2-channel advice for a newb

[Doodsmack]

Hi all, brand new here and would greatly appreciate some advice. I am basically new to the home audio scene. I am looking to buy a 2.1 system, for a fairly small living room in a fairly small apartment. The reason I only want 2-channel is basically for simplicity, and because I live in a small apartment. Upgrading from a Bose Cinemate II system so I hope I can do better than that. Ideally my budget would be 700-800 but I could go up to 1000 if convinced. I am open to buying refurb/used.

My inputs are Rotel RP-855 TT, HTPC w/ onboard audio & linux (which will be used for gaming & spotify), video game consoles, Comcast cable box.

My research thus far has led me to the following tentative plan:

Wharfedale Diamond 10.1s
Amazon.com : WHARFEDALE - DIAMOND 10.1 BLACK : Bookshelf Home Speakers : Electronics

Dayton Audio SUB-800
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0063NU30K/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3VLPXGKPPWYHI&coliid=I1B3NT8SFL7Q06

AudioQuest G-Snake
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006DPQ28/...=I7PN0YFJ3EL6H

Pangea stands
Amazon.com : Pangea Audio - LS200 - Speaker Stand - Pair - 28 Inches : Home Speaker Stands : Electronics

As for the receiver/integrated amp, this is where I am getting confused as to what to get. Ideally I would not want to spend a premium for a bunch of unnecessary features and a giant 7.2 avr. I would like this to be an efficient 2.1 system with no plans for future upgrade to 5.1. My ideal feature list would be digital in (required), phono in, sub out, usb connection to HTPC, WiFi & airplay. So if the only digital in is optical/coax, I would connect my devices by HDMI to the TV and then the TV to the integrated amp by the TV's optical out.

These are the avr/integrated amp options I'm looking at. Considering the overall budget I will probably have to get this used/refurb.

Marantz PM6005 $700
Newegg.com - Marantz PM6005 Pure-Basic Series Integrated Amplifier (Black)

Marantz NR1504 $500
Newegg.com - Marantz NR1504 5 Channel Home Theater Slim-Live AV Receiver with AirPlay (Black)

Teac TEAC NP-H750 $700
TEAC NP-H750 Integrated amplifier with built-in DAC, Wi-Fi® and Apple AirPlay® at Crutchfield.com

Teac A-H01 $300
TEAC A-H01 (Black) Stereo integrated amplifier with built-in DAC at Crutchfield.com $300

Harman Kardon HK 3770 $450
HK 3770 | Stereo receiver featuring 240 watts of amplification, analog and digital capacity and networked connectivity. | Harman Kardon US

Onkyo A-9050 $390 (this is a good deal right now on Amazon)
Amazon.com: Onkyo A-9050 Integrated Stereo Amplifier (Black): Electronics

Sony STR-DN840 $450
Amazon.com: Sony STR-DN840 7.2 Channel 1050-Watt A/V Receiver (Black): Electronics

I am basically looking for some general guidance on how to choose a avr/integrated amp here. I am wondering whether out of these, there will be noticeable differences in sound quality from one to another. If not, then I would basically decide by price point and feature list. The HK 3770 has the highest wattage I think and has a pretty killer feature list to boot.

Any other general help would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

[tmurnin]

You might consider the NAD 3020 for $500. No airplay but it does do Bluetooth, and you could hook up an Airport Express if needed. Not a huge amount of power, but given your space it would be fine. You could step up to the NAD 7050 which does get you built in Airplay and a lot more power, but that almost doubles the price, too. The Wharfedales are great speakers.

 

[ImcLoud]

This is one of the rare times I will rec an avr for 2.1, but if its for TV I would use an AVR...

DENON AVR-E300 5.1 3D Networking Receiver AirPlay | Accessories4less

a decent 2.1 HT system in your budget would be the hybrid 2 on this page http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/hybrid2pkg.html

 

[zieglj01]

Why are you looking at a Dayton subwoofer, to mate with Wharfedale speakers.

Cut back on these expensive electronic things to save some money, and aim for
a different subwoofer

A nice receiver has a built in Amp and Dac (Denon, Marantz, Yamaha), and can
be found at AC4L.

Also do not get too carried away with fancy cables - that can/will sound as good
as some RadioShack cables - I only buy fancy cables on close-out pricing, if I am
concerned about looks (they can be foun at AC4L)

The all around good sound will come from speakers and subwoofer.

