[mminutel]

Well, my roommate is looking to get a 42" TV for the living room. Since I cannot really just go in with him for a TV since it will have to go with one of us when we move out, I was thinking of getting a nice speaker setup. I am not expecting to get awesome speakers, but I would like to get a nice set of speakers for the television.

For sources, I will pull the music from my Chaintech sound card, or something different in the future, an XBox, and the cable jack (if that even works, - i am not sure how as I have never done it) -EDIT: I am an idiot. The television will have an A/V out, I am sure. That is how I can pull the sound from the cable..

Anyways, my budget is around $300 for the speakers themselves. I would like if that budget could encompass the receiver/amp, too, but I understand that it probably wont. If anyone has any amps/receivers for the $100-200 range, that would be awesome, too.

The room isn't very big, probably 20'x20' or something. I will probably go for a 2.0 or 2.1 setup for now, but it would be nice if it is upgradable in the future.

You guys helped me with my Denon AH-D2000s, and I love them. I know you guys can help me with my speakers.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[Armaegis]

If your budget is $300 for speakers and receiver, shop around for some used gear. You should be able to find some decent ones for $150 each.

 

[punk_guy182]

If you're budget is 300$ for a pair of passive speakers then go for the PSB B25.
They are bookshelves and They rock!

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Where you at? If you have a Fry's electronics nearby, the Polk R50's are definitely worth the 60$ they are going for right now. Don't bother if the price has gone back up though. Dont buy the R300's even if they are sold for 10 bucks. They are awful. A decent budget receiver should take care of amplification.

If not, for budget speakers, look at "The Speaker Company". Some other bookshelf speakers worth considering are PSB alpha's, Wharfedale Diamonds, Axiom M3.

The Polk PSW10 is the cheapest sub you are gonna find AFAIK. For 100 bucks its not bad and I think its better than some of the other stuff you can find for 100 bucks. But if you can find a Velodyne on sale for a little more, I'd go for that instead.

I'd say x2 on used receivers and amps, since you'd probably have to set aside 200 odd for the receiver alone.

 

[mminutel]

There aren't any Fry's anywhere near here. Anyone have any other recommendations? As for mounting, do speakers have optimal heights to mount them to cut down on destructive interference?

 

[Armaegis]

At or around desk height is a safe bet for most speakers. The top of the speakers at head level at most. If set on the floor, you can tilt them up slightly.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Usually recommended to have the tweeter of the speaker at the same level as your ear in your listening position. The distance to the wall and toe in are very speaker and room specific and you would have to experiment with various setups. I personally have always found speakers to provide better imaging and mid range with the speakers angled towards your listening position rather than firing straight. The angle however needs to be tweaked, and you can try it out (ideally with another person moving the speakers around as you listen) to find out the best position for your preferences.

 

[mminutel]

I found a place close that has paradigm speakers. I have heard a lot about the Atoms and Titans so I am going to go check those out.

Anyone have suggestions for a nice amp that would pair with the Paradigm? I want it to have volume control and preferably multiple inputs, but I can make my own switch box if there is a good one around my price range. Also, I assume these amps don't have room to add a sub? That is the one thing that I would like it the possibility to upgrade to a sub. I doubt I will go further than 2.1 on this setup, but, if I do, I will be buying a receiver anyway.

Thanks

-Edit- I would like the speakers to go semi loud. We have people over sometimes, and we like to hang out in the room across the hall. That isn't ideal for me since it degrades SQ, but my roommates really want them to be able to be on in one room and still hear them in the next.

 

[MikeW]

Behringer Truth is a very good value.

 

[RicHSAD]

The Energy RC-10 can be had for $300 at Vanns. They are very well regarded speakers. You would still need an amp/receiver though.

 

[rjoseph]

Any of the newer receivers will be able to handle your speaker's needs, unless you buy some higher end speakers which need high current to shine. You can also try used on craigslist.

 

[mminutel]

I checked Craigslist for as far as I am willing to travel and haven't found anything worth while. I have been looking at the vintage Marantz receivers on e-bay. I really like the look of them and they are supposed to be great. I am thinking about going with one of those.

As for speakers, with the recent storm passing the north east, there is no way I can get to audition the paradigms, but I am hopefully going to find a good pair of speakers when I do.

 

[Lazarus Short]

Radio Shack Minimus Sevens can be picked up for $10 - $20. Spend the rest on stands and a good subwoofer. They may surprise you with a good (or even a so-so) sub, mine did.

 

[mminutel]

---------Edit---------

After a lot of searching, I think I have narrowed it to the Paradigm Atoms or the Energy RC-10. Anyone have any knowledge on which is the better value? Also, I am not sure much about amping. I scored a used Marantz 2235B (35wpc) off of e-bay for pretty cheap. The lamps are burnt out, but I can replace those. It was so good looking that I couldn't pass it up. Anyways, do you think the Marantz will power either of these efficiently? I am not exactly sure what I should be looking at when it comes to speaker efficiency.

Thank you.

http://www.classic-audio.com/marantz/2235b.html <~~ Marantz 2235B
http://www.shopping.com/xPO-Paradigm-Atom <~~ Paradigm Atoms
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it...6384F9F86.web1 <~~ RC-10

 

[RicHSAD]

You want to look at the sensitivity to know which speaker is the most efficient. In this case the RC-10 should be a little more efficient.

I can't imagine you could go wrong with either, but I would just go for the RC-10 because they just look awesome. Them being a bit more efficient is just a bonus.