looking for a speaker setup - advice needed?

Tea_Bag

im ordering PC parts from this website, so shipping is already paid (which is a flat rate from them) so i was going to pick up this - Xoro HXS 614 5.1 System.
it doesnt appear to be sold outside of germany, and there arent many reviews of the brand, but there are a few raving ones comparing it to logitecs z-5500...

just wondering, im not set on 5.1 SS, and i dont buy into it (probably because ive never heard a decent set being played) and im more than happy with 2.1, as long as its loud and crisp. some bass for when the girls want to party is nice too

anyway, does anyone think im better off investing in a stand alone Amplifier and a set of speakers? somethign thats upgradable down the line? im sure ill be laughed at for this, but what can i hope to get for under €200?

under ideal circumstances, id like to be able to hook my xbox 360 up to this amp, and a future HTPC i plan on doing, but for now it'll just get hooked upto my PC.

what should i look out for? any advice? i know nothing about amps etc tbh, so everything is appreciated. anyone comment on those speakers i chose? unfortunately, they're only analogue audio, which im assuming is going to be a problem down the line?

anyone who does look at that website, you can click English in the top right corner

actually, the website is a little hard to navigate, heres a print screen of the details:



anyone foresee anything problematic? is there any way of telling if the sub hums when nothing is being played? my old one did that and its so annoying.
thanks for reading this far

Tea_Bag

anyone?

ChopShop

If you're going to buy a 5.1 system...i'd be inclined to suggest you cough up a little more and go with the Z5500...or the mroe recent equiv the Z9..?

Apart from one blown fuse (easily replaced) mine has given me a solid 4.5 years of decent service.


Just my 0.000002 cents.

Tea_Bag

the Z5500 is well over 2.5 times the price, so its not really "a little more" and would be well out of my budget onfortunately. would you reccomend me a 2.1 speaker set upto ~€200?

turbot

Here is a tip:

Purchase a pair of good quality, sonically perfect Mission 751's on Ebay which you should be able to get, delivered to Ireland for 100 - 120 euros. This won all kinds of awards 15 years ago, and sound better than most compact speakers that retail for over 600+ euros now. (Back in 1995, they sold for £300 stg)

Then spend the rest on, a sonically perfect amp of the same generation, such as "Kenwood KA3020SE Stereo Integrated Amplifier" or better, which you should be able to easily get for less than 90 euros including shipping to Ireland. Make sure it's a simple amp (i.e. not a surround sound amp etc) meaning the technology is simple. Often, for a well maintained amp, the only issue you face is the volume may crackle as you change it, due to oxidised copper.

For inspiration, look up the award winners by what hifi.

It's worth knowing that most decent hifi of this generation was built to last, some people who buy it take really good care of it, and you'll get awesome quality sound for a very low price provided you know what you're looking for.

Enjoy !