 

[shadyJ]

I would just get a surround sound AVR, they have bass management and room correction equalization which is something that equally priced two channel receivers tend to lack. An equally priced two channel amp might have a more robust amp, but unless you are going to jam low impedance speakers at high volumes for long periods, that won't have any advantage. Just get your speaker cable from Home Depot, those Audioquest cables might look nice but give you no performance advantage. I would get a much better subwoofer than a Dayton, that is a terrible choice for a hifi setup. I would be looking at Hsu, Rythmik, SVS. A new company Reaction looks like they might be a great choice for a low budget sub. Dayton Kits are also a great choice when you want to get a high quality sound for not too much $.

 

[Doodsmack]

Thanks for the suggestions, I think I am gonna go with a 5.1 avr for cheaper, denon avr-e300 looks good, and also cheaper cables and maybe used stands locally, and spend more on the sub. any advice on 8" vs 10"? Thanks

 

[Mo Noyz]

Yeah, you should never pay too much for cabling. Especially the digital stuff.

As for RCA's, these are the ones I currently use. RCA Cable | Emotiva Audio | High-end audio components for audiophiles and videophiles, spanning 2-channel music systems, as well as 5.1 and 7.1 home theaters. Products include multichannel amplifiers, stereo amplifiers, and monoblock amplifiers, as w

And I'd say you're making the right choice going AVR. That leaves the door open to expand to an X.1 system down the road should you choose to do so.

 

[zieglj01]

Thanks for the suggestions, I think I am gonna go with a 5.1 avr for cheaper, denon avr-e300 looks good, and also cheaper cables and maybe used stands locally, and spend more on the sub. any advice on 8" vs 10"? Thanks

HSU STF-2 sub
STF-2 Subwoofer

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

This is one of the rare times I will rec an avr for 2.1, but if its for TV I would use an AVR...
DENON AVR-E300 5.1 3D Networking Receiver AirPlay | Accessories4less

a decent 2.1 HT system in your budget would be the hybrid 2 on this page Hybrid 2 Packages

Sky had opened and he seen the light !

p.s.: Have you seen the recent weather forecast? Hell has frozen. ImcL rec'd an AVR to OP looking for stereo system.

p.s.s: yes, E300 would work fine in your small apt.

Why are you looking at a Dayton subwoofer, to mate with Wharfedale speakers.

Cut back on these expensive electronic things to save some money, and aim for
a different subwoofer

Also do not get too carried away with fancy cables - that can/will sound as good
as some RadioShack cables - I only buy fancy cables on close-out pricing, if I am
concerned about looks (they can be foun at AC4L)

The all around good sound will come from speakers and subwoofer.

+1 Yes, That. Paring these nice Wharfardaces with cheapest Dayton sub is like using steel wheels on a Ferrari

HSU STF-2 sub
STF-2 Subwoofer

 

[slipperybidness]

If you want GOOD cables and NOT overpriced (not exactly cheap though), BJC is where it's at.

Stereo Cables at Blue Jeans Cable

 

[Mo Noyz]

If you want GOOD cables and NOT overpriced (not exactly cheap though), BJC is where it's at.

Stereo Cables at Blue Jeans Cable

Second!

Monoprice and Blue Jean are heads and shoulders above almost every other manufacturer.

I personally prefer my 14AWG Emotiva speaker cables ($14.99 for a pair of 10 footers), but only because they have a nicer overall finish.

Aside from that, I'd never buy cables from anyone but those three companies.

 

[Doodsmack]

Denon 1913 currently on CL for 275, only used for couple months...in fact just a few blocks away from me lol. I'm tempted.

 

[Doodsmack]

I have a local seller with some "like new" Bowers and Wilkins 685s for 420 w/ stands included. Would you guys recommend that over the Diamond 10.1s for 350?

 

[Doodsmack]

Thought I might post what I ended up going with in case anyone finds this thread while searching. Basically since I live in the DC area and craigslist is pretty active I went with the best craigslist deals I found for used components. Still keeping with the guidelines of what range of speakers and receiver I wanted. I went with a 2.0 setup, I really think for a small apartment with neighbors nearby, a sub is not at all necessary. The bass on 2.0 speakers can be pretty damn good too. Price tag $725,

Bowers and Wilkins 685s
Denon AVR-1913

It really is awesome to listen to a decent system like this with the music cranked up. But, you can't go too loud with neighbors. Which sucks. We had a neighbor knock on our door already lol.

I will also be adding the turntable to the top of the stand.

Pls ignore purple spots on camera lol.