2-Channel Stereo Sound System

Hey guys,
New to the forum, I'm new to the whole tube amp/2-channel amp field.

The reason I am looking into this is because I have some budget 5.1 sound system with those little tiny 'cute' speakers that sound like ****.

My dad, however, has a Sansui AU-517, that in comparison (with any speakers I've heard it from) blows my 5.1 system away.

Now, I am looking to buy my own 2-channel (tube or non-tube whatever you suggest) integrated (i believe this is what I'm looking for) amp.

Also, I am looking for some speakers to use. I am not by any means ubsessed with audio quality, I just want good solid tone (highs and lows) neither overpowering.


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As of now I am extremely low on cash so I want to keep this in the price range of the following I picked out.

Speakers - (once i get more money I'd make it 4x)
2x : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290013
or
2x : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882184291

Amp -
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sansui-Integrate...item4a9c51781e



Thanks for any help pointing me in the right direction!

Welcome to the AR forum, Kyle. It looks like you're already pointed in the right direction. At these price points, what you've chosen looks hard to beat. There are certainly some other speaker options you could look at...there are as many opinions on speakers around here as there are members...but that price on the Polk speakers is really low.

I can't tell anything about the speakers but the amplifier is a killer! It is rated 65W per channel but it sounds for 10 times more! You are on the right way for the amp! Get it!

Thanks for the replies.

What would you recommend for speakers?

I'd like to know what brands (or custom) speakers are best around the $100 mark.

Also what is a good place for used speakers? Craigslist, Ebay, what else?

Thanks very much!

For speakers will be better to go with craigslist! If you buy them on ebay the shipping will be so much because the speakers are big and heavy!

Ahh true, true!

What are some brands I should look for?

I probably should post in speakers, eh?

Thanks again

This is just my opinion and in no way would advise you to do this. Like most of the guys on this website, I have made many, many audio mistakes.

If you are looking for 4 matching new speakers, the Polk's look like a good deal. You can later buy a subwoofer to handle the bottom end and have a touch more volume and low bass output. A new speaker would also have a higher WAF! ( Always important )

Dakatagb is correct about your shipping cost, you are looking at @ $100 to ship almost any med. bookshelf or larger speaker, so Ebay and Audiogon is out.

Or you could ( this is budget talk ) look at Pawn / Thrift / Goodwill shops / Craigslist for "Old Classic speakers" that may need a refoam job / woofer / tweeter replaced, etc. If you live near a large city, that would be the way I would go. You would have plenty of help as far as info for items on this website or by using Google. However, it would be harder to find another matching pair without using something like Ebay in the future.

Again, that's just my 2 cents, I am not saying that is what you should do.

Kyle

Welcome to AR!

A good or even very good system can be put together with not too much coin and with a little luck. E-Bay is always an option for an integrated amp or even a amp/pre-amp combo but in most cases you are going to pay very close to the market rate plus shipping. With the advent of HT and 5.1 surround system a lot of good quality gear ends up on Craigslist or in your local thrift and often can be obtained well below E-Bay prices. The money stays in your community, often going to charity, and you can test it before you buy.

Obviously the older the gear the greater the chance of minor issues such as dim or missing bulbs etc but these little issues are easy to fix in most cases. Brands to be looking for in older amps/receivers from the 70's would be (in no particular order) Marantz, Pioneer, Kenwood, Luxman, Harmon-Kardon. Speakers to look for would be early Advent, KLH (nothing above say Model 33) JBL,Polk, Genesis, EPI and even early Realistic from the 70's.

Do a little research and you will be amazed at what you can find and afford.

Good luck!

Cerwin Vega have great speakers and for $150 you can get a very nice pair!

I would give strong consideration to these speakers

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ENC300

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ATLS300

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...069&CatId=4592

Then buy this CDP and you should have some very nice sound

http://emotiva.com/erc1.shtm