Amp/speakers for almost entirely music - lost with choice!

cianclarke

Hi all - looking to buy a really really good set of speakers for listening to music with. At first I was deffo' buying a Bose Companion 3 set, then I realised for the price that I should be getting a lot better - so now I'm thinking of going with something extendable, an amp.
It'll be used pretty much exclusively with my Dell laptop which has a headphone out jack, which also doubles up as an optical out (for 5.1, etc).
The main purpose will be listening to music, but it will occasionally be used for gaming and movies (which will be in 5.1).
First question is given that it'll be 90% music, 10% 5.1 stuff would I be better off going for a 2 channel amp considering my budget? I'd rather not sacrafice quality to get 5.1 sound, but would be willing to buy a 5.1 system and buy just 2 speakers to start and expand later.

Second question is really what to buy - I'm pretty certain that I'll probably buy at least the amp second hand / cheapo new from eBay.
How important is the amp to audio quality - or is it all down to the speakers? I'd be open to buying a speaker/amp kit.
I'm living in an apartment, so volume will always be pretty low - don't need uber high output, quality comes first.

The budget is €200-€300, pretty small I know - but I reckon I'd be better off spending this much on amp+speakers rather than just the bose companion 3 2.1's.


Any advice people would have would be great - thanks!

Discostuy

Hey, the thing with the Bose stuff is its usually fairly restrictive in the way it interlinks with other equipment. The cabling and all is usually pretty unique just to Bose. For that reason i would try to look along the lines of getting something that can be changed and upgraded furture wise.

The amp in my opionion is a vital piece of kit in any decent entertainment set up. You can have incredible speakers, but if you dont have a decent amp driving the sound to them, you won't get the best out of them.

If it was me, i would do it bit by bit. Start by getting an amp...if you could stretch your budget a bit, something like an Onkyo 606 can be got for 475 on komplett...thats only a brand new amp, so if you cant afford that...look around and see if you can get the 605 model...last years model if you will...
Its nearly identical, you could probably get one for about 350.

It probably looks way to OTT for what you need now, but this will do you for years to come, and will suit any speaker, dvd, cd, tv upgrades you throw at it. Its also HDMI compatible and covers all the High definition sounds that are around at the moment.

From there work on the speakers...start with fronts...and then in time if you want to go the whole 5.1 route, add a centre and rears and a sub.

This is just how i done it over the years. I always tried to buy the best i could at the time. I try to buy gear that is future proof so i dont end up buying new gear every year to keep up with the rest.
Now after 10-12 years since i first played my tv through a stereo, i have my ideal home cinema set up...Full HD sound and video goodness.

MAJJ

Hi,

I reckon your best skipping the BOSE, they are very overrated and specialised (read closed). For your budget it may be really hard to get a 5.1 setup that will be up to what you need.

I think that your budget dictates a stereo amp and some book shelf speakers. Although, many AV amps have really dropped
in price and there should be a glut of them on ebay etc. I think this is mainly because of HDMI and HD sound formats.

Technically you need to make sure the amp you choose can handle the inputs you need, most should have an optical in but these
can be either digital or co-ax.

Bear in mind one option might be to get a stereo amp/2 speakers and in the future get an AV amp and reuse the speakers in a 5.1
configuration. But you would need to ensure that the speakers you buy could take the output of the amp. This is where I bow out and hope others can advise, more.

If you check previous posts I made, I like Richer Sounds in Belfast so maybe consult them. Also, I looked at their website and they have plenty of stereo amps and speakers that should come in close to your budget.

http://www.richersounds.com/productgroups.php?cda=productgroups&pgroup=HI-FISEPARATES

and this for example offers but am sure you could work something out with them i.e. drop the cd player.


http://www.richersounds.com/information.php?cda=static&cst=hifisystems

Just saw the post from Discostuy and really do agree re: the amp and approach to building up a system,. But of course all depends on your budget and your in a bit of quandry. I have a Onkyo 605 and use it with
a CD/DVD player and a HTPC, can't fault it.

majj

Slaphead07

I have the Onkyo 606 for cinema but it's just awful for music. Really really awful. You could pick up a second hand Arcam AV amp and still get decent two channel reproduction. BOSE are to be avoided - utter muck.

Discostuy

Slaphead07 wrote: »

I have the Onkyo 606 for cinema but it's just awful for music. Really really awful. You could pick up a second hand Arcam AV amp and still get decent two channel reproduction. BOSE are to be avoided - utter muck.

