(Guess whose got insomnia again.
)
We're setting up a place in Texas so we're back and forth between here and Jersey. Last Summer, we loaded up a car with a few basics: some sheets, lamps, some cooking utensils some folding chairs, a Marantz 2270 and a pair of DCM CX-21 speakers. You know, the bare necessities of life. We ordered furniture to be delivered when we came out again around Christmas. All was good. Sparse but good.
Oh, while were here I sprung for a $230 32" Vizio smart TV as well. Gotta have my netflix, amazon and pandora We left one of our cars with my son to watch.
We flew out again just before Christmas, this time with a $45 Sony Blu-ray I got from Walmart on black Friday.
Well, doncha know, my trusty 2270 dropped one channel and finding service here isn't all that easy. The nearest reputable) place seems to be about 2 1/2 hours away. So, I ordered a Spartan Yamaha stereo receiver* to keep the music alive. This cost less than the repair to the 2270 will cost. We stayed until mid March.
Those bookshelf DCM CX-21 are pretty durn good, they image great and do a fairly credible job with the bass, what with them being a TLS design. But, now that we're playing movies I wanted a bit more bass.
So, I saw this on sale for $119.
http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-sub-1200-12-120-watt-powered-subwoofer--300-629
It's quite good for the price but it does take some time to balance the three major factors here: Position, Crossover, and level. If you don't it can sound overpowering and boomy. It took me a few weeks of constant fiddling (hey, I'm a perfectionist here) until it sounds right to me but now that it's done, it does a great job, particularly when you consider the price.
For a 12" unit, it's fairly compact and, once adjusted properly, it simply takes over where the DCM's fade out. You don't even know it's there until it's called for.
now, this is a pretty rudimentary system. The receiver offers no bass management. I had to do everything vis placement and the controls on the sub itself. Some say it can't be done and sound right but I'm here to say that with patience you can get excellent results.
Actually, I seem to have built a bottom feeder two channel system here.
Vizio 32" smart TV - $230
Yamaha R S-201 - $130
Dayton Sub 1200 - $120
Sony 1500 Blu Ray - $45
Just add speakers and you're all set. Heck,if one is desperate, one could get a pair of Dayton B652 or$35 now
That's a total of $510. $295 without the TV.
FWIW, we just splurged for a 55" Vizio and now it's just like being in the theatre. The picture now matches the sound.
* R S-201 - I did a post on this earlier.
