Help choosing between high end bluetooth speaker or home theater

[hybridauth_Google_103036654195410969092]

Hi! I was wondering if you could help me with the following.

I want to purchase equipment to deliver great audio for my home (I like good sound but I am not an audiophile).

My house is small and I have many neighbours around, so i don't need toooo much power.

I can't decide whether to buy a high end bluetooth speaker (Marshall Stanmore and Polk Woodbourne are my main choices)

or an entry level Home Theater System (not spending more than 500 dollars).

Portability (like the bluetooth speakers i mentioned) is not a must, but it is a plus.

Thank you very much!!!

 

[rjbell]

Any reason why you are comparing a stereo option and a multi channel home theatre option? Why not a entry level tradional stereo?

Even the the cheapest setup will sound better than a high end lifestyle type bluetooth speaker system.

 

[hybridauth_Google_103036654195410969092]

Hi, thanks for your answer! What kind of setup do you think would sound better and could you give me any examples to consider? I am open to any suggestions.

 

[rjbell]

The ability to add Bluetooth to a system is very cheap and simple you just need to buy a Bluetooth receiver there about £30. So I wouldn't worry so much about that.

What sort of budget?

 

[rainsoothe]

The ability to add Bluetooth to a system is very cheap and simple you just need to buy a Bluetooth receiver there about £30. So I wouldn't worry so much about that.

What sort of budget?

he said 500$.

OP: 1 - what are your sources? (cd player/laptop/TV etc). And what is the purpose, mainly music or mainly movies? What kind of music do you listen to?

 

[hybridauth_Google_103036654195410969092]

Hi, that's right, 500 is my budget at the very most.

I am more interested in music, although I would use the setup for my TV too.

I listen to rock & roll and reggae mostly.

Thank you guys!

 

[rainsoothe]

well, there's two options: best sound for the money (which means geting not-so-hi-fi-looking active monitors, and also no remote blabla), or good sound for the money. For the first variant, I would suggest you look at Maverick Audio Tubemagic D1 (with upgraded valves and opamps) + active studio monitors with the rest of your budget - Presonus Eris 5 at least, or Yamaha HS5 if you can afford them. The hi-fi suggestion would be Musical Fidelity V90DAC (it has USB for using a laptop, and optical and coax for TV) + Denon PMA 520AE + Q Acoustics 3020 (or 3010 if budget is overshot).

Oh, by the way, you might notice i use the word DAC - if you're unfamiliar, DAC stands for digital to analogue converter - it's basically like the soundcard in a computer, but with more sophisticated circuitry (like in a hi-fi CD player), and therefore better sound. If you want good sound coming out of your TV/Laptop, you will need such a device. The reason I suggested the Maverick Audio and the Musical Fidelity is that they have several input connection (USB for a laptop, and optical/coaxial for other sources, like TV and BluRay player). If you have no need for that and would only use USB as a source, then replace the two suggested DACs with Behringer UCA 202 (which only has USB). The Maverick audio is also good because it has a volume control for the active speakers, but that is not required for the hi-fi option, hence the Musical Fidelity suggestion.