Recommend cheap speakers and amp

[Nick1911]

I'm looking for some good, but inexpensive speakers and an amplifier to use to watch movies 'n stuff.  Cheap being like a $200 overall.

I've heard good things about Klipsch speakers.  I'd consider the SB2's, but they are a tad expensive.

I have no clue on the amp.  Maybe something second hand?  Thoughts?

[onions!]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7705307&st=B2111&type=product&id=1138085354138

The Insignia speakers from Best Buy were all the rage on various audio forums last summer.I bought three pair to use for my HT setup.I'm quite happy with their performance bone stock.There are crossover & cabinet "upgrades" that can be done to them by a couple of tinkerers on-line.They are a decent sized bookshelf speaker-maybe 16 in tall x 10ish inches wide & a foot deep.Last year they retailed for $45 & were to be had on sale for $35.It seems that the $ went up after the word got out.

BTW,even though they are an inexpensive speaker w/o out a traditional name(ie.JBL,Klipsch,BA,Paradigm,& etc.)they don't sound like a cheap speaker.Good stuff.

The amp?No help here.

[Paddy]

For $200 you can get a home theater system that has 5 speakers and a subwoofer, a progressive scan dvd player, HDMI connections and a bunch of other 5.1 neat stuff.

[Bogie]

And you _do_ get what you pay for... Some of those things are supremely craptacular...

1) Check out www.partexpress.com for their BR-1 speaker kit. It'll take about an hour to put it all together. Buy the shielded version.

2) Keep an eye on Ebay for older Pioneer or Marantz stereo receivers. Yeah, it may only be 35 watts, but that was measured when they _meant_ their standards... My 35 watt Marantz 2230 puts out more power than my 110 watt x 7 channel Denon... Another good place to shop is Goodwill or Salvation Army. The old Marantz and Pioneer stuff tends to get snapped up pretty fast tho.

3) If you want 5.1 channel sound, you're not going to get quality for that money. Which means that eventually you'll throw it away, and upgrade. Save a little, and buy what you want to start with.
 

[mfree]

There's a Yamaha speaker out there that's awesome for the price. If I was at home I'd get the model number for you, I think 8" bookshelves.

[Brad Johnson]

Troll evilbay and see if you can come up with one of the Yamaha HT series amps.  They change the darn things every year and the HT junkies just have to have the newest and best'est so there should be a plethora of them used. 

I have the HT5920 (three years old now) and really enjoy it.  The only diff between it and the current model is that it won't switch, or upconvert to, hi-def.  It will, however, switch and upconvert any other kind of A/V input, including S-video, component, composite, and optical.  Looks like you can pick them up for around $160-170 on ebay, including shipping (although the auctions I saw were suspiciously "overseas" looking.  Search by Yamaha home theater amp and you will have plenty to choose from.

As for speaker, ditto on pretty much anything made by Yamaha.  I have also found garage sales to be an excellent source of speakers.  Not so much for the actual speakers but for quality cabinets, which can be had for a song if one of the speakers has bit the big one.  Replacement speakers are available from several sources including Crutchfield and your local car stereo shops.

Brad

[Paddy]

Who'da thunk APS was populated with a bunch of audiophile snobs? 

[Bogie]

Uh... Be careful about using crutchfield or car audio speaks for replacing home speaks - they won't sound like they're supposed to... The folks at the tech forum at www.partsexpress.com can point you toward the right replacements.

Seriously - check out the BR-1 kits... The things, when finished, are comparable to some $3-400 speaks that I've heard, and all that's required are a screwdriver and a soldering iron.

If you wanna use a table saw, do a search for "Dayton 8."

[Gewehr98]

Just because we found out early on that Bose stinks on ice doesn't make us audiophile snobs.

However, I'm in the process of prototyping a small hybrid tube amp for iPod owners, that lets them run decent speakers for a minimalistic stereo sound experience.  More later. 

[zahc]

BB insignias or BR-1s or other parts express speakers. Seriously.

Pioneer A35r is a very versatile amp if you can get one for cheap.

[Bogie]

Buy good stuff inexpensively, because when you buy cheap crap, you end up buying the good stuff eventually.
 

[atomd]

HUGE +1 for partsexpress. Bogie knows what he's talking about. You can put together a fairly inexpensive 2 channel setup for that. I think the pioneer elite a-35r is super cheap and decent for a 35 watt amp. Axiom makes good speakers that won't break the bank if you want something pre-made. Partsexpress is the way to go though. You will get something FAR better than your average best buy dollar for dollar. I have put together speaker kits and subs from their website/catalog a few times with excellent results.

[illinoisdeerhunter]

Check this out.  I'm selling this for my girl friend.  It might be what you're interested in.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160148993245&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=006

[atomd]

Oh. Someone mentioned the a-35r. I didn't notice til I already posted. I have one for sale now actually. Great amp. If you want one let me know. Strange coincidence.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

If you're handy with tools, build a pair of Dayton III MTMs and a set of "gainclone" amps.

I have a pair of Paradigm Atoms that have been remarkably good speakers for their $150 price tag.  The Paradigm Titans I listened to in the store sounded even better, but they were $200.  Ebay a used NAD or something for your amp.

[mfree]

Aha!

My Yamahas are NS-6490 models. Mikey Likes.

They are currently hooked to an old Optimus STAV-3570 reciever, which IIRC is only 120W per channel and only 4 channel surround (I'm only using 3). But, I keep it around because frankly it's very, very clean. This one is essentially either a rebadged or contracted Pioneer amplifier and though the features are light they apparently got what counts right.

Oh, and I think I paid $150 for it back in 1997 :-D

It'll eventually be replaced with something like a Yamaha or Onkyo HDMI switching 6.1 set, or the like. I've gotten to the point in my AV setup where the amp is the oldest and least capable device; with the newer HDTV stuff around it's no longer capable of switching video for me, and I'm getting spoiled by others' systems with dual or quad rears.

[sevesteen]

No specific recommendations.  But:

A mid-grade amp will have a lot less distortion than a really good set of speakers.  In the 80's, "best complete system for $" articles were popular.  In all of them, speakers were the most expensive part, and in most of the systems more than half the overall cost.   Relative prices between speakers and amps have changed to make speakers take an even bigger part of the budget. 

Bass eats power--You need hardly any power if you don't have deep bass, or if you've got a powered sub. 

A sub takes stress off the satellite speakers.

[Bogie]

The BR-1s go pretty low.

I'd stay away, actually, from the MTM types, unless you're getting a "real" amplifier... They tend to be 4 ohm speaks...

If you can spend a few bucks on an amp, look for a Hafler DH225 or a P230...
 

[Brad Johnson]

However, I'm in the process of prototyping a small hybrid tube amp for iPod owners,

Gewehr, buddy, you need help. Really.

Brad

[Gewehr98]

I know I do.

I also plan on selling them for some decent coin.  Help is on the way, in a manner of speaking.