# 2 channel setup under 5k including amps



## Rankinator (Jun 21, 2018)

I'm moving to a house and looking at getting a nice high quality 2.1 setup if towers alone don't suffice and one that I can eventually expand later to possibly 4.1 or 5.1.

I'm kind of new to high quality audio, so as of right now, I don't have any preamps or amps or any major equipment so anything you guys can suggest that would be a great combo would be really helpful.

My needs are loud for movies and delicate and very good imaging for music. I want something that I won't need to upgrade for a long time. My budget is probably 5k for the towers alone, but I would prefer if I could keep all the necessary equipment for them under 5k.

I have looked into JTR, Power Sound Audio, Klipsch, Monitor, and am definitely open to any new suggestions.

Thanks!


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

With your budget Seaton Sound would be another contender, as would Funk Audio. Both companies make highly regarded speakers and subwoofers.


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## stpope (Apr 30, 2009)

Hello!

I'd advise you to go for a minimalist system with (1) an integrated source component and (2) active speakers.

By (1), I mean a source device that can stream, play fixed media, and serve as a D/A convertor. The Oppo universal players come to mind here (and they're cheap now since they're being discontinued); they're really reliable, so look for a used one. They play all manner of disc, and stream WiFi and can be used with a streaming TV like an AppleTV. Some of the models have audiophile D/A convertors and balanced outputs. 

Another option here would be any of the various combined D/A convertor + pre-amps like the Mytek Brooklyn, which even has a phono pre-amp and remote volume control (and a balanced output). Many of the budget audiophile brands like Naim, Rotel, Bryston and Cambridge have products in this category.

By (2), I mean powered speakers, which will ALWAYS give you better bang/buck than separates. There are several European audiophile brands like Genelec, Adam, and Dynaudio that are found in many recording studios. These also hold their value very well.

Compared to the combined price of a power amp, speaker cables and passive speakers, you can ALWAYS get better sound for the same price with active speakers and decent-quality balanced microphone cables (instead of expensive speaker cables). This assumes your pre-amp has balanced outputs (XLR plugs).

For under $5k, you could get an Oppo universal player, Adam S-series active speakers, and Canare XLR cables and have $ left for accessories or an active subwoofer.

...just my $0.02...

stp


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

stpope said:


> For under $5k, you could get an Oppo universal player, Adam S-series active speakers, and Canare XLR cables and have $ left for accessories or an active subwoofer.


Just an update on this part... Oppo went out of business. They made the best players but it's all but certain none are still available.


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## Gregr (Nov 2, 2010)

All good ideas and suggestions.
I'm a little more old fashioned. I want reviews and to talk with people or listen to people talk about a particular speaker. If i were buying with your budget I would be looking for the best buy on Bowers and Wilkins speakers. In fact BestBuy sells B&W speakers and you could buy a pair of 3way 704 or 703 - S2's for under $3k and a 3way Center Channel for $1.5k or 2way for $750. These are so called full range speakers but only reach down to 40hertz approx which is nice, but you could add B&W 1000w DB4S Subwoofer for $1500 and pound out below to 10hertz.


B&W has done their homework - these are not a scientific project or budget speakers. B&W speakers all sound very musical. With these B&W speakers you would not need an upgrade for a very long time. In fact everything you did to better your system would not be lost on these speakers. With every system tweek these speakers would sound better and better.


Then you could buy a used pair of 800 series diamond speakers for 2x to 3x the price. Then again you could buy a pair of Wilson Audio or Totem, Magico or YG Acoustics speakers... used.


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