Help with amp for 3-way setup

[Goochtoucher]

Hi, this is my first post and I am a complete novice when it comes to choosing/setting up any speakers that don't come sold all in one.
I have been doing a lot of research from various websites and forums and I have changed my mind many times, but here is what I believe I have settled on:
JBL ES30 (pair) + JBL Studio 1 CCH Centre or JBL EC25 Centre, there will be a sub added into the mix when I work out the remaining budget.
What I can't work out is what type of amp I connect the speakers to? - Do 3-way speakers still go into a 2x Channel amp?
Should I get a separate active sub?
I was looking at the T.Amp E800 - Is this the correct amount of power? Too little for the three speakers? Not enough channels?
Any help would be appreciated as I am fast running out of places to look.
Thanks in advance.

My budget is <£500 (I live in the U.K so anything I buy has to be available here)

 

[j_garcia]

It doesn't matter how many drivers are in a speaker, it is effectively a single unit. Each speaker needs just one channel of power in a typical setup, with the exception of the sub which should have a built in amp.

There are some speakers that have dual binding posts that may be disconnected from the other for the highs and lows so separate amplification could be run to each, however they are still driven by the same channel information, just by separate amp channels. This is more of a marketing thing than a useful one though.

 

[Crackerballer]

To give you some more info, get a quality AV receiver. Denon, Yamaha, Marantz, Onkyo all make good offerings that will handle your inputs and amplification in one.
With that setup, a nice entry level receiver will be more than adequate. Will this be part of a surround sound system, mainly for music, computer, etc?

 

[j_garcia]

Price range would be another good piece of info.

 

[Goochtoucher]

Wow you guys reply fast
Most of what you said about it being run through their own channel went over my head if i'm honest, does it mean I can get a reciever with 2 channels to run the 3 speakers?
I was looking for an amp around the £100 mark if there are any you could suggest? and possibly where I could get them from.

Does the t.amp e800 not handle the info like a receiver? or would I need a pre-amp if I was to go down that route. (because a standard reciever seems to be easier if that is the case)

 

[Goochtoucher]

Yes it would be used mainly for music so there would be no need for more than the 3 speakers and a sub, I was originally going to look for a 2-way + sub option, but there didn't seem to be any that got consistently good reviews. Whereas these speakers have pretty all round positive feedback.

 

[Crackerballer]

Price range would be another good piece of info.

He has it in the last line of his original post, L500

 

[j_garcia]

So what you need is a multichannel home theater receiver to handle the three channels. A stereo receiver won't have the ability to properly give you a center and the amp you listed earlier does not have the ability to process the signal from other devices like a cable box, Blu-ray player, etc..., something you will need.

Check around for whatever brands are available in your area that fit your budget and you should be good to go. Marantz, Yamaha, Denon, Harman Kardon, Onkyo, all should do fine.

He has it in the last line of his original post, L500

Yeah, missed that.

 

[Crackerballer]

If it is a music system, I suggest 2.1 because that will allow more of your budget to go into each piece. I don't know about pricing, but in theory you could have:
2 speakers
1 sub
1 2-channel amp
Music source (computer, cd player, etc) input via RCA into the amp

 

[Goochtoucher]

If it is a music system, I suggest 2.1 because that will allow more of your budget to go into each piece. I don't know about pricing, but in theory you could have:
2 speakers
1 sub
1 2-channel amp
Music source (computer, cd player, etc) input via RCA into the amp

That is what I originally thought would be the case, but then the amps and their inputs got me all confused. So if I went down this route I could hook it up directly to my pc's audio out?
Because that would make it 1000x easier. Are there any speakers, sub combinations that you can suggest for roughly the same price as the ones I have chosen?
Sub: Roughly £160
Speakers: Roughly £200
Amp: <£125
Obviously any wiggle room you can find in the cost effectiveness of one item can be put towards whichever you would deem more important.

 

[Crackerballer]

It'd be easier for you to tell us what brands/models you have access to in the UK that are in your price range and we can tell you if they are good pieces or not. And yes, you can get a nice USB interface to go from your computer to the amp and have a wonderful system.

Good info in this thread
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/lifestyle-portables/78200-computer-speakers.html

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

If I were OP and located in UK, I'd concentrate on local UK brands (I'm surprised TLS still hasn't pitched in )

Anyway Wharfedale , Celestion, Mission, KEF and Tannoy would be brands I'd be looking for locally.

If you're planning a 5.1 - you should concentrate on receivers and for now forget about dedicated external amps ...
Try to budget 3/4 on speakers and 1/4 on receiver.
I think on your budget you should look on the 2nd hand market or just do 2.0 for now until budget allows expansion

 

[j_garcia]

Mordaunt Short and Cambridge Audio too

 

[Goochtoucher]

Thanks for the help guys, I will do some more research and probably start a new thread with the information I find on brands and such.