[danny93]

What would give me better value a cheap amp to power some passive bookshelves or active bookshelves...for a £100 max budget
 
I have sourced a cheap  Wharfedale Diamond SW150 subwooferfor around £90 used (havent bought yet)...and gets great reviews http://www.whathifi.com/Review/Wharfedale-Diamond-SW150 but not sure what speakers to get.
 
Some decent actives i have come accross are the Edifier R1600T plus which i can get new for £50 (seem a bargain) or the AV40´s which are £100 
 
Or should i get used passives like Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 (go well with my sub) and cheap amp. I have heard the T amp mentioned a bit but sooo many different ones...is this one decent? http://www.algogo.com/store/products/Lepai-TRIPATH-TA2020-Class-T-Amp-Mini-Hi%252dFi-Audio-Amplifier.html?setCurrencyId=3
Thanks allot 

[size=1.8em]  [/size]

 

[JRG1990]

The av40's are cheaply made, the edifiers are good but also consider these http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SP-002-ML , the t-amp is ok but it doesn't have much power it needs to be paired with some sensitive 4ohm speakers to get good volume.

 

[danny93]

Quote:

The av40's are cheaply made, the edifiers are good but also consider these http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SP-002-ML , the t-amp is ok but it doesn't have much power it needs to be paired with some sensitive 4ohm speakers to get good volume.

Would those speakers you listed be allot better than the Edifiers as it will be at least double - three  times the price of the Edifiers by the time i get a amp...
 
will the R1600T plus be ablt to loudly fill a medium sized room? Also are they better than the bookshelves in the S530D set?

 

[JRG1990]

There active so don't need an amp like the edifiers, the r1600t will be fine in a bedroom or somewhere of simlar size but may struggle in a large lounge. The problem with the s530d like most 2.1 in a box sets is the lack of lower midrange where it's crossed over to the sub you won't have this problem with a seperates set-up.

 

[danny93]

Quote:

There active so don't need an amp like the edifiers, the r1600t will be fine in a bedroom or somewhere of simlar size but may struggle in a large lounge. The problem with the s530d like most 2.1 in a box sets is the lack of lower midrange where it's crossed over to the sub you won't have this problem with a seperates set-up.

Right ok cheers, I just cant find much info on the Edifiers...and dont know if the sub would overpower them.
 
Would this be much better Roth Oli 2´s for £55 http://www.whathifi.com/Review/Roth-Audio-OLi2/ (decent review) and the T amp (roths appaprently have low sensitivity and 8 ohm so you think T amp could power it) 
 
Too many options :S...what would you do haha?
 
Buy the Sw150 sub or not (£95) and then:
 
1. Get edifier R1600T Plus (£55)
2. Get other active seakers (if so which ones)
3. Get amp and bookshelfs (T amp and Roth oli 2´s) (£80)
 
Thanks soo much just need to try and make a decision and £200 max budget but would prefer £150 though 

 

[JRG1990]

I didn't like sw150 that much purely personal preference for £95 it would be an excellent buy.
 
The roths will go to around 100db at 1metre with the t-amp I don't know how loud you like to listen so it might be enough.
 
If it was me I'd get the MicroLab SOLO6C there meant to be really good for the money.

 

[danny93]

Quote:

I didn't like sw150 that much purely personal preference for £95 it would be an excellent buy.
 
The roths will go to around 100db at 1metre with the t-amp I don't know how loud you like to listen so it might be enough.
 
If it was me I'd get the MicroLab SOLO6C there meant to be really good for the money.

 
Ok great so ill get the MicroLab SOLO6C and the SW150, how will i connect them BTW, i have a Titanium HD which has RCA outputs...also what cables would i need to buy splitter RCA etc and should i just get cheapest possible?
Thanks allot you have been such a great help!

 

[JRG1990]

Your need 2 sets of rca to rca cables. From your Titanium HD rca output you connect via rca to rca cables to the subs rca input, then from the subs rca output to the microlabs rca input via rca to rca cables, since you have this set-up with a pc it might be worth investing in some shielded cables otherwise interferance from the pc equipment may be picked up, these will do fine http://www.audiovisualonline.co.uk/product/3193/profigold-skyline-proa420-stereo-phono-cables or something simlar but these are in the sale at 80% off .