How do you mean awful?...i haven't heard the 606 myself, i have the 805 which i find grand...
Dont hear to many negative comments about the onkyos these days

Slaphead07

Discostuy wrote: »

How do you mean awful?...i haven't heard the 606 myself, i have the 805 which i find grand...
Dont hear to many negative comments about the onkyos these days

They're great for cinema but, as with most AV amps, they can't handle music very well. No subtlety, no warmth and not a hint or imagery or soundstage. Pianos and cymbals do not make the same sound.

Slaphead07

if the OP is serious about music reproduction and can accommodate it they should seriously consider a system which only does music and another one, if needed at all, dedicated to cinema.

cianclarke

That's interesting, comments RE being good for cinema but not for music - as it's the music that is important to me!
The 605 looks great, does all I want, but is a bit out of budget even second hand it seems...
I've found some stuff which I *can* afford on eBay however, how do these seem:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Sony-STR-DG520-5-1-HDMI-Audio-Video-Amplifier-NEW_W0QQitemZ330234540547QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item330234540547&_trkparms=39:1|66:2|65:2|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Yamaha-AV63-New-5-1-Channel-Amplifier-Speaker-Package_W0QQitemZ270282734882QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item270282734882&_trkparms=39:1|66:2|65:2|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

I know Onkyo seem held in pretty high esteem here, but not sure if I can afford - I'd rather spend under 250 on an amp...!
Any further thoughts on going 5.1 rather than 2 channel? Like I said, music VERY important - 5.1 not so much.
Thanks for the uber helpful replies by the way!!

Slaphead07

Just bear in mind that a cinema amp is designed to process and shape the sound and then deliver it to 6+ speakers while a music amp should do NOTHING to the signal except amplify it and deliver it to two speakers. They are almost opposites and it's rare to find an amp that can do both. Leaving aside 3 channel power amps (a possible upgrade path for you in the future) your best approach is to concentrate on 2 channel music and not bother with cinema processing at all.

cianclarke

"Rare to find an amp that can do both" - are there amps that *can* switch from 2 channel to 5.1 mode? On reflection, 5.1 would be nice - but still, music gets preference!!

Dero

I think Slaphead means it's rare to find an amp that can do both *well*. If the music is more important, then with your budgetary restrictions in mind, I would say go for as decent a stereo amp and speakers as you can for now. Your ears will thank you.

Slaphead07

Dero wrote: »

I think Slaphead means it's rare to find an amp that can do both *well*.

Exactly.

mathias

I have the Onkyo 606 for cinema but it's just awful for music. Really really awful.

I absolutely positively agree on this , the 605/606 is a dog for music , having been unfortunate enough to own one ... I personally didnt think it was any good at cinema either.

There are a couple of receivers that do a passable job at both , the Yamaha 3800 , and the Arcam350 ( i think ) , but in general , Music and Cinema is not a job for one box.

Myself , I have developed a taste for SACD and DVD audio , and where the content is original surround material , a receiver good at music is needed. There are not that many around though.

cianclarke

I forgot to update peoples on this, poor form of me I know!

In the end I bought an Onkyo TX8522 2 channel 100w amp from eBay for €100 - was €300 in peats! Methinks I got a bit of a bargain.

I then spent about a month using some **** satellite speakers from a surround system with it - how blasphemous! Then, when I could afford to I bought a pair of Wharfdale Diamond 9.1 Bookshelf Speakers, for just under €200 in peats - a guy from boards in the Rathmines store looked after me, and the price was only a tiny tad more than eBay, so I figured I'd buy local for this.

The sound? Well I can say this much for sure, I'm very glad I didn't buy Bose! Blows anything they do out of the water. I think the best buy was the Wharfedale Diamonds, they are truly epic - I could have skimped on the amp I'd say, but eh it was a bargain!

Next on the agenda? Looking for one of those Yamaha 3 channel amps, to make up a 5.1 system using the Onkyo, and some cheapo satellites for the rear and centre speakers - quality isn't as important for the 5.1, as it'l be mainly gaming. There was one on adverts, but it seems to be sold - maybe eBay...

Thanks for all the help folks!

The Ritz

Glad it turned out well for you........ Poor old Bose, they really get a hard time from our crowd !

Ritz.