Can you help with budget living room setup?

[pancakeplease]

Hello all, I'll get right to it. I used to have a Polk PSW10 sub + Polk Monitor30 + denon receiver. I did not like the subwoofer, the speakers weren't that great either. I sold it all 5 years ago.

I need a new set up for my small living room. My budget is around $500 hopefully.

I am looking at the KEF q100 for $300, an integrated amplifier or receiver for $100, subwoofer for $100. I get the last 2 aren't going to be great given the budget so I'm willing to wait on slickdeals, closeouts, and also buy used.

My needs are music and occasional movies, meaning Id like to watch netflix with the speakers over the tv audio, but I'm not looking to do a 5.1 or surround setup. So an integrated amp that can do this as well as have a remote control feature would be ideal.


I started looking on craigslist but I am having a hard time with all the various model #s and names.

Any recommendations on what to look for when searching used?

 

[lovinthehd]

Well you were right about that sub!

$500 is skinny. I do agree to put as much towards speakers as you can, and that you want to use a sub is key. Integrated amps or two-ch gear in general at that price point will have no bass management. Used avr may be the way to go in this case, particularly if you're not caring about the latest video handling abilities and people dump perfectly good stuff sometimes for cheap; check out accessories4less.com for avr deals, mostly refurbs there but some closeouts on new as well. Look at the Dayton SUB-1200 at parts-express.com for a sub.

 

[MrBoat]

Let your friends know what you are up to. You might be surprised what they are hoarding. I built a righteous sound system for music for 75 bucks. $75 was for two very nice JBL speakers. A friend read my project on social media and donated a Denon AVR that had very little use just to get it out of his closet. He was going to give me a deal on his older speakers too, until we found out my bargain used finds, kicked his speakers butts.

Every time I revisit this hobby I end up with more equipment than I needed. I have 2 integrated, and a couple 2 channel amps that are at most, a spritz of deoxit away from working perfectly.

 

[KEW]

What brand/model of DVD/BD player do you have and do you have other sources for music or do you just play CD's on your DVD player?
How big is your room?
What Brand/Model of TV?
What I am angling at is using powered monitors, but you need a way to manage inputs and volume. Your TV can probably do this.