Cheap Amp & Speakers or 2.1 setup for PC!!??

[shezzy2k]

I have finally thrown out my old creative 2.1 PC speaker set up and have been considering using an amp and bookshelf speakers for my PC in a 10ft x 7ft room.

My absolute max budget is £400 for this.

I am running an RME soundcard off the PC and have considered the following...

AE AEGO2 2.1
Klipsch Promedia GMX A 2.1
Logitech z2300 2.1

* I listen primarily to Soul, R&B & Hip-Hop so bass is very important.
* My requirement is for music only.
* I don't have room for floorstanders, but may be able to accommodate larger bookshelfs which I assume should be front ported.
* I'm happy to consider second hand recommendations

What I would like to know is are there any recommended speaker/Amp combinations that would give me better sound for my lossless audio collection than the PC sub/sat options I mentioned above?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[WhyAyeMan]

I have the Aego 2's and for what they are, they are very impressive indeed, with plenty of bass (even on the minimum setting), and the satelites have a sweet, airy, detailed sound and throw a good soundstage. I downgraded to this from a Rotel / Rega setup, and while clearly not as good as that, I dont feel short changed considering what it cost. Perfect for small-medium rooms.

 

[shezzy2k]

Thanks for the response...I may go for the AEGO2 speaker set, unless anyone knows of any other options

 

[jon_mendel]

Plenty of options in your price range; I tend to prefer the sound of seperate speakers/amps to sat speakers, but comes down to taste of course.

I'm using a sonic impact t amp (google for info) with my laptop - is cheap and gives very good, clear, deep bass, although it does struggle with bass if you turn the volume up... Also handles vocals extremly well, loads of detail... You could perhaps look at getting a t amp, along with a decent pair of secondhand bookshelf speakers (I like the little mission 731 speakers, but there's lots of options for under a ton) and an active sub to give you plenty of bass.

If you want a pair of bookshelves with good bass, maybe try to dig up an old pair of EPI speakers - they made some big old speakers, with BIG woofers, so lots of bass. You could either try running them off a t amp, or look for a decent budget amp to go with them - plenty of marantz, cambridge, rotel etc. amps secondhand for under $150...

Jon

 

[DeeeKaaY]

Hi there,
I would vote for a normal stereo pair of speakers in preference to a sub sat setup. You know your RME deserves the best.
dk

 

[shezzy2k]

Hi there,
I would vote for a normal stereo pair of speakers in preference to a sub sat setup. You know your RME deserves the best.
dk

I think you may be right here...I'm warming to a NAD 352 (seen a few ex demo) & some Mission V61's HERE ...any opinions on these?

Plenty of options in your price range; I tend to prefer the sound of seperate speakers/amps to sat speakers, but comes down to taste of course.

I'm using a sonic impact t amp (google for info) with my laptop - is cheap and gives very good, clear, deep bass, although it does struggle with bass if you turn the volume up... Also handles vocals extremly well, loads of detail... You could perhaps look at getting a t amp, along with a decent pair of secondhand bookshelf speakers (I like the little mission 731 speakers, but there's lots of options for under a ton) and an active sub to give you plenty of bass.

If you want a pair of bookshelves with good bass, maybe try to dig up an old pair of EPI speakers - they made some big old speakers, with BIG woofers, so lots of bass. You could either try running them off a t amp, or look for a decent budget amp to go with them - plenty of marantz, cambridge, rotel etc. amps secondhand for under $150...

Jon

Thanks for the feedback...the Sonic Impact T looks very interesting...but as you've got me thinking now, I'm probably after something more substantial. Also no luck sourcing those EPI speakers you mentioned.

 

[jon_mendel]

Come to think of it, you may not find the EPI speakers in the UK (seem to be more a US thing).

Nothing wrong with those missions, but iirc (and from the stats on the website) the bass doesn't got that deep; could be fine depending on what you want, and a decent pair of speakers, but kind-of depends how heavy a bass you'd want. You could perhaps get more for your money looking secondhand, and may find it easier to find a fairly bass-y pair of bookshelves - some of the newer models seem almost designed to work with a sub imho.

Jon

 

[shezzy2k]

Thanks for the heads up...I will definitely have a listen before I stump up any cash. Looks like I may need to do some more research on the speakers

 

[jon_mendel]

Sure - happy listening; if you're spending much money on a pair of speakers, well worth trying to have a listen in advance (or, even better, arrange a home dem so you can see how they sound in your room). Nothing wrong with the mission speaks you're looking at, but depends what you want from them...

btw, according to mission it's when speakers get down to about 40hz or so that you start to feel the bass more than hear it

Jon

 

[shezzy2k]

Well I demoed Marantz PM7200, PM7001, PM4001, NAD 320BEE, 352CT, and Rotel RA02 I found the Marantz PM7001, and PM7200 most pleasing to my ears repsectively. I found the NAD too raw and the Rotel just uninspiring. I managed to acquire a brand new pair of B&W 602.3's for £219 from Sevenoaks in Ipswich who are having a closing down sale if anyone's interested.

As I am going to be slightly over budget, I just need to see if I can get a better price on the Marantz 7001 which I've been quoted £321 so far from SSP of £349.

Any recommended Marantz dealers anyone?

 

[jon_mendel]

"My absolute max budget is £400 for this." Yeah, budgets tend to stretch...

If it's any help, I *think* I know someone who was selling a 2nd hand 7200 on another forum - PM me if interested, and I'll give you their username etc...

