Audiophiles - Budget / Mid Speaker Setup For Music & Theatre - ~£1000

[AmDaMan]

Hi - I've recentley got a taste of what an OK system can sound like and I'd like to build on that experience now with a decent setup. I'm not going to get too upset about separation, warmth or brightness or any of that bud I'd like something that does have good detail and separation for music and when watching movies. At the moment I have a Bose Soundtouch300 with surround speakers coupled with a Polk HTS-10 in a small living room with a Philips Oled 706.

Requirements;

1. Around 1000 budget, ideally this includes the receiver but can stretch a bit more if required (Receiver needs to have HDMI arc).
2. At minimum I'd like 2x passive bookshelf style speakers with a dedicated centre - the centre needs to be clear for dialogue (always have an issue with this in movies)
3. Needs to work well with the Polk HTS-10 sub I've already got
4. Future to expand to rears / atmos if possible
5. Clear and detailed sound / mids - don't care about the bass as the sub can hopefully deal with that
6. A nice to have would be magnetic grills as I like that look

I've looked at the following bookshelf's so far;

1. Jamo S803
2. Elac Debut B6.2 (maybe even the 5.2?)
3. Q Acoustics 3020 (maybe even the 3010?)
4. Triangle Borea BR03

The Reciever I was looking at was something like a used Sony STR-DN1080.

The Jamo's look like unbelievable value but apparently the mids aren't that good. Next would probably be the Elac's. I'm also struggling with a centre, assume it's not a good idea to mix and match?

Any help appreciated!

Cheers

 

[AmDaMan]

Awesome reply - thanks for that.

I've been having a think about some of your points;

The second hand market is useless is NZ and the selection is poor. The QA3020's though for some reason are only $400 new which is about 200gbp. I'm quite happy with that if they are good speakers.

I've also had a think about the centre speaker. I could possibly trial out the 2.1 setup - the rear speakers on the Bose definitely do add a nice dynamic to movies though.

A 2.1 setup would mean I save a headache with the Receiver as I can't get any of the receivers easily, they cost a fortune here. I have some options from the US though that I need to look into, it's far less attractive with shipping. I was reading some reviews about the Fosi Audio V3.. for the price I don't see a downside, quality components, small and seem to power small bookshelfs ok and they have a neutral sound. Then I can think about a receiver in the future.

My biggest question though is how would this work with my TV? It looks to have RCA or Toslink inputs but I'd like to still control volume with my TV. If I use a headphone out to the RCA I think that could work. However, the V3 only has a pre out for a sub.. do you know if the volume output for that will scale with the TV's volume output? If that works I could have a nice little 2.1 setup for about $500.

 

[AmDaMan]

Keep what you have rather than spending out on a host of small little bookshelf speakers, with the illusion of it being an "upgrade". One place to focus your upgrade path would be selling on the Polk Sub and getting a compact 12" with EQ.

I see what you're saying. For a theatre system, I definitely agree - the Q990B would solve most of my issues. For music though I don't think a soundbar would have the sound quality of a decent bookshelf? I could be wrong with the 990B as i've not heard it yet. I listened to a friends Sony HT-A9 and movies were superb, but his Elac Uni-Fi's sound that much better for music (to me) that i'd possibly be willing to compromise on the surround aspects, at least for a bit.

-lucid-:​

I know, I think I need to make my mind up.. I think i'm willing to sacrifice the surround elements initially though for the music quality I think. The Bose sound bar had me enjoying music more and the Bookshelf's are better again from what i've heard so far. I'll have another think over the weekend and see where I land, I've got a few options on my shortlist now. Cheers!!

 

[AmDaMan]

Hi - update!

I've got the following on the way;

An almost new Sony STR-DH790 (£200)
Klipsch RP-160M (£350)

I was thinking about the speakers for ages then got bored. I nearly got a set of Sony SS-CS5's but by the time I had imported those they were £250, so I'm hoping the Klipsch are a decent step up. From what i'm reading they aren't as bright, they are older speakers though from their lineup. Quite similar to the RP600M apparently (no idea what that means).

Either way I have a feeling it's the Sony Receiver that will be the bottleneck on them - might still get a separate compact amp for some higher quality listening sessions, haven't decided yet!

Cheers

 

[AmDaMan]

Not for a while now - people always talk about them being bright but back when I had a listen I thought they sounded fine (this was a few years ago now). If they sound a bit rubbish I'll take them back and swap them out for the 3020's (which I haven't heard either). The 160's were supposed to be more neutral through from what i've read.

 

[AmDaMan]

I've spent a bit of time with the RP-160M's now and they really are superb. There's a dip in the 1.9KHz range that I've corrected with the EQ and I can't fault them at all. I was actually disappointed initially because through the Sony DH790 they didn't sound that good (apart from movies).

Using a Fosi BT20A amp with a Flac they sound incredible. Makes me wonder how good they'd sound with an expensive amp.. The bass is also that good that I don't need the sub for music, but I've kept it for movies. Happy with the setup so far, cheers!