HiFi vs Home Theatre

[Mrame]

Hello
I’m pretty new to this, but I have decided to build myself a budget HiFi stereo. First purchase was a set of Vandersteen 2c speakers.
Next purchase was going to be an older middle quality amp, then a turntable, but now I’m wondering if I can buy a more modern receiver for the family to enjoy movies, ipods etc, and still deliver high quality stereo sound for me.
Does such a receiver exist? If not, can I use a receiver as just a connection to a better amp which I use for my own listening?
Also, have I chosen my speakers wisely?

 

[lovinthehd]

Sure a modern receiver could work fine, they're apparently amp friendly speakers per the Stereopile review "The Vandersteen 2C has a very flat impedance curve for so sophisticated a design. It should be an easy speaker to drive; it could even (Heaven forbid!) be used with your receiver..." The heaven forbid bit I assume is pandering to those who believe a modern receiver somehow can't work in 2ch mode. Personally my 2ch gear is my least used, I use each of my multich systems to listen to music. YMMV.

You could add an external amp if the receiver has pre-outs and you think you need more power for your listening, whether or not you would find that better for your needs hard to know since you don't provide them particularly.

If you like the speakers you've chosen then you're doing fine.

What's your budget?

 

[BMXTRIX]

Modern A/V receivers are incredibly well reviewed and often have amplifier technology built in that works extremely well. Like with everything, you want to read reviews before making a decision. Be aware that these receivers often over-inflate their amplifier numbers if they were to be used for surround sound, but with two channels driven, they often respond extremely well.

Better receivers are really no different than two channel setups. They use better processing internally to convert digital audio to analog. They have better analog connections. They have better separation between the amplifier section and the pre-amp section. They use better amplifiers.

It often astounds me that there aren't more 'cheaper' pre-amps on the market. I really think with the quality that you get from entry level Denon, Yamaha, Pioneer, Onkyo and others, it would be nice to have them without the amps built in at all, but just a set of pre-outs from them to go to my own amplifiers.

But, at the end of the day, in the 'speaker setup' portion of every single A/V receiver of any basic quality these days, is the option to set the speakers to Left/Right front, no center, no surrounds, no subwoofer. And you have you 2.0 stereo setup done.

Be aware that analog audio connections are disappearing across the board and HDMI has really taken hold, so while an A/V receiver usually has plenty of HDMI connectivity, it may lack analog connections or much else. So, that's on you to recognize what gear you are connecting and how much connectivity you need or want.

I think the little Marantz units are pretty cool with their compact size and inclusion of pre-outs for stereo setups if you want to add an external amp. A few analog audio inputs, HDMI inputs, and a couple of digital audio only inputs. It's not huge, it's not crazy, but it is a nice little product.

http://www.us.marantz.com/us/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=AVReceivers&SubCatId=0&ProductId=NR1509

On a real budget though, there's certainly no reason you couldn't start with something like this:
https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrs530bt/denon-avr-s530bt-5.2-ch-x-70-watts-bluetooth-a/v-receiver/1.html

But, that's way out of line with what you have for speakers.

 

[Mrame]

I wouldn’t want to break the $1000 mark per major item, unless quality jumps significantly just after that mark. $2000 per item is right out of the question. I have no issues buying used as well.
As far as needs, I don’t need the neighbours across the street to enjoy my music with me, but I would like the speakers to achieve close to their potential in decibals with no problems. Clarity is most important to me, especially with classical music, but a good amount of base and percussion is desirable too.
Movies, etc take a back seat. No surround sound required.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Hello
I’m pretty new to this, but I have decided to build myself a budget HiFi stereo. First purchase was a set of Vandersteen 2c speakers.
Next purchase was going to be an older middle quality amp, then a turntable, but now I’m wondering if I can buy a more modern receiver for the family to enjoy movies, ipods etc, and still deliver high quality stereo sound for me.
Does such a receiver exist? If not, can I use a receiver as just a connection to a better amp which I use for my own listening?
Also, have I chosen my speakers wisely?

Sorry, but I am all (pretending) enraged. How dare you to call yourself "new to this" and do exactly correct steps in right order.
You did correctly by buying speakers first.
You've chosen wisely one very good and very reputable speakers brand and model.
You're a VERY rare exception to majority of new AH members.
My honest and sincere congrats to you!

 

[Bucknekked]

Sorry, but I am all (pretending) enraged. How dare you to call yourself "new to this" and do exactly correct steps in right order.
You did correctly by buying speakers first.
You've chosen wisely one very good and very reputable speakers brand and model.
You're VERY rare exception to majority of new AH members.
My honest sincere congrats to you!

yeah, c'mon for cryin' out loud. Isn't the OP supposed to go buy incompatible products first and THEN come here and post his disappointment and want somebody to fix it?

What will the forum come to if people make reasonable decisions and take care with their purchases?
Kids these days.............

 

[lovinthehd]

This is a nice unit for the price, even though a few models old by the time they release the 3500 soon and you may even see the 3400 for the same price if you watch for it. Nice feature set, reasonable power.

 

[BMXTRIX]

While not exactly a new discussion, there is some specific info on the speakers that you can review here:
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/vandersteen-2c-speaker-questions.667630/

I think the Denon linked above is a solid choice, and you really do have many choices available to you which are excellent.

Just make sure you have some pre-outs so you can add an amplifier for those speakers at some point if you want to. Certainly on a budget, that gives you a ton of bang for the buck. Start with the integrated A/V receiver, then add an external amplifier or two for the speakers.

I'm not much of a music lover myself. Put me into a good theater setup every day of the week. But, good speakers are often good speakers no matter what.