So I'm trying to get started with a basic speaker set, but I'm pretty clueless as to how the whole thing works, so here I am.

Right now I have some Altec Lansing VS2621, which are incredibly simple to use (plug in the power cord, and they have the aux cord which you just plug into your MP3 player.)

I wish to upgrade, but my understanding is that most speakers dont simply have an aux cord out that I can just plug into my player

Most of my music are digital. This means that my source is always going to be either my computer or my mp3 player.

What do I need to buy? Do i need a receiver / mixer? (whatever these are lol). There is some Klipsch KG 2 bookshelf speakers for 100 bucks being sold locally and I'm here wondering what else I need to buy to be able to use them. Will i need an amp? A separate subwoofer?

If all fails, could anyone recommend me some nice simple-to-use system around a 250 dollar budget?


Thanks for the help and sorry for the cluelessness.

Speakers need power, one way or another, something needs to drive those units. Hence two categories are born, passive and active. Passive speakers have no connections to wall outlets, and need an amplifier to power them. Most passive speakers will simply have a red and black binding post or hard wired speaker wire which needs to be connected to the amplifier. Active speakers on the other hand have built in amplification, connect to power outlet, and can take aux cord input like you mentioned. These do not have speaker wires that connect to amplifiers since the amplification is built in (although there are some that use both amplifiers to kinda get bi-amping effect)

The amplifier is again broken into several categories. Over time, it has evolved into something that can do several things at once without having to buy seperate components. But that leads to compromises, and hence, the higher up the ladder you go, the general tendency is to focus on doing one thing and doing that well. The cheapest amplifiers are the tiny little T-amp units you can buy from Ebay and some other sites. Sonic impact is one of those brands that have been known to provide decent amount of power to drive passive bookshelf speakers for a compact system. This would be the minimum requirement for passive bookshelf speakers like you have mentioned.

The receivers probably fall next in the price range, starting with some stereo receivers like Sherwood, Onkyo, Yamaha and HK going all the way upto more expensive receivers like Outlaw audio and the likes. These are essentially a pre-amplifier, power amplifier, tuner and an input switching unit all built into one device. These will drive most passive speakers including the big floor standing speakers albeit with some exceptions. Essentially the factor to consider here is how much the recommended wattage is for the speakers you have, and the input impedance is (2,4 or 8 ohm) and match that to the receivers output capabilities. Most reputed manufacturers will provide a RMS for input impedance rating saying 80WPC at 8 ohms.

Above that, you have integrated amplifiers (pre amp, power amp) and then seperates which are quite self explanatory.

The other aspect to remember in all of this is the source. While for active speakers, the source can be anything from ipods to cd players, receivers generally tend to work better connected to line level sources (ie. in most cases RCA connectors you see on devices like DVD players and cd players or DAC's).

Active speakers range from tiny computer speakers all the way to high end studio monitors. The range is extensive and it simplifies the task at hand by a whole lot. But most active speakers are satellite + sub, or bookshelf speakers. So if you need a full range speaker, you'll have to get floorstanding speakers and an amplifier. But at the same time, studio monitors and similar speakers are very popular for monitoring and mixing, since they are designed to be neutral, and dont tend to over emphasize bass and the built in amp and speaker are designed to provide a flat response. Hence the choice in studio's.

There is much information to be learnt in this area and I for one don't really know all that much. I would start with popular audio forums and read up on all the pros and cons and decide what you want in the first place. Space, room size, volume levels, listening setup, location etc are some things to consider.

Thanks so much for the quick info. I think I got most of that.

So if I were to buy a Onkyo receiver and get a set of bookshelf speakers & buy a set of subwoofers, i'd be good to go, right? The receiver would hook up to the power cord, which would wire to rest of my speakers.

But then how do I connect my MP3 player to my receivers?

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Well an onkyo receiver would have multiple inputs. Easiest thing for you to do is to get a 3.5mm cable to RCA.

For only $2.92 each when QTY 50+ purchased - PREMIUM 10FT 3.5mm Stereo Male to 2RCA Male 22AWG Cable - Gold Plated | 3.5mm/RCA Audio Cables

Something like this will do the trick.

Then in your receiver you would select which ever input you have that cable plugged into. Or, if your PC has a digital out (toslink) you can hook optical from your PC straight into your receiver. I'd think that most newer onkyo receivers would have a built in DAC to account for a digital input.

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Well not quite. There are a few more complications here. Most stereo receivers don't have digital inputs (atleast not in the lower price ranges). DAC's are usually present only in the AVR's. Stereo receivers are simple devices with an array of analog RCA inputs. Some receivers incorporate a seperate input for MP3 players in the front but otherwise you'll either have to get the 3.5mm to RCA cable or get a line level coverter or go with my prefered option and get a Dock or Line out Cable (I strongly recommend this option over the first two)

The other complication is when it comes to subwoofers, almost no Stereo receivers have bass management of any sort (except the RR2150 by Outlaw audio). This means they dont recognize a subwoofer and you have to manually set the levels and crossovers on the subwoofer itself and cannot do it on the receiver.

Most of them dont even have dedicated sub outs (HK's have these, Onkyo's dont). But dont worry, all you need here is a sub that has speaker level inputs and not just line level or RCA inputs. This usually means the sub will have speaker level outputs as well which you will connect to your bookshelf speakers.Hence the connection will go like this, Onkyo->Subwoofer->Speaker.

Most subs have a low pass filter and only more expensive ones have high pass filters. You should try and match the frequency response of the sub and the speakers to be smooth. So for a bookshelf speaker with 66hz-22khz response, setting the subs low pass at 80hz gives you a pretty consistent frequency response.

To start with I'd stick to a 2 channel setup without a subwoofer and see how you like it and get a subwoofer only if you really feel the need for it. At that time, look for ones with filter settings and speaker level inputs and if possible a high pass filter as well.

I recently swiped a Harman/Kardon HK 3480 two-channel receiver for $79 on eBay ($118 shipped). Perfect physical condition. It has a decent amplifer section and works well as an integrated amp or as a preamp. The nice thing is it has two sets of preamp outs (one set labeled "preamp" and the other set labeled "subwoofer" but they both do exactly the same thing -- deliver line level stereo output that is affected by the tone controls, volume, mute, balance, etc. controls of the receiver itself).

You might try eBay for the 3480 and see what other ones are for sale, as it sounds like it would do the job for you.

just remember integrated amp > video receiver in terms of sound quality at the same price

A recent issue of The Absolute Sound had recommended systems at a number of price points. Might be a good starting point.

onkyo are great sounding, the sr 606 had a surprisngly good head phone jack, i would go for the 607 though as it ahs headphones surround and allot of other feature,, i acutally sold my 606 because it was just too damn big and i never used the hdmi on her and i got sick of looking at it, sadly after takin a huge loss pawning it, ive spent twice as much trying to find proper head amp and other equipment, but at least there all small