this seems to be the real deal. i was going through the posts about AA's, especially the comparison with Elac .all i've heard is andrew jones. thank you agarwalro, for this whole new world i am into. i think ill ditch the 305's and get the AA's, AA centre channel and a nice avr. cheers.
Both options; the JBL's with Fulla Schiit (Who can resist? Not me!
), Monoprice sub, and splitter cables... and AVR with AA's and Monoprice sub are setups I would consider "highest value for sound quality per dollar".
The biggest advantage of the JBL Schiit option is compactness - which would work better on a desktop system. The disadvantage of JBL Schiit is it doesn't offer the ability to easily expand into a full HT.
The AVR AA system allows for that expansion.
The AVR option will go much smoother if you can attach a TV to use the OSD (on screen display) even if you only attach it for the setup process (which is automated with instructions coming over the TV screen). They do their best to provide these instructions on the AVR display, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. Note that the benefits of this setup process are not even offered in the JBL-Schiit option.
Also, if this is for the desktop, Dennis Murphy (the designer of the Philharmonic speakers) does not recommend the AA's for listening if you are sitting close to the speakers (as in a desktop system). It has to do with how the woofer and tweeter interact at close distances. Seems like he said 4 feet or closer is too close, but double check with him if this is an issue.
Since you are talking center speaker, I assume you are not intending to be so close to the speakers.
The Integra option that Lovin linked is an exceptional budget option (in case you missed it, final price is $240 which shows after it is in the shopping cart).
However, if your budget allows, I would go with this Integra for $280 (after you put in your cart):
https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/intdtr403/integra-dtr-40.3-7.2-ch-x-110-watts-thx-networking-a/v-receiver/1.html
The main difference between these two AVR's is the version of Audyssey. The $240 Integra has MultiEQ 2EQ while the $280 Integra has MultiEQ XT. The reason why this matters is because 2EQ does not attempt to EQ the subwoofer while XT applies 128x filters to the subwoofer signal. I consider tuning the subwoofer as the most important task of a roomEQ system, so 2EQ is not worth much in my book.
Also Onkyo (who makes the Integra as their "premium" offering) has a reputation for AVR's overheating, so be sure to keep it out in the open where airflow is good and/or buy cooling fans like this to aid:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JLV4BWC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Last consider that Accessories4less sells an extended 3 year warranty for $40 on the AVR. I never bother with this because I don't mind taking a gamble on something like this (and haven't had any issues). However, if you have reservations about buying refurbbed gear, it is not a bad price to pay for the peace of mind it offers.