Jon

 

[shezzy2k]

Yeah...definitely blown my budget!! Thanks for the offer regarding the 7200...only problem is now that I've heard the 7001, I'm kind of set on it. Anyway, I guess an almost 10% discount on a new model amplifier can't be bad...will probably go with this.

 

[jon_mendel]

Thanks interesting - I take it the 7001 is the new model from Marantz? And it sounds significantly better than the 7200?

Jon

 

[shezzy2k]

As far as I'm aware the 7001 replaces the 7200 which is now discontinued...so there are some significant discounts to be had on this model.

I'm not an audiophile so you'll have to forgive me here, but to my ears there wasn't a huge difference in the two amps. However, I preferred the upper mid range and treble on the 7001 which I felt was more revealing on the B&Ws. The other factor for me was that it is physically a lot smaller than the 7200.

 

[jon_mendel]

Fair enough - yeah, noted shops selling 7200 for under GBP200, but if the 7001 matches the b&w's better (and you want a new amp) then go for it

Jon

 

[shezzy2k]

Just an update on this...

Well I finally got my PM7001 & B&W 602's set up and connected to the PC which I complemented with some TNT Triple-T speaker cable HERE.
My only mistake was to let my better half listen to the set up in all it's glory...well to cut a long story short, this kit is now all in the front room and I'm back to square one looking for some decent sounds for my PC

 

[fish99]

Lol

 

[BenW]

How about these: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=228236

 

[jon_mendel]

m-audio would be an option. If money's tight you could also look at trying one of those sonic impact t amps (I've got a system here that cost around $US100 inc. speakers, and compares embarrasingly well to my hifi at home...)

Anyway, glad you got a system you like (even if you lost it cause it sounds too good )

Jon

 

[BenW]

With the m-audio i linked to above you can get an addon package to make it 5.1 too

 

[shezzy2k]

@ BenW
Thanks for the suggestion. I have looked at the m-audio and read an online review on it previously, but at this stage would prefer to audition prior to purchase for that sort of money.

@ Jon_mendel
The sonic Impact may be worth a punt temporarily as I can get one of these for about £30 on ebay. How would you describe the bass response on this?

I really need to get something soon as I have no audio from the PC and what I really had in mind for the main stereo in the front room was along the lines of a Musical Fidelity A3.5/A5, but that is a project for sometime early next year.

 

[nsherin]

I use a NAD C320BEE and a pair of Mission m70s using a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 as a source for my PC setup and to my ears it sounds excellent. MP3s - even at 128kbps sound surprisingly good to my ears. Best thing to do is to listen to as much kit as you can and let your own ears decide. The Audigy 2 isn't my only source - I also use a NAD C521BEE CD player, Rotel RT-940-AX tuner and Pro-Ject Debut II TT through the same amp. However, a high percentage of listening is done using the PC as a source, so it'd have to sound pretty good to my ears!

 

[fish99]

Anyone ever used these Roland DM10s? -

http://www.absolute247.co.uk/shop/view_product.php?product=roldm10

They sorta look like mini hi-fi speakers, except I think they have the amp and DAC built in. They have digital inputs too if your soundcard has optical or coaxial out. They look like they should sound better than your average PC speakers at least.

 

[shezzy2k]

I use a NAD C320BEE and a pair of Mission m70s using a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 as a source for my PC setup and to my ears it sounds excellent. MP3s - even at 128kbps sound surprisingly good to my ears. Best thing to do is to listen to as much kit as you can and let your own ears decide. The Audigy 2 isn't my only source - I also use a NAD C521BEE CD player, Rotel RT-940-AX tuner and Pro-Ject Debut II TT through the same amp. However, a high percentage of listening is done using the PC as a source, so it'd have to sound pretty good to my ears!

I recall reading one of your posts previously which in part inspired me to go Hi Fi for my PC. I did listen to the NAD 320 and 352, but preferred the Marantz sound.

Anyone ever used these Roland DM10s? -

http://www.absolute247.co.uk/shop/v...product=roldm10

They sorta look like mini hi-fi speakers, except I think they have the amp and DAC built in. They have digital inputs too if your soundcard has optical or coaxial out. They look like they should sound better than your average PC speakers at least.

Nice spot...these look very interesting at the price. I am running an RME 96/8 PAD soundcard, so have both outputs and cables.

I have to keep in mind that this will only be for a few months so I can't get carried away as I can get back what I originally bought.

I'll see what else I can find out about these...thanks!!

 

[jon_mendel]

@ Jon_mendel
The sonic Impact may be worth a punt temporarily as I can get one of these for about £30 on ebay. How would you describe the bass response on this?

I really need to get something soon as I have no audio from the PC and what I really had in mind for the main stereo in the front room was along the lines of a Musical Fidelity A3.5/A5, but that is a project for sometime early next year.

Bass response is pretty good (using a half-decent power supply, for which you'd probably need to budget GBP10-20 from maplin or similar): goes deep, and sounds pretty neutral...way better than other affordable amps I've heard. The main limitation on bass is the volume - using my (not that sensitive) speakers, the power limitations of the t amp stop it from putting out wall shaking bass, though it still has a nice kick Whether this is a problem depends what you'd want to use it for - mine's in my study, and it can quite happily play louder than would seem safe to listen to for 8hrs or so per day of work...

Jon

btw, with the dollar fairly low you may save a little money by importing the amp from the US, though not sure if it's worth the hassle...