Home audio & video: home stereo audio system, advice
home stereo audio system, advice
by achaus-cnet - 10/4/09 12:18 PMHey guys,
I'm in the market for a new sound system, and we're talking something separate from the tv and video components, that will simply be used for music on a different floor. We need to be able to play CDs and connect the ipod in a user friendly fashion.
I've looked at mini-shelf systems but have no been able to find one I can feel confident about in terms of sound and built quality.
Originally we wanted to go wireless to avoid the hassle of wires and have the freedom to place the speakers whereever we wanted, but we ran into several problems.
#1 we have not been able to find a wireless mini portable system with seperate speakers such as the [URL]http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665518556[URL/] that has a cd player
#2 the griffin evolve [URL]http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/evolve[/URL] looks great but the batteries in the speakers are not replaceable and like all batteries must die after some time and it also doesn't have a cd player
it seems then that we need to go full system with a receiver, a cd player, and an ipod dock, and get some good speakers. So i need some advice for those components
#1 can you recommend a good stereo receiver
#2 a good cd or dvd player (we wouldn't be using it for dvds but it seems that cd players are being phased out since dvd players play cds)
#3 a good set of speakers for 2.0 system that are not large and don't take up much space, wireless would be great but we kind of dropped that option now because we didn't anything worth that's wireless
All advice from the audio brains out there is greatly appreciated.
(NT) Budget??
by givemeaname - 10/4/09 12:27 PM In reply to: home stereo audio system, advice by achaus-cnetbudget
by achaus-cnet - 10/5/09 8:23 AM In reply to: (NT) Budget?? by givemeanamethe budget is 300-400. I appreciate your comments.
...
by givemeaname - 10/5/09 10:34 AM In reply to: budget by achaus-cnetnot all these have CD players.
Reviews...
http://www.cnet.com/topic-reviews/ipod-dock.html
or these cool looking ones but some will be more costly then the ones on C/net link...
http://www.digsdigs.com/15-best-designed-ipod-iphone-docks/
Avoid all in one docks. The bang for you buck is not all
by minimalist - 10/5/09 11:21 AM In reply to: budget by achaus-cnetthat great and the stereo separation is non-existent. And if you buy a receiver you wont have much left for decent speakers. Speakers, more than any other part make or break a sound system.
My inclination would be to get a good pair of powered speakers such as these A5's from Audio Engine (http://www.audioengineusa.com/a5_home.php) and then get a cheap DVD player at Target.
By the way, "wireless" speakers will always have wires because without speaker cables you still need to power the speakers. You are just trading in one set of wires for another.
speakers
by achaus-cnet - 10/5/09 3:51 PM In reply to: Avoid all in one docks. The bang for you buck is not all by minimalist"And if you buy a receiver you wont have much left for decent speakers"
by that you mean that there are only a few good sets of 2.0 speakers to go with receivers?
Thanks for the input guys its helping a lot, and thanks for the link to the audioengine speakers.
No. There are tons of great speakers out there.
by minimalist - 10/5/09 4:31 PM In reply to: speakers by achaus-cnetIts just that 300-400 is not much if you need to buy a receiver and a set of speakers AND a DVD/CD player. That amount of money would surely buy you a nice set of bookshelf speakers from any number of companies, but then you'd have very little left over for the receiver and the CD/DVD player. CD/DVD players can be had for pretty cheap though (30-50 dollars) so combining that with a good set of powered speakers would b a nice compromise between the all-in-one iPod dock systems and a full on separates stereo system.
Plus if you ever decide to upgrade to a nicer system the audio engines would make a great set of speakers for a home office or a computer and they wouldn't require you buy another amp.
