Got some speakers but need a main unit, help please
- Thread starter krisboats
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Do you not have any opinion on my suggestion?
Sorry didn't get chance to get back in here.... kinda missed your post too. It does sound like a good option, though i wouldn't know where to begin with picking decent models of speakers.
I'm under the belief that going into richer sounds might be a good idea so i can listen to a few different ones plugged into the amp i'm looking at getting.
Will the bass be sufficient with a pair of speakers, i do love to feel the floor rumble. I sit with my feet on my pc sub
The fact that my post after yours is asking people if my current pair of what i thought were half decent bookshelves would be sufficient kind of implies that i've read what you said and have adapted it as a possible solution to fit with what i already have.
I'm not, i'm taking all of this on board. Its just half the people have dismissed the sony speakers outright and said theres no point getting an amp just to power them. I'm trying to explain that i want the amp so i'm set for the future and can upgrade bits one piece at a time. It comes across that a lot of people take the audio gear seriously and are just looking down on what i've currently got, hence posts like "they're only fit for the bin" etc, i wouldn't be so rude to someone and their opinion clearly isn't worth the time of day if they think like that, badbob saying he wouldn't give a £150 sub the time of day is a prime example all the reviews said it was great, it fits in power wise with the system i'm looking at getting and it should be £300, yet because its £150 he said it'd be ****. I don't have hundreds of pounds to spend on each piece of gear right now so am looking to make a surround sound system mostly out of what i have. I'm also not sure if my housemate will want to scrap poor surround for decent stereo, thats why i'm asking if it would be so bad to use bookshelves at the front and the sony's at the rear.
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I've been into audio for about 15 years, and started from cheap system. If you want to dismiss my suggestions go ahead, but you'll be choosing the wrong path, daft pairing up a cheap subwoofer with cheap speakers. Buy the amp, buy stereo speakers, use those nasty Sony speakers for center and surrounds for now, then buy a sub, then replace center and surrounds.
I think thats pretty much the way its going to be then. So the next question is, i guess... which stereo speakers should i be looking at, or would the jvc units i already have be sufficient for a short while? Using the JVC's would give me an option straight away i guess too, so i have longer to decide on which stereo speakers.
The centre is pretty important in 5.1 as well i guess... should i look at upgrading the centre before the surrounds?
As said already i love monstrous bass in movies and music, so i guess that'd have to be a small factor in the stereo speakers, especially if i'm laying off getting a sub for now.
Then you need to increase your budget. A subwoofer that pressurises a room isn't going to cost less than £500. Main speakers cannot reproduce bass levels similar to a subwoofer, even floorstanders.
£150 will just about get you reasonable quality standmount speakers.
I'd look for a second hand SVS PCi subwoofer.
Pressurises a room? £500 is well out of budget i'm afraid though.
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Okay, here's what I'd do.
Spend a fair lump of cash on a decent A/V amplifier that won't need upgrading for a very long time. With this I'd use your current JVC speakers as fronts and your Sony speakers as surrounds as already mentioned. Then, when it comes to upgrading, you can add a subwoofer to your setup. Then maybe get a pair of floorstanding speakers to replace your fronts and then relegate these to the position of surrounds, and then replace the centre speaker.
Spend a fair lump of cash on a decent A/V amplifier that won't need upgrading for a very long time. With this I'd use your current JVC speakers as fronts and your Sony speakers as surrounds as already mentioned. Then, when it comes to upgrading, you can add a subwoofer to your setup. Then maybe get a pair of floorstanding speakers to replace your fronts and then relegate these to the position of surrounds, and then replace the centre speaker.
If your budget is something like £100 for a sub, don't bother. I'd rather have no sub, than a cheap sub. It'll make your system sound worse. Have owned a few subs in the past.
I'm currently using a 24watt altec lansing fx 4021 sub for my main pc/music speakers
The sub was, until very recently £300... surely it'll be okay? Especially compared to what i currently have. I don't want something super amazing that feels like someone is hitting you in the face with a codfish, just a nice rumble through the floorboards
Sounds okay i guess, and just my kind of budget
So what sort of amp would you recommend, the yamaha rxv361 not gonna cut it? If i'm being honest.. if i bought the 361 i wouldn't be upgrading till after uni anyway so not for another 2 years minimum. Its currently sat at £41 at online auction.
Would i be as well to grab that if it stays relatively cheap and get some speakers at the same time so i'm running new speakers up front and jvc's as surround? Or just look at spending more on a second hand amp from the get-go.
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I think you need to demo some kit. Have a listen to the AV receiver you intend to buy, maybe even take along your speakers and see how well they perform when connected up. Then try some standmount speakers and finally throw a sub in to the mix.
FYI Richer Sounds are currently selling of the Mordaunt Short 309i subwoofer which is generally considerd as being an absolute steal for £130. Probably still falls short of what badbob would advise but as an entry level sub you can't really go wrong.
