First-Timer: Recommendations for Stereo Setup with $550 Budget [HELP!]

ejperry09

I'm going to get right down to it. I have $550 to work with and I'm looking to get the best stereo setup for my needs.

Scenario: I currently have a Sony STRDG-500 receiver (please don't laugh) that has the following specs:
-10-70000Hz Response Bandwidth
-100 Watts - 8 Ohm - 20000 Hz - THD 0.09% - 6 channel surround

All of my music resides on my iMac computer and I'd like to run the iMac into a receiver. Sidenote, I'm living in a loft type of apartment and do not own a television; I'm looking for a setup that favors stereo bigtime but could work later on for basic television/DVD sound.

Several questions:
-Would upgrading my receiver put noticeably more punch behind a set of floorstanding speakers?
-If I were to go the Monitor 70 route, would my wussy Sony receiver render them useless without upgrading to an expensive receiver?
-Should I consider any type of external amplification outside of an iTunes equalizer and/or my current receiver?

I'm completely overwhelmed right now because I've been reading all about the Polk Monitor 70's and how they're such a steal for the price while also thinking to myself that I don't have the power needed to get the most out of them. Also, I'm not necessarily going to be cranking these babies all the time, but I would like to have some decent clarity and punch at lower volumes. Are these types of speakers similar to tube amps for electric guitars in the sense that they don't truly sound amazing until you crank them past a certain threshold?

I've read where the Monitor 60's and subwoofer combo are actually better for music/stereo purposes because they could cover a wider range. Is this true at all?

On a separate note, should I scrap the idea of floorstanders all together and look at 2 nice bookself speakers with stands that I can adequately power and accompany with a nice sub? Would a smaller version in the Monitor family sound the same as the 70's just at a lower volume or is there a substantial dropoff in sound quality?

I'm not necessarily an audiophile at this point (as you can probably tell), but I do love music. I'm certainly not married to my current receiver, but I'd rather not break the bank on a new receiver and/or amp that's going to offer more bells and whistles than I would ever use. I realize this post is completely scatterbrained, but so am I. I just want the most suitable speakers that sound great at all volumes without biting off more than I can chew. So, I'm all ears to any/every suggestion.

Thanks in advance to anyone providing more direction (I'm lost in the forest of internet information right now!). I'm going to sleep right now, but I'll be checking every post on here bright and early in the morning. Let me know if more info is needed. Thanks!

cnh

WELCOME TO CLUB POLK!!

The Sony can drive the M-70s and they will sound OK. Just don't run it to clipping because you WILL fry its tweeter.

Could they use more power, yes. Will two M-60s and a sub sound better? That's debatable....the M-70s are the flagship of that series, their crossovers are DIFFERENT than the lower models, they can handle more power and they IMO have better imaging and a better soundstage than any of the lower end towers!

If you want to do better two channel music perhaps you should think about two Rti-6s or Rti-A3s (bookshelves and a nice fast/tight sub). That might give you more of what you want....maybe? These are the best bookshelves of the next higher Polk series.

In either case...a receiver upgrade will be in order in the future!

If you had the money I'd suggest two LSI-9s, a Harman Kardon Stereo 3490 receiver and a DSWmicropro 1000 sub. That'd be a value 2.1 channel system that will knock your socks off....but well over 1000 dollars! The 9s can be had from Polk's ebay site for about 699, the HK for a bit over 300, the sub for 400 or so on SALE!!

You cannot run LSI-9s with that SONY; you'll destroy the receiver and the speakers.

Good Luck.

cnh

On3s&Z3r0s

That's a tricky one. You're right that you're not going to be able to shoot the works on $550. It would be good if your receiver could bi-amp the 70's, but it can't. I'm not familiar with that model, but later Sony receivers have a reputation for being "generous" with their power ratings. As long as you're only driving the 70's you'd probably get reasonably good performance out of them, but not great. The 70's are not super bass-y to begin with and that is probably what you'd lose first with an underpowered receiver.

You could go the Monitor 60 w/ sub route, but I personally wouldn't recommend that for a loft apartment. Cheap subs can be good for home theater, but you'd be hard pressed to find one that is "musical" in your price range. It probably wouldn't integrate well with your other speakers for music and you'd just end up pissing off neighbors trying to get bass out of it.

Having said all that, you can get a pair of Monitor 70's from NewEgg for about $350-ish shipped if you get on their email and wait for them to go on sale. Getting a pair of those would definitely give you some growing room, and they're a pretty good speaker just for music. One thing you might consider is used speakers. If you get lucky you can find some great vintage polk (like 80's era) speakers for cheap. If you wanted to pursue that avenue there are lots of people who would love to help you spend your money in the Vintage forum.

Just out of curiosity, how are you getting from your iMac to the Sony? Using a Toslink optical cable? If you are then I think you should stick with your current receiver for now. It doesn't have pre-outs so you can't just buy a new standalone amp to use with it. If you were to go with separates you'd need a pre-amp + amp (or integrated) and either an outboard DAC to decode the audio signal, or a headphone jack to RCA splitter, which is pretty terrible, quality wise.

