knight007 Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 Hi, I am a noob and i'd like to know what is needed for a good 2-channel system at ~$800. Do i need an amp/preamp or just a reciever? What speakers (i was thinking of RF-3IIs)? And what reciever pairs well with Klipsch Reference speakers. (Also, is a reciever needed if I buy amp and a preamp) PS: I already have CD/DVD players. Thank You Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 Does the $800 include both amplication AND speakers, or just speakers? I'm assuming just speakers, yes? If so, what's the budget for amplification? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juba310 Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 You can go either preamp/amp as seperates, or combined into one (reciever). Both will work, however in most cases seperates will sound better than a receiver. If you're on a budget, a receiver might be more economical for you. Stereo receivers can be found pretty cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knight007 Posted February 15, 2004 Author Share Posted February 15, 2004 Unfortunatly ~$800 for both speakers and amplification. I am ony 17 years old, i can't afford a serious high-end audio system. Also, does it really matter how many watts per channel on a reciever. I see some expencive recievers with only 60-70/watts per channel while some cheaper ones have 100watts per channel. IM LOST! What is a good reciever for $300? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 $800 us ... well, a member posted recently that he found the rf3II's for $500 a pair, that leaves less than $300 for a receiver, or amp/preamp combo, or an integrated amp. You could try the local shops and see about a demonstrator/ last years model marked down, or possibly a trade in. Other than that, maybe a good used integrated amplifier or receiver is the way to go. Check the local classifieds, sometimes you find real deals. Good luck, and don't forget that you are going to need some cables and speaker wire as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 As mentioned, check for model closeouts on receivers, or refurb's. You might find a Denon or H/K for about $300. You don't need 100wpc to make Klipsch speakers sound good. And cheap ones that advertise that kind of power are probably not "all that." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_Shomaker Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 Check this Denon out http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3077598037&category=39793 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_Shomaker Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 Do you want to be able to upgrade to surround sound and keep your reciever because if you don't I wouldn't buy that Denon I mentioned. The Denon sounds really good in HT but it just doesn't do all that great in stereo unless you put it in Pure Direct mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 800 bucks? Simple answer: H/K 430 receiver in good shape and a pair of used Heresys in good shape...pocket the rest of the money left over and when your friends hear it tell em it cost 2 grand! Trust me, they will believe it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_Shomaker Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 ---------------- On 2/15/2004 8:56:46 PM HDBRbuilder wrote: 800 bucks? Simple answer: H/K 430 receiver in good shape and a pair of used Heresys in good shape...pocket the rest of the money left over and when your friends hear it tell em it cost 2 grand! Trust me, they will believe it! ---------------- Wow didn't think of that what about a tube amp and a pair of Heresys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 T_Shomaker....read what the guy said...he is 17, doesn't really know what to do or get...is "lost" by his own admission when it comes to wattage needs in relation to efficient speakers...etc.... All of this points to the fact he needs SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE to start out with...let him get something NOW that will do him quite well for a few years until he learns enough to make informed decisions in his later upgraditis...can't get much simpler than an old H/K 430 and some good Heresys...and still end up with a system that will very likely outperform not only those of his friends, but also those of most of his friends' parents...all for around 500 bucks or less....just figure this...he gets happy, he hangs around and learns more about audio from us, then later on he takes his saved up pennies and upgrades with the knowledge he needs...the big bonus is...he will IMMEDIATELY learn about speaker efficiency since the H/K 430 only puts out about 25 watts per channel...get my drift? Another big bonus is that when his friends come over to hear it, their jaws will hit the floor when he turns the volume up to about the 10 o'clock mark and he yells over the speakers that the receiver only puts out a max of 25 watts per channel...that way he will be teaching his friends by osmosis about speaker efficiency. Also with the H/K, he gets a great tuner in the deal...and has a decent phono section, too...so he can get into vinyl if he wants! IOW, he can do CD into aux, phono, and even tape, and has a great little tuner all in one package to begin with. Plus the old H/K 430 is a real beaut with its panel lit up in the dark! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshnich Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 Andy is right on! I would also consider a Fisher 400 receiver with the hereseys. Not to court a lot of backlash, but if you start with a quality amp/receive you may want to consider some less expensive speakers to start. You can pick up a pir of Dynacos for a couple of hundred bucks. And for some real sleepers, I am not sure why they do not have the same status as other old english speakers, are the wharfedales. I have a pair of both the w-70s ( o bought em for 240 bucks) and a pair of w-60s which I bought for 35 bucks. Both have cast tweeters mids and woofers with alnico drivers. If they were branded as Tannoys they would go for over a grand apiece! josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 Knight007, Welcome to the Forum! HDBRbuilder's advice should not be taken lightly. That is a great recommendation that he gave you. I believe that is exactly what I would do with a budget of $800. