New Budget Stereo System Advice

[furball1]

Hi all. Im thinking of getting a new stereo system and woulkd like some advice if possible.

Budget is 600-700 may be able to push to 800 if needed.

Its for a medium sized living room. I have a Optoma HD141x projector for my main screen projected stright onto wall. And I currently have a Rotel RA-931 & Eltax Liberty 3+, bi-wired on speaker stands with van damme blue studio cable with gold plated banana plugs for connectors. I have a wooden floor and neighbours underneath so dont often get to play loud but would like to get abit ravey and loud every now and then. I sit right at the back of the room, which is the reason im not sure about a surround setup as i have no room behind me. I could move forward into the room if it was worth it for the surround experience.

I mainly play dance type music (oldskool and rave from the 90s) but i also like abit of classical now and then so im looking for good bass but with abit of clarity aswell. I also use the setup for TV and games awell. All sound comes from the PC via an optical spdif not toslink.

I want to stick with just Stereo for now but would consider a Surround Amp for future proofing. (Do surround sound amps deliver on the Stereo level?)

For the Amp Ive been looking at the Marantz PM6005 at about 300 quid. And on the Surround side a Pioneer VSX-930 or maybe a Yamaha with Atmos.

Speaker wise I love Tannoys for their Low Level Bass and have been looking at the V4i's. But alot of review are saying the Q Acoustics 2050i are bang on for the money 300 ish. Also been looking at the Cambridge Audio Aero 6's and the MA MR4 or MR6's.

So yeah if anyone has any recommendations or info regard the budget end of the scale I will appreciate any info. Many Thanks.

 

[Tibor]

Hi all. Im thinking of getting a new stereo system and woulkd like some advice if possible.

Budget is 600-700 may be able to push to 800 if needed.

Its for a medium sized living room. I have a Optoma HD141x projector for my main screen projected stright onto wall. And I currently have a Rotel RA-931 & Eltax Liberty 3+, bi-wired on speaker stands with van damme blue studio cable with gold plated banana plugs for connectors. I have a wooden floor and neighbours underneath so dont often get to play loud but would like to get abit ravey and loud every now and then. I sit right at the back of the room, which is the reason im not sure about a surround setup as i have no room behind me. I could move forward into the room if it was worth it for the surround experience.

I mainly play dance type music (oldskool and rave from the 90s) but i also like abit of classical now and then so im looking for good bass but with abit of clarity aswell. I also use the setup for TV and games awell. All sound comes from the PC via an optical spdif not toslink.

I want to stick with just Stereo for now but would consider a Surround Amp for future proofing. (Do surround sound amps deliver on the Stereo level?)

For the Amp Ive been looking at the Marantz PM6005 at about 300 quid. And on the Surround side a Pioneer VSX-930 or maybe a Yamaha with Atmos.

Speaker wise I love Tannoys for their Low Level Bass and have been looking at the V4i's. But alot of review are saying the Q Acoustics 2050i are bang on for the money 300 ish. Also been looking at the Cambridge Audio Aero 6's and the MA MR4 or MR6's.

So yeah if anyone has any recommendations or info regard the budget end of the scale I will appreciate any info. Many Thanks.

[/quote]

As speakers Monitor Audio Bronze series or Acoustic Energy 103

Denon PMA 720 AE, NAD 326 BEE or Rotel amps for bassy, fast and dinamic sound + a good dac

 

[Tibor]

The Marantz PM 6005 is good, but there are faster, punchier amps like NAD, Rotel, Onkyo

 

[furball1]

Hi there - thx for the info, much appreciated.

I can see the Monitor Audio Bronze 5's at £550 also the Yamaha R-N500 at £300 - do you think this would be a good match? Looking at what hifi best buys the Onkyo A-9010 at £179 is best under £200 also I can get the CA Azur 651a for £299.

Cheers

 

[Leeps]

A few things worth considering. If all your sources are from your PC via optical, then it makes sense to look for amps that are DAC-equipped. The Cambridge 651A is a cracking amp for the money and would have no trouble driving and controlling the Bronze 5's, although you'd be restricted to USB input only. (Or the analogues of course), which may restrict you later on. You might find the newer CXA60 with more digital inputs would better suit your needs, although this alters the balance of your budget in favour of the amp, so you might need to consider the Bronze 2 standmounts instead.

It's worth mentioning that there are very few budget stereo amps designed with a "home theatre bypass" input to integrate into a surround set-up later on. There are work-arounds to this, but it does make the process a bit more Heath Robinson.

Also it would make sense to think ahead now about whether you want to go the surround route or not. If you think this is likely you might be better off with an AV receiver now, which will have all the digital inputs you need, and you'd be able to add the extra speakers as and when the pennies allow.