 

[danny93]

Quote:

Your need 2 sets of rca to rca cables. From your Titanium HD rca output you connect via rca to rca cables to the subs rca input, then from the subs rca output to the microlabs rca input via rca to rca cables, since you have this set-up with a pc it might be worth investing in some shielded cables otherwise interferance from the pc equipment may be picked up, these will do fine http://www.audiovisualonline.co.uk/product/3193/profigold-skyline-proa420-stereo-phono-cables or something simlar but these are in the sale at 80% off .

Ok great cheers mate, in a review for the SOLO6C it that that...
 
"Just a quick reminder, good speaker technology does not require a sub woofer in order to produce deep non-directional bass. This is a popular misconception getting passed around over the last few years. Generally sub woofers are used for large scale reproduction where big crowds of people soak up low end like no tomorrow and it must be reinforced to create a balance in the sound. For 99.9% of people sitting at home, grab a decent pair of bookshelf speakers and enjoy. Don't buy into the hype that everyone must use a sub these days, because it's just not true."
 
with that being said do you still think i should go for the subwoofer for that deep bass dubstep needs?
 
Thanks again, and i will be out of your hair for good now haha

 

[JRG1990]

Thats not correct, bookshelf speakers are limted to small cabinets and drivers bass roll off starts around 100hz-90hz and by about 60-70hz there -3db down, a sub the wharfedale your considering goes down to 35hz -3db , dubstep can have bass right down to 30hz , 40-70hz is typical with the deeper stuff your be missing these frequencys without a sub, also the sub brings other advantages it removes these lower frequencys from the speakers which stuggle to reproduce them anyway so your get better sound from the speakers.

 

[danny93]

Quote:

Thats not correct, bookshelf speakers are limted to small cabinets and drivers bass roll off starts around 100hz-90hz and by about 60-70hz there -3db down, a sub the wharfedale your considering goes down to 35hz -3db , dubstep can have bass right down to 30hz , 40-70hz is typical with the deeper stuff your be missing these frequencys without a sub, also the sub brings other advantages it removes these lower frequencys from the speakers which stuggle to reproduce them anyway so your get better sound from the speakers.

Yeh i thought that was a bit misleading too...thanks again for your help and i should be ordering those soon
 
Also do i need to worry about crossover with the sub and speakers at all?

 

[JRG1990]

Yea you do the sub should have a crossover knob on the back and possibly a phase switch, the sub has to be crossed over at a point that it intergrates/blends well with the speakers My guess with the microlab speakers is around 80hz-70hz it should be under 100hz anyway you just have to play with the crossover knob until it sounds right.

 

[danny93]

Quote:

Yea you do the sub should have a crossover knob on the back and possibly a phase switch, the sub has to be crossed over at a point that it intergrates/blends well with the speakers My guess with the microlab speakers is around 80hz-70hz it should be under 100hz anyway you just have to play with the crossover knob until it sounds right.

Ok hopefully it has one of those knobs then
 
Also in another review they rieterated that you dont need a sub...so confused lol
 
[size=medium]The SOLO-6 containing its 6.5” woofer basically eliminates the need for an external subwoofer, in my opinion.  The single 6.5” woofer provides good to great bass (I notice the bass sounds a bit soft, which can be a good thing) and with the options of tweaking either bass or treble functions, you’ll always find the settings to suit your tastes.  Positioning, as usual, plays a big part in the way the bass can sound.  It’s best to position the speaker close to a wall so it can reflect.  In the event you want even more bass, Microlab offers the SOLO-7 which contains two 6.5” woofers.  But seriously the bass on the SOLO-6 already pounds with good force![/size]

 

[danny93]

If anyone is interested these MicroLab Solo6C´s sound amazing...they arrived about an hour ago so not fully burned in yet and im not an audiophile so bare that in mind!
 
The highs are nice and sparkly (after a little EQ to the treble) mids are great...lows on these things are better than i thought although they cant quite reach the deepest lows with much authority SOME dubstep requires so I´m glad i have a sub on the way although i definatly could live without it. However as i understand most people on here wont be listening to dubstep and even for house music and chillstep the bass is more than adaquate for home use. So for the madjority of people on a budget i can whole heartedly reccomend these even with only an hour or so listening!
 
Massive thanks to JRG1990!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Edit: My Dad just came up saying the music was shaking the whole house and i only had it on about 60% volume! LOL...just proves how powerful these speakers are!