FYI Richer Sounds are currently selling of the Mordaunt Short 309i subwoofer which is generally considerd as being an absolute steal for £130. Probably still falls short of what badbob would advise but as an entry level sub you can't really go wrong.
Sounds okay i guess, and just my kind of budget
So what sort of amp would you recommend, the yamaha rxv361 not gonna cut it? If i'm being honest.. if i bought the 361 i wouldn't be upgrading till after uni anyway so not for another 2 years minimum. Its currently sat at £41 at online auction.
Would i be as well to grab that if it stays relatively cheap and get some speakers at the same time so i'm running new speakers up front and jvc's as surround? Or just look at spending more on a second hand amp from the get-go.
A av system in the long run is going to cost a bit. I think you need to unstand just how much. At least £250 for the av amp, and at least £650 for 5.1 speaker but I would recommend at least £800.
Okay then, i'm going to richer sounds tomorrow to get them to show me the av receivers. I was looking at the 409 sub, that was the one badbob was/is shooting down a bit. I reckon it'll be alright for what i want, but he does know better than me. If i leave getting the sub for a bit i can always badger him for some more advice (so long as you can tolerate my naive ways 
) nearer sub-purchasing-time.
But a big woot woot for it being better than my pc sub. We're gonna have some much better stuff than 90% of students round here. Last 3 houseparties i've been to had music coming out of ipod docks
I'm really looking forward to going tomorrow now, cheers for your help guys. Time for dinner, guess i'll be back posting away a load of questions tomorrow afternoon/evening after my little visit.
) nearer sub-purchasing-time.But a big woot woot for it being better than my pc sub. We're gonna have some much better stuff than 90% of students round here. Last 3 houseparties i've been to had music coming out of ipod docks
I'm really looking forward to going tomorrow now, cheers for your help guys. Time for dinner, guess i'll be back posting away a load of questions tomorrow afternoon/evening after my little visit.
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Just be aware Richer Sounds are sales people, they'll say any clap trap to sell you something, and will push own brands Richer Sounds have bought over the years.
Personally I'd go with a mate who's into HT so if the sales guy starts talking crap he'll set him right. I've dealt with Richer Sounds staff and untrained monkeys.
It's a 10" 200W sub so for a small room it'll be fine, I just wouldn't be interested in something like that. But then I do own one that's just a bit better
Personally I'd go with a mate who's into HT so if the sales guy starts talking crap he'll set him right. I've dealt with Richer Sounds staff and untrained monkeys.
It's a 10" 200W sub so for a small room it'll be fine, I just wouldn't be interested in something like that. But then I do own one that's just a bit better
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The 409 is a deceptive sub as I said. The 309 is a steal but the 409 is noticeably better. RS show all of their range on their site so there is no need to get caught up by what the sales blokes recommend. Have a damn good lok on the site, make a shortlist of components, read as amny reviews as you can and go in with a fixed plan of what to demo.
By all means let them try and show you alternatives as something may genuinely be better, but just keep cracking on with the research!
Just so you know, when I was fininshing off my last AV setup, the sub was the last thing I was going to replace, but after a good few grand on a telly, new amp, speakers, new eletric sofas etc etc, money was tight. I was 'this' close to buying a 409 sub (I have a 5m by 4m living room) and it was more than capable of kicking out good strong bass there. I wasn't convinced by the 10" driver until I tried it. Luckily for me, they had a one off special on my Tannoy TS12 sub that had a beaten to hell box etc. I got it for a stupidly good £280 instead of the retail £500 and it made the 409 sound a tad wheezy in comparison.
One last thing, make sure you fill your pockets with lollies! (You will know what I mean when you go there)
By all means let them try and show you alternatives as something may genuinely be better, but just keep cracking on with the research!
Just so you know, when I was fininshing off my last AV setup, the sub was the last thing I was going to replace, but after a good few grand on a telly, new amp, speakers, new eletric sofas etc etc, money was tight. I was 'this' close to buying a 409 sub (I have a 5m by 4m living room) and it was more than capable of kicking out good strong bass there. I wasn't convinced by the 10" driver until I tried it. Luckily for me, they had a one off special on my Tannoy TS12 sub that had a beaten to hell box etc. I got it for a stupidly good £280 instead of the retail £500 and it made the 409 sound a tad wheezy in comparison
.One last thing, make sure you fill your pockets with lollies! (You will know what I mean when you go there
)Bit of a bump, but i finally got round to getting an amp. I got an onkyo 506 7.1 which, although it doesn't do audio over HDMI, looks a lot better than the yamaha amp i was looking at getting earlier.
Going to be using the JVC speakers for a couple of weeks and then once i have the funds for it i'm going to be replacing them with KEF IQ1's as the front two speakers.
I'm also browsing ebay for some RS1's in case a bargain pops up on there when i have the cash ready for speakers.
Going to be using the JVC speakers for a couple of weeks and then once i have the funds for it i'm going to be replacing them with KEF IQ1's as the front two speakers.
I'm also browsing ebay for some RS1's in case a bargain pops up on there when i have the cash ready for speakers.