chis5050
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Reciever vs. amp for bookshelf speakers + want to add sub
commsysman
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chis5050 wrote:

Hey everyone.. brand new in here and this is my first stab at home audio (coming from car audio). I don't have the hugest budget, I know I want to buy these Pioneer BS41 bookshelf speakers which are supposed to handle 130 rms at 6 ohms. I don't have a receiver OR any amplifier... which is my first question. What are some good entry level ones that I should look at to pair here? I want to add a sub too, nothing too fancy but solid. Should I try to find a powered sub and then look for a 2 channel amp with pre-outs for the sub? Or is there another better way to do this?

Any and all suggestions appreciated! I would only probably need an AUX input into the amp or receiver, so I don't need all the fancy extras.

I suggest the Music Hall 15.3 integrated amplifier, which IMO is the best you can get for under $1000; Audio Advisor has it for $549. It has a pre-out for a sub, and a phono preamp included also.

Decent subwoofers are not cheap. Amazon currently has the Klipsch RW-12 for $399, and that is a good price on a good one. Anything you can get for less will have pretty limited performance.

bierfeldt
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You could consider the HK3700 or the HK3770. These are the replacements for the 3390 and the 3490. $349.95 or $449.95 respectively. I got to listen to them in the Harman store about a month ago and was very pleasantly surprised. You can order directly from the Harman website or go to a local dealer.

Music Direct has Wharfedale Diamond subs used in a photo shoot on clearance for $299 which is a good sounding unit. They also have a Rel T-Zero which was a demo for $400. Not brand spanking new but an opportunity to get a good value. You can order from their website.

michael green
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Hi Chis

I would recommend you tell us a little about your room, and how your planing to set things up. As far as amps go the Sherwood 4105 and 4109 are both performance runaways. You'll need to do a couple of tweaks to them (nothing that requires soldering if you don't want). For the price these are at the top of my list and I have put them up against amps costing 10 times the money. Once in a while there is a product that comes along that goes beyond OK right to the top of the class. These used correctly are such an animal. And they cost way less than any competitor.

michael green
MGA/RoomTune

chis5050
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I should have known I would get these kinds of suggestions coming in here... What I was looking to spend for now was a good bit less than these suggestions (all good suggestions however). I am curious though, what makes these amp/receivers so much better than something around 100 dollars? The route I went was this dayton DTA120 amp and also their "sub-1200". Both of which I'm very happy with... just wondering what I would really get from going the routes you guys suggest, vs. my budget rig.

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-BS41-LR-Watt-2-Way-Speakers/dp/B0045US6DE/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1402455860&sr=1-3&keywords=pioneer+speakers+bookshelf

http://www.daytonaudio.com/index.php/dayton-audio-dta-120-class-t-digital-mini-amplifier-60-wpc.html

http://www.amazon.com/Dayton-Audio-SUB-1200-12-Inch-Subwoofer/dp/B00669L3HS

michael green
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Hi Chris

Maybe you missed my post lol. http://www.parts-express.com/sherwood-rx-4105-stereo-receiver--252-125 . The Sherwood 4105 is a serious music maker. I'm using it now as a reference and I do extremely high end setups. So that you can see I'm not yanking your chain or throwing out typical audiophile answers here's my listening forum. http://tuneland.techno-zone.net/ . I think by the extremely low price of this line people have a hard time taking it serious but I assure you as someone who has Abbey Road Studios and Warner Bros as clients I'm shooting straight as an arrow. Not picking up one of these is a crime, and not learning what to do with it once it was in your hands is worse. Chris the mass production world on many levels especially sound has leveled the playing field between mass vs high end. I've conducted many showdowns and have seen the mass world come on strong and even thinking of things that high end has not. If you know what your doing setup wise this unit will compete against any high end on the market and is a true audiophile piece. I think the line between the audiophile and music lover worlds over the last 2 years has been removed. Some stick to the brands they have been loyal to and think they are for some reason still above the names that were at one time considered low end or mid fi, but from a performance point of view this has changed.

The audiophile world may kick and scream about the technical changes these companies are bringing, but the fact is they have a lot more resources available to them in the design department that many audiophile companies lack. I've been seeing several of these mass brands wiping the floor with their pricey competitors. It's been my job for years to provide the very best and I'm saying with confidence the tables have reversed.

Once the audiophiles start to evaluate this for themselves fairly, they will be coming to the same conclusions.

all the best

michael green
MGA/RoomTune

chis5050
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Thanks for your reply! Unfortunately I did miss over that link, and I really wish I didn't because 100x2 at 8 ohms in a quality unit for 100 bucks seems like a complete steal. My setup is sounding very good to me though so I'm content. :D

Maybe in the future i'll get myself one of those receivers.

chis5050
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What are the tweaks that must be done to them?

tewingate
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After reading your comments Michael Green, I think I have decided to try the 4109 out. What are the main differences in the 4105 and 4109? And I'm curious about the tweaks as well.

michael green
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Hi Guys

I invite you to visit http://tuneland.techno-zone.net/ . Because of the rules here in promoting, I cautiously watch my steps and stay to concepts more. On TuneLand you will see several guys tuning these components, including myself. Even if you do some basic tunes to them and other parts of the system (the room is a big one) you will see huge improvements with the sound.

What I do are things that don't kill (dampen) the sound but instead bring it to life. I also don't believe in spending an arm and a leg to get there. Some of the tuning tweaks are free and others have starting price points that have been rated as "5 times more effective and 5 times less expesive". I don't push the sale though, they come on the own. What I do is look at your system and tell you what it is doing and then give you something to try. Once your onboard with my method working then I start sharing the things you can do. Easy stuff mostly and if you want you can start your own thread and we together with other "tunees" take your system to higher levels. Again I want to stress this is not about a product sales pitch but more a method of listening that you can incorporate into your hobby and take your system to beyond the highest of high end if they are not using these techniques. Once you visit you will see. A bunch of fun guys having fun listening and helping each other.

I think the fun times will happen here as well once there are not as many distractions on threads. It's really hard to follow some of these threads when you have to weed through so many sidetracks. It's a lot easier to say "here's my thread, here's what I'm doing, here are my questions" and then if the guys stay on point (topic) with you there is a more helpful exchange. That's what I try to do.

take care, good luck and most of all have fun listening

michael green
MGA/RoomTune

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