# Advice on budget 5.1 speakers for Pioneer VSX 521



## nhenson22 (Oct 7, 2012)

Hi all,

Unfortunately I am on a very tight budget as have just bought a new house so I am aware that at this price level I'm probably not going to get the best sound in the world. Hopefully in a couple of years I will have a bit more cash to play with!

Anyway, I have just bought a Pioneer VSX-521 and am looking for the best speaker package to pair with it for £100 (~$160) if possible. I am looking at two sets just now, the Pioneer s-hs100 and the Vibe Alpha 5.1 system.

I have read a little on matching power outputs etc. and to be honest am a little confused. Would the Vibe set be better as the max power is lower than the amp rating, or are the Pioneers a better match as they have the higher power rating. I also noted that the Vibe set are rated at 4 ohm impedance where the Pioneers are rated at 6 ohm, same as the amp, how would this affect things?

Any other suggestions for speakers around that price are also welcome. 
The living room these will be going in is fairly small at about 6x4m. 

Appreciate any help you guys can give as this is proving way more difficult to research than I thought. Next up, speaker wiring!!


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

I don't believe that the Alpha speakers would present a terrible load to the Pioneer AVR, as the power requirements for those speakers is so low to begin with. They certainly look more interesting than the Pioneer speakers.

Have you had a listen to the S-HS100 or Alpha 5.1 systems?


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## 86eldel68-deactivated (Nov 30, 2010)

Of the two sets, I'd go with the Vibe because:
- the speakers have larger full-range drivers (4" vs. 3") w/ concentric tweeters; and
- the subwoofer has a larger driver (10" vs. 6.3") and roughly comparable power (60W RMS / 180W peak vs. 100W RMS / 160W peak).

The Vibe speakers are rated at 4Ω (vs. the 6Ω rating of the Pioneer speakers), but unless you're driving the receiver hard (to very loud volumes), the lower resistance rating shouldn't be an issue.


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## nhenson22 (Oct 7, 2012)

Thanks for the replies so far. I was leaning towards the Vibe set as they look a little different and have found them at a very good price, they don't seem to be very common as are small UK manufacturer, but buying them direct through Vibe is £300.

I am concerned that when I use my system for music will I try to push the speakers too far and end up damaging and/or clipping due to the amps higher rating? I don't host raves but do like to play music from time to time. I have also checked the manual for the VSX-521 and it does state that it is rated for impedances between 6 and 16 ohms, so this would still be a concern of mine (still not entirely sure of the effect despite reading loads).

To throw another contender into the mix, I have also come across a Yamaha set for similar money - YAMAHA NSP20. Sorry, i would post the links but not allowed until I hit the 5 post count.

Thanks again for the advice! Anyone have any other budget sets they would recommend?


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

The Alpha's 4 ohm rating is representative of the lowest impedance the speaker will present to an amplifier at certain frequencies. Unless you are playing test tones of these frequencies for long periods of time at high levels, you have nothing to fear. A normal signal fed through the system will comprise of many different frequencies and be constantly changing.

As for clipping the amp into the speakers, I suspect that the speakers would overload way before the amp would, so clipping shouldn't be a problem. If you notice the excursion is great and the speakers are "breaking up", simply turn it down.


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## 86eldel68-deactivated (Nov 30, 2010)

> To throw another contender into the mix, I have also come across a Yamaha set for similar money - YAMAHA NSP20.


IMO, it's even less interesting than the Pioneer set.


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## mpesik (Oct 24, 2012)

I too just purchased the Pioneer VSX-521-k.
I bought it while waiting-forever- for my YAMAHA-DSP A 2600 for repairs.
I find the amp -for the money- with clear sound. Although at higher levels there is a hiss .
I am running for my main speakers-Magnepan 1.5QR.
The sound is very good for what the amp is.
I tried my Maggie 1.7's with it and there was a bit of clipping.
The maggies are not very efficient.
The major area I cannot tolerate about the Pioneer is the song and dance you must go through the menu to do one thing .
I sure do miss the Yamaha. Nothing like an almost direct path to what you wish to change.
-Overall. The Pioneer is a good unit for the money.


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