krell owners believe £500 cyrus amps to be fit for a bombfire too. It's all relative. ;)

gt
 
Finally got my amp and speakers setup and I have to say I'm well chuffed :D

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I think they're great quality and can't fault them yet. I can crank them upto to ear bleeding levels and she still has more to give! I'm pleased especially as the amp+speakers came to £140 :)
 
Nice setup and tbh the way things should be, its often irritated me slightly the way many people seem to go on about sound setups as if they should cost silly amounts to even get good quality, think about it, its such an old technology that speakers and amps should produce high quality on the cheap in this day and age, magnets, coils and boxes don't cost much and the basic electronics in amps are pretty standard and of course the best designs are already out there now, i understand many things still sell for silly money but theres definitely a snobbishness to many who presume quality costs loads, sure it does sometimes but in this area it really shouldn't and often doesn't to many people.
 
Cheers :) I know what you mean though. Everyone who's heard my setup has been very impressed, especially when I tell them how much it all cost. I knew I was right not to trust the people who said my budget was too low :p
 
Simmy said:
I knew I was right not to trust the people who said my budget was too low :p
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Exactly! :cool:

If you're happy with it then that's all that matters!

Enjoy it fella! :)

On the point of HTIB. They're tidy and more than acceptable but TBH i prefer my quality stereo to budget surround! ;)

gt
 
My uncle has a pair of maple Eltax floorstanders going on several years now and he really likes them, I remember demoing them some years back and they sounded really good driven by his Sherwood separates. No idea what they sound like now that I've got my own stuff though! but it did sound very good especially as I'd not heard anything better at the time!
 
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