As we bought a mini-hifi for our daughter (13), it was hard not to notice my son (11) jumping, silently, on the "metoo" bandwagon. As I had recently been scanning ebay and amazon for daughter’s set, now I stumbled upon a 2nd hand Panasonic pmx82 (the basic specs are RMS 120W, 2 x 60W, 3ohms, 10% THD - and I came across opinion that the 60W / 3 ohms is poor).
Nevertheless, it was practically unused and, for 70 quid, well, cheap (it wasn't a random choice just on price, it has required specs, i.e. reads flac files off usb stick, dab+, bluetooth streaming, cd tray, etc). BUT - it came with no speakers (which I knew before buying).
Now, to speakers, I don't want to buy the cheapest car bootsale / gumtree. But I don't want to spend a lot either, firstly, because the "end user" is young and, typically for kids, even more typically for current generation, he's not too fussy (YET) whether he listens to a 128 kbps mp3 or a cd, or even crackly radio (not that he plays music very loud yet, thanks God). That said, I have made him aware there is good quality sound out there, and he enjoys listening to cds on our living room system. But, his bedroom is, obviously, not a sound studio, i.e. typical, smallish (approx. 3m x 3.5 m), and in no way optimised for good sound distribution (general pre-teen clutter). On top of all this I feel it makes no sense to spend a lot of money on speakers, when the system itself is "hifi", but only when you compare it with the horror both kids use for music everyday, i.e. mobiles, typically with sound coming through mono speaker, what else.
Is there any speaker(s) that I should consider in the circumstances? I don't mind 2nd hand (my son is, fortunately, not fussy about the looks or "new" either). I heard only praise about Wharfedale 9.1, still available new from Amazon for £120, and for around 70 - 80 off ebay, 2nd hand. I do like their looks and finish, and reviews are solid 5-stars, but I'm worried that the Panasonic mini is simply too weak to drive such speakers, plus, an overkill for a small room and the user who will - probably - not appreciate its superior sound quality any time soon. Should I be looking at something smaller and cheaper perhaps, like used Tannoy M1, or Mordaunt, on ebay for, roughly 40 - 50 quid and up? (Short 902i, MS10i, MS25Ti, etc.). In fact, there's quite a range of small speakers on amazon, new, approx. £60 - 80, e.g. Short M10, Mission lx1, and even Wharfedale 9.0. Smaller than 9.1, and poorer sound quality, but then, does it matter, given the... context? Perhaps I should just stop splitting hair and get any of them, as they're all more than adequate for the job?
Regards,
n.
Nevertheless, it was practically unused and, for 70 quid, well, cheap (it wasn't a random choice just on price, it has required specs, i.e. reads flac files off usb stick, dab+, bluetooth streaming, cd tray, etc). BUT - it came with no speakers (which I knew before buying).
Now, to speakers, I don't want to buy the cheapest car bootsale / gumtree. But I don't want to spend a lot either, firstly, because the "end user" is young and, typically for kids, even more typically for current generation, he's not too fussy (YET) whether he listens to a 128 kbps mp3 or a cd, or even crackly radio (not that he plays music very loud yet, thanks God). That said, I have made him aware there is good quality sound out there, and he enjoys listening to cds on our living room system. But, his bedroom is, obviously, not a sound studio, i.e. typical, smallish (approx. 3m x 3.5 m), and in no way optimised for good sound distribution (general pre-teen clutter). On top of all this I feel it makes no sense to spend a lot of money on speakers, when the system itself is "hifi", but only when you compare it with the horror both kids use for music everyday, i.e. mobiles, typically with sound coming through mono speaker, what else.
Is there any speaker(s) that I should consider in the circumstances? I don't mind 2nd hand (my son is, fortunately, not fussy about the looks or "new" either). I heard only praise about Wharfedale 9.1, still available new from Amazon for £120, and for around 70 - 80 off ebay, 2nd hand. I do like their looks and finish, and reviews are solid 5-stars, but I'm worried that the Panasonic mini is simply too weak to drive such speakers, plus, an overkill for a small room and the user who will - probably - not appreciate its superior sound quality any time soon. Should I be looking at something smaller and cheaper perhaps, like used Tannoy M1, or Mordaunt, on ebay for, roughly 40 - 50 quid and up? (Short 902i, MS10i, MS25Ti, etc.). In fact, there's quite a range of small speakers on amazon, new, approx. £60 - 80, e.g. Short M10, Mission lx1, and even Wharfedale 9.0. Smaller than 9.1, and poorer sound quality, but then, does it matter, given the... context? Perhaps I should just stop splitting hair and get any of them, as they're all more than adequate for the job?
Regards,
n.