The audioengines look great, FINE reviews too
by achaus-cnet - 10/5/09 5:46 PM In reply to: No. There are tons of great speakers out there. by minimalistYes at first I was not sure whether or not I needed a receiver to connect a cd/dvd player with those speakers. It looks like I do not; It has an audio input on the back and on the top. Also the company makes a small wireless transmitter which is a nice option although its 150$
So as i understand it I can plug in a cd/dvd player such as this one [URL]http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9028054&type=product&id=1218010176877[/URL]into the speaker, as well as have the ipod connected. This sort of setup is ideal, less components to deal with. If i can do without a receiver, I will.
best buy's line of boolkshelf speakers
by achaus-cnet - 10/10/09 1:58 PM In reply to: No. There are tons of great speakers out there. by minimalistby the way, best buy has a few polk audios speaker pairs which look good. What do you think of polk audio? Here are the speakers
[URL]http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8828076&type=product&id=1207956903826[/URL]
[URL]http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8828067&type=product&id=1207956903759[/URL]
best buy also has a polk audio t15 model in store for 100 bucks (pair) and a klipsch VB-15 pair for 300 bucks, both models in store.
Sony also makes a SS-B3000 model for about 100 bucks but is sold out at best buy.
WHich one of these would you recommend?
A Different Direction....
by daiku1 - 10/10/09 5:36 PM In reply to: best buy's line of boolkshelf speakers by achaus-cnetI noticed you mentioned you wanted to play music from your ipod and considered wireless. Have you considered something like the Logitech Squeezebox Boom? This is a great little stereo that we use in a second room, and have access to all our music from our computer. It also gives you Internet Radio as well. This is a solution designed for the future. All you need is a wireless router in your home.
logitech boombox and polkaudio speakers
by achaus-cnet - 10/11/09 12:26 PM In reply to: A Different Direction.... by daiku1The logitech boombox seems great; how are the speakers? We do though need a cd player and receiver to plug in some good speakers. Right now i was unable to find good wireless speakers that could match something like the polk audio TSI100 (200$).
thanks for your great advice minimalist, it helps a lot. I would now go with polk audio or klipsch over sony. unfortunately they are not available in the store! I would have to order them online from the best buy website.
Minimalist - check this out http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=NAC715
I had a NAD integrated amp for years.
by minimalist - 10/11/09 7:43 PM In reply to: logitech boombox and polkaudio speakers by achaus-cnetGreat piece of equipment. Lasted me 20 plus years. In fact I still have it feeding some bookshelf speakers in another room.
Its been a long time since I looked at Polks
by minimalist - 10/10/09 6:11 PM In reply to: best buy's line of boolkshelf speakers by achaus-cnetbut they used to be a decent loudspeaker when I was shopping for 2.0 gear in the 80's and 90's. Unless something dramatic has happened to the company I'd likely go with them over the Sony's (I find dedicated speaker companies offer better quality products over a company that makes everything). But you'll need to let your ears be the judge. I believe Best Buy doesn't have any restocking fee so you might be able to buy them and try them out and return them if you don;t like them in your space.
Home audio and video
by Barriebyrnes - 10/12/09 3:59 AM In reply to: home stereo audio system, advice by achaus-cnetIts really interesting information you have provided here. Home audio ans video are really useful for our entertainment. It reduce our stress and tension.
wire
by achaus-cnet - 10/22/09 10:26 AM In reply to: Home audio and video by BarriebyrnesSo I got the Energy C-200 speakers (audioadvisor.com) and the TEAC cr-h227i receiver/cd player (electronicsexpo.com). I have them connected with monster xp cable
Label: NW . Compact Precision Stranded High Resolution Speaker Cable with Magnetic Flux Tube and LPE Dielectric
- I’m not sure what gauge they are though, the diameter of the copper is about 2mm, so the SA is 3.14 mm2
Should I get better cable?
Also, I would like to know which connection method you recommend. I was thinking banaplugs adapters to easily plug them in the back of the receiver and speakers. At the moment they are hooked up with bare wire. The connectors on both the receiver and the speakers are 5 way binding post.
Also, do you both with bi-amplification or bi-wire? My speakers can do that although my receiver has only two channels each with 1 positive and 1 negative output.
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