The same thinking ahead is required with speakers too. The Monitor Audio bronze range has an excellent choice of speakers that fit every surround permutation, including "proper" bi-pole/di-pole wall-mountable surround speakers and a centre. Some other speakers you might look at will only offer a small standmount speaker for rear / surround duties, which won't fit everybody's domestic needs.

Finally what's the size of your listening room? This might have quite a bearing on the suggestions other contributors may make.

 

[furball1]

Thx for reply.

Id love to go the surround route im just not sure my room can handle it.

My room is a rectangle - length about 16 1/2 ft x width 11 1/4 ft. I sit at one end and projector screen nearly fills the other end - there is a small possibility of moving forward abit to facilitate the surround option.

The Denon AVRX2200w looks good at £450 it has Atmos and DTSX. How would it cope with just Stereo? Also the MA Bronze look pretty future proof as far as surround goes.

Cheers

 

[Leeps]

Your room can handle surround sound no trouble, but I'd really avoid floorstanding speakers in a room that's the size and layout you describe. MA Bronze 2's or other small to medium standmount speakers would be more than enough.

If you do want to go the surround route, having a subwoofer to handle bass is generally a great deal more flexible than a large pair of floorstanders in a small to medium size room. With the numerous options on the AV receiver and many subwoofers, you'll be able to finely tune the bass response much easier. If you did add a sub later at some point, try to avoid the corners of a room.

I've not heard the Denon AVR though, so others might be able to chip in there about its musical ability. But generally AVR's such as these are better endowed spec-wise than the majority of stereo amps in a similar price bracket. Many having a range of digital inputs, internet radio, Spotify Connect, Airplay, some with Bluetooth too now and app-based control. They might miss out slightly in outright musical terms but are jolly good all rounders for the hubs for everything that they're designed to be.

I'd really recommend not taking my word for it though. Get yourself down to your local Richer Sounds or other dealer and ask them to set-up a demo for you. It really is essential.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Your room can handle surround sound no trouble, but I'd really avoid floorstanding speakers in a room that's the size and layout you describe.  MA Bronze 2's or other small to medium standmount speakers would be more than enough. ?

?

If you do want to go the surround route, having a subwoofer to handle bass is generally a great deal more flexible than a large pair of floorstanders in a small to medium size room.  With the numerous options on the AV receiver and many subwoofers, you'll be able to finely tune the bass response much easier.  If you did add a sub later at some point, try to avoid the corners of a room.

?

I've not heard the Denon AVR though, so others might be able to chip in there about its musical ability.  But generally AVR's such as these are better endowed spec-wise than the majority of stereo amps in a similar price bracket.  Many having a range of digital inputs, internet radio, Spotify Connect, Airplay, some with Bluetooth too now and app-based control.  They might miss out slightly in outright musical terms but are jolly good all rounders for the hubs for everything that they're designed to be.

?

I'd really recommend not taking my word for it though.  Get yourself down to your local Richer Sounds or other dealer and ask them to set-up a demo for you.  It really is essential.

I can say that the model.before the 2200 denon reciever was very good. As a budget solution you wont go far wrong. I personally would prefer a dedicated stereo amp though.

What i liked about the denon was the tone.

 

[furball1]

Many thanks to everyone for the info/advice.

Ive decided to go the dedicated stereo route for now. Im pretty hooked on the MA BX5's and have found them at £350 (in black) which is a great deal.

Amplifier wise im looking at the CA Azure 651a at £300 or CA CXA60 (product of the year 2015) at £500. That leaves me abit for a decent cable from pc to amp.

On the subject of cables, what is the general consensus on connecting a PC to an amp. The Azure has USB but there is also Toslink and SPDIF to consider. What sounds the best and what cable makes are any good ie 0 chord, audioquest etc? thx again for all the help.

 

[Leeps]

Your interest in the slightly older BX5's might make a demo even more important. They have larger drivers than the Bronze 5 and are known to be a little less smooth than their newer counterparts, so with the Cambridge amps which are on the forward foot-tapping side of neutral, you might find their balance a little too much - it really does depend on your personal taste.

Also, the larger drivers and rear-porting make this even more awkward in your room. It would be a good idea to chat this over with the dealer and see if you could try out the BX5's but if they were too boomy (which I'm fairly confident they will be), then would they be able to swap them with BX2's or Bronze B2's later on?

Try to demo both in the shop too. I know the big floorstanders have lots of showroom appeal and might look more impressive, but you could be about to make a mistake here, so be careful!

 

[furball1]

Hi leeps - thx for the input. I think i may try and push to the bronze 5's which are 550 atm (i was lured over to bx5's with the price). Also ill demo different amps. I have a number of richer sounds near me so if i go in with a flexible budget im sure they match me with a decent amp. Thx again for your help, i certainly wont rush into it, i just wanted a general idea at the entry level budget equipment out there at the moment. Ill let you guys know what i get. Cheers