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knight007 Posted February 15, 2004 Author Share Posted February 15, 2004 Is this the H/K 430 you all are talking about: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3078521765&category=3279 or are you talking about the newer one, AVR430? I've been looing at some Heresys; most of them are old, from 70s and 80s in ok condition. How do they sound as compared to rf-3s or 5s. Thanks for the help guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 That's the receiver you want. I am not sure about the difference in sound between the Heresy and the RF-3 or 5's. I have only heardthe RF-7's. I am presuming the RF series are more expensive than the Heresy's? All I can say for sure on this is that the Heresy is a fine speaker for the price. ---------------- On 2/15/2004 10:13:25 PM knight007 wrote: Is this the H/K 430 you all are talking about: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3078521765&category=3279 or are you talking about the newer one, AVR430? I've been looing at some Heresys; most of them are old, from 70s and 80s in ok condition. How do they sound as compared to rf-3s or 5s. Thanks for the help guys! ---------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knight007 Posted February 15, 2004 Author Share Posted February 15, 2004 My dad just set up a new HT for the living room and gave me the old reciever and old speakers. The reciever is Harman Kardon AVR-20II. Do any of you know anything about it, it produced a nice sound even with our old crappy 75 watt peakers. I think it will be perfect for my sterio system. If it is good, i can use it and spend $800 just on the speakers. (what speakers should i be looking at---if i use this reciever) Im still thinking about Heresys (i herd I need a subby for them). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forte Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 Check this out on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3078449092 I know that there are no pictures, but you can find them on the net somewhere. This is a great tube integrated amp that will be better than any solid state receiver you will ever buy. This auction died with no bids when the price was intitially set to $400, and was relisted for $375 so maybe you can steal it for < $400. I have the same one and paid $525 for it. You could pair this up with a set of used Klipsch and probably come in under budget with a system that will come close to rivaling audiophile grade stuff - really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_Shomaker Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 ---------------- On 2/15/2004 9:24:14 PM HDBRbuilder wrote: T_Shomaker....read what the guy said...he is 17, doesn't really know what to do or get...is "lost" by his own admission when it comes to wattage needs in relation to efficient speakers...etc.... All of this points to the fact he needs SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE to start out with...let him get something NOW that will do him quite well for a few years until he learns enough to make informed decisions in his later upgraditis...can't get much simpler than an old H/K 430 and some good Heresys...and still end up with a system that will very likely outperform not only those of his friends, but also those of most of his friends' parents...all for around 500 bucks or less....just figure this...he gets happy, he hangs around and learns more about audio from us, then later on he takes his saved up pennies and upgrades with the knowledge he needs...the big bonus is...he will IMMEDIATELY learn about speaker efficiency since the H/K 430 only puts out about 25 watts per channel...get my drift? Another big bonus is that when his friends come over to hear it, their jaws will hit the floor when he turns the volume up to about the 10 o'clock mark and he yells over the speakers that the receiver only puts out a max of 25 watts per channel...that way he will be teaching his friends by osmosis about speaker efficiency. Also with the H/K, he gets a great tuner in the deal...and has a decent phono section, too...so he can get into vinyl if he wants! IOW, he can do CD into aux, phono, and even tape, and has a great little tuner all in one package to begin with. Plus the old H/K 430 is a real beaut with its panel lit up in the dark! ---------------- Well I'm 13 and I didn't really know what to get before I came here and asked a few questions either. I decided that I wanted something that I wouldn't have to upgrade in the next few years so I got a Scott 299D.But for $800 it probably would be a better idea to get the HK. The HK I listened to at SheltieDave's house sounded great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrench_peddler Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 I looked at the specs on Harmon Kardons website and it looks good. A good set of speakers should be all you need. You can probably find a pair of Cornwalls for about $800. You will be thrilled with them. One thing Harmon Kardon does is give the wattage ratings with both channels driven at 20hz-20khz which gives a lower number than the other guys get while only using one channel only driven with 1khz. The power supply can push one channel with only one frequency easier than it can driving two channels with all frequency being used at one time. That is why some lower rated amps sound much better than some rated much higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 Take a look at this one http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?query=harmon+kardon+730&ht=1&sosortproperty=1&from=R10&BasicSearch= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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