Question Budget speakers for an improvised setup

[tenohfive]

I've decided to fill in the blanks in some of the music-less rooms in my house for when playing multiroom audio whilst doing stuff. So I've picked up an old Yamaha DSP-E492 (30wpc) that'll do two different zones.

One room is the kitchen and - scorn away - I'm planning on using whatever cheap used centre speaker I can find to fit above the kitchen units or on a windowsill. It's not a big room and I just want to be able to hear music when passing through it.

The second room however I will spend a little time in. It's 4x3m and the joys of having to kid-proof everything mean that the speakers will be in a corner, unless I wall mount them. So I'm looking for something fairly forgiving. With a tight budget I'm not expecting anything life changing but as ever I'd like the best I can afford.

I've got a budget of around £100-120 so I was thinking a cheap of pair of Q3020's if bought new or swing for the cheapest Dali's I can find used. Any gaping holes in my plan here, or something that'd be better suited?

 

[muljao]

Won't a centre speaker just receive a portion of the decoded music in surround mode.

Would you not need to run the amp in stereo and use stereo left and right chanells in each room, I'm open to correction

Edit- the q acoustics are lovely

 

[Hixs]

We use a bluetooth (Anker Soundcore) speaker in the kitchen paired with spotify. It's not great sounding, but it's only background noise at the end of the day.

I'd pump all your available funds into your 3*4 room.

 

[dogfonos]

Any gaping holes in my plan here

I too can't see how you'll connect a single center speaker to the receiver and get music to play in the kitchen as monaural sound - which is what you're aiming for, I think. One of us isn't understanding something. Is it me?

 

[tenohfive]

I thought it might be doable. I'm not set on the idea, it's just that the size/shape works better for the small gap above a kitchen cupboard. I have seen some centre speakers with 4 poles which made me think it was possible.
I'm open to cheap compact bookshelves though.

I'm not looking to use a BT speaker (I've got loads) as they're a faff and I want this all as part of a multiroom setup, so it would mean plugging in a CCA costing the same amount as the speaker.

 

[dogfonos]

I have seen some centre speakers with 4 poles which made me think it was possible.

I haven't noticed such center speakers but then I'm not into multi-channel sound. Could these center speakers with 4 terminals you've seen just be bi-wireable speakers? This means that the feeds to the tweeter and the bass/mid drive units are separated so users can choose to employ separate cables for bass/mid and treble - if they so wish. This is not the same as feeding the speaker two channels of sound though - it's still just a single channel.

Using a single speaker (could be a center speaker or just one of a stereo pair) isn't the real problem - it's the receiver that's the issue here. I just can't see how you can use it to provide the necessary music feed to a single speaker. Hopefully, someone with far more knowledge than me will chip in but as far as I see it, you're best off with CCA's dotted around the place. The Left & Right channel analogue outputs of the CCA could possibly be summed together to give a mono output (need to check this out) that could be fed into a single powered/active speaker. The capable yet cheap Kitsound reunion would suit but because most powered (rather than active) speakers have the amplification contained in only one of the speakers' cabinets, as does the Kitsound Reunion, you'd need to use both speakers or ditch/re-deploy the passive speaker of the pair:

KitSound Reunion Wireless Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers - Black 5030578412047 | eBay

True active speakers, often available to purchase singly, usually have the amplification built into both cabinets, eg:

SubZero SZSM-5A Studio Monitor, Single at Gear4music

...so these could be used singly.

it would mean plugging in a CCA costing the same amount as the speaker.

Great if you already have some CCA's but, as far as I'm aware, brand new examples are difficult to find.

 

[tenohfive]

There are a few knocking about still.

I'll rule out the centre speaker idea then, I'll settle for a cheap set of passive speakers if I can find anything small enough.

On the speakers I intend to sink the majority of my budget though I'm still on the look out - Zensor 1's or 3020's seem to be the main contenders.

I'm also considering finding the extra for either Spektor 1's or 3020i's - I've got the smaller versions of both in different rooms, and if I do eventually sell anything it may be easier to sell as 4.0 setup. I also like the sound of both.

 

[tenohfive]

Okay, budget creep has kicked in but the wife is on board.

I know this isn't a like for like comparison, but for both the initial application and future proofing with possible changes in setup I'm considering two options:

1. Dali Spektor 2's. I've got a pair, like the sound, and I feel they'll hold their value. Due to placing them in a kid friendly position I feel like the sound will be slightly compromised but I can live with that for now.
2. Mission LX-3's. Floorstanders will give me the ability to position them better for filling the whole room as being heavier I think they'll be fairly kid friendly. They also offer greater flexibility for summer time use, as it'll be easier to angle them towards the garden.

Am I being foolish considering floorstanders in these circumstances?