Setup for a small room.

[Plutoman 10+ year member]

Alright. So I'm moving into a fraternity, and I want to get a decent setup to use here. I was trying to buy off my friends small setup, which is a four way with a powered sub, and sounds pretty darn good, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to buy it.

I have some equipment of my own, namely, two Jensen tower speakers rated for 80 watts rms - model is 3152? Can't find much on them either. I also have two sony towers (model SS-U552AV - can't find them on google, except for that they apparently are towers from a complete system), but as far as I remember, one of the midbasses was blown, though I haven't hooked them up in a while. No information on power ratings. These are big towers, too, the jensen's have a 15" woofer, then the midrange, and the tweeter, in a four foot tall tower. I'm not sure whether I should use these.

I also have a Sony STR-V6, which puts 135 watts into two channels, and is a beast, it puts out power well, but for how old it is, and for the fact that I (kind of stupidly) ran it in my car, I'm not sure I'd trust it without a full tune-up. And I'd honestly rather have newer gear, I'm not so nostalgic for the old stuff.

My budget's around $500 maximum, probably, though that could vary depending on what's good.. I'm not looking so much at a complete home theater system, but more for a music system, that could also be wired into a tv for some good sound. Preferably fairly loud, also. For what it'd be used for, audio quality is not the first priority unless it sounds bad period. Mp3 files will probably be used with it quite frequently (though they'll at least be 192kbps).

I'm completely inexperienced with what's good and where to get anything, excepting in the world of car audio, and best buy. And I know best buy's reputation, so I'm coming here.

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[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Integrated amp: http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?intatran&1253841560&/Cambridge-Audio-540A--V1

Doesn't have to be that, but Cambridge Audio, NAD or Arcam would be on my list for affordable used integrated amps. No point in getting a receiver unless you can't be without broadcast radio, in which case a separate tuner is better anyway.

Speakers: http://creativesound.ca/details.php?model=FR125SR

In these: http://www.zillaspeak.com/bib-howtobuild.asp

Some of the best midbass you're going to get out of a single 4.5", with a very nice top end. No crossovers to deal with.

 

[MegaloJntariac 10+ year member]

If you want an American dealer for CSS and not shipping from canada try this site they also offer Mark Audio drivers too:

http://www.stereoclarity.com/?page_id=221

 

[Plutoman 10+ year member]

Sounds good so far. No problems with building a box.

However, one question I'm considering is a subwoofer. How would that fit into this? I can't open the specifications on the cambridge audio, as this computer doesn't have adobe. Pos comp >.> The system will be used mostly for rock, metal, and rap/hiphop/party music. It'd be nice to have a heavy bass to it.

Also, is any of my equipment worth anything?

Ah, and one more question. What about for the use of cd's? My friend's setup for it, the main unit was the amplifier for the speakers, and it also had a full digital display with the settings and a 5 cd changer. Should that be something I would find separately then? Kind of along the lines of the head unit for the car.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

How would that fit into this?

If you get a plate amplifier that has high-level inputs, just use those.

What about for the use of cd's?

I'd just use a computer to save space, but if you really want a separate CD player, they're cheap.

 

[Plutoman 10+ year member]

If you get a plate amplifier that has high-level inputs, just use those.
I'd just use a computer to save space, but if you really want a separate CD player, they're cheap.

Alright. It's not so much for the computer, but for the show of it, and simplicity of use, as I likely won't be the only person using it, and I don't want others using my computer. I mean... It's at a frat - party.

And you lost me with the above. I'm attempting to switch from the car audio mode of thinking to the home audio... High level inputs would mean taking it straight from the speaker power, correct? Low level is an RCA hookup? I'm not sure, though I think that's what it is. Wouldn't it be better to just use an RCA signal? I took a look at the creative sounds plate amplifiers, but I'm not sure how all of it would work into the budget.

What would be your take on it? I'm not sure which amplifiers would work. and how to fit it into the budget, with the inclusion of a subwoofer. I'm considering just using the Jensen tower speakers combined with two other towers using those newer speakers. I would assume the 15" woofers would get deeper than the 4.5" speakers, even with a good box designed to enhance it. Wiring it to 4 ohms. Sending approximately 40 watts to each.

That would mean I'm spending around $340 + supplies. Which is fairly reasonable. Or, if I had too, just leaving it with the two new towers, which would still be the same price.

Hmm... Just not sure what route to go for a "party" type of system without spending a lot of money here. I'm not going for an audiophile quality system, more the loudness with a good frequency response, and a heavy bass.