If you decide to look used at all, let people here know what your situation is and where you are located geographically. As I said there are lots of people here who would love to help you find good used deals.

Good luck!

+1 on not trying to get huge volume out of the receiver. You definitely don't want to kill new speakers with that receiver. That would probably only be a problem if you throw a party in your pad and try to get party volumes out of it.

ejperry09

Thanks for the input, guys. Perhaps I could try and go the used route for a better receiver. Also, regarding the iMac to receiver, Im just using a simple auxiliary cord (male>female connectors). I feel like that may be part of my problem as well. Any suggestions there?

Also, a little more pointed, what would you guys do if you were in my shoes and had $600 or so? Am I trying to do way too much and/or is $600 really chump change for what Im looking to do?

On3s&Z3r0s

I'm pretty sure recent iMac's have a Toslink output, or at least an adapter or something. Is yours older or not have this? Get an optical cable to go from your iMac to one of the Sony's two digital optical inputs. It can be misleading cause most receivers say something like Video In or something by the Toslink port. That's for the audio signal from something like a DVD/BD player. But, since the iMac can output that, use that to connect the two components rather than a headphone jack. It should be a noticable improvement. You may have to configure the iMac to send audio through that port. Try looking for optical audio or Toslink or spdif in the help. Then, start with your receiver at low volumes, play some tunes and see if you get audio when the receiver is tuned to Video 1 or Video 2 or whatever port you plugged into. The low volume precaution is in case there's any decoding problem with the digital signal between the two devices. That'll make some crazy noises if there is.

On3s&Z3r0s

True, $600 is not a boatload of coin, but all is not lost. Just take your time and upgrade as you're able. I couldn't resist the deal on the Monitor 70's myself and use them as fronts in my home theater. They're just a great speaker, so if you like the safety and ease of going with new ones, that's what I'd do. At your budget levels I'd definitely wait for them to go on sale and save yourself $40 per speaker. When I first got mine I tried them with an old JVC RX-309 105 watt 2 channel receiver. They sounded great, no problems getting them to go loud, so your Sony probably will be fine. If you are willing to shop used you can definitely make it work in that price range.

On3s&Z3r0s

Found this about optical output from iMac: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=511971

http://desktops.consumerelectronicsnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=47126

I'm not 100% sure it will work with 2-channel audio, but I don't know why it wouldn't.

I'm a PC.

ejperry09

Thanks for the insight. How often do those go on sale? Also, should I completely scrap the idea of looking for smaller bookshelf speakers to put on a stand? Do the monitor 70s sound okay at quieter levels or would I be better off with some very nice bookshelfs and my current receiver?

ejperry09

Good to know about the iMac setup. I was using a basic two-pronged cable from the mac headphone jack to the reciever (I think it's video 1).

On3s&Z3r0s

They're usually on sale once a month. NewEgg seems to rotate their sale items, so one week it will be Monitor 50's, then 60's, then black 70's, then cherry 70's, etc. I haven't been watching so I don't know where they are in the rotation right now. The 70's actually sound really good to me at quieter levels.

If you wanted to go with new bookshelves, I'd second cnh's recommendation of the A3's. Again, wait til they go on sale. For a while NewEgg was putting those on sale every Saturday for one day for about $150 off. They won't give you a lot of bass, and I'd recommend waiting til you can swing that micropro sub cnh mentioned too. I have the PSW505... cheaper, good for HT, not so good for music.

TECHNOKID

cnh wrote: »

WELCOME TO CLUB POLK!!

The Sony can drive the M-70s and they will sound OK. Just don't run it to clipping because you WILL fry its tweeter.

Could they use more power, yes. Will two M-60s and a sub sound better? That's debatable....the M-70s are the flagship of that series, their crossovers are DIFFERENT than the lower models, they can handle more power and they IMO have better imaging and a better soundstage than any of the lower end towers!

If you want to do better two channel music perhaps you should think about two Rti-6s or Rti-A3s (bookshelves and a nice fast/tight sub). That might give you more of what you want....maybe? These are the best bookshelves of the next higher Polk series.

In either case...a receiver upgrade will be in order in the future!

If you had the money I'd suggest two LSI-9s, a Harman Kardon Stereo 3490 receiver and a DSWmicropro 1000 sub. That'd be a value 2.1 channel system that will knock your socks off....but well over 1000 dollars! The 9s can be had from Polk's ebay site for about 699, the HK for a bit over 300, the sub for 400 or so on SALE!!

You cannot run LSI-9s with that SONY; you'll destroy the receiver and the speakers.

Good Luck.

cnh

ejperry09, with your present limited budget I personnally think you should focus on the speakers while using your present receiver. If you look at the MONITOR 70s specs, you will notice that the bottom (Lo) Frequency is in the aea of 40 hz and therefore would provide you with half decent bass until you can afford another amp or receiver.

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/specs/recent/monitor70/

Step 1: In order to ease the work load on your Sony AVR, I would suggest that you bi-amp each speakers using the front and rear to accomplish such. My reasoning behind this is to ensure you do not overdrive the audio IC amp. Modern AVR have 1 large IC which includes all channels and can be costly and you don't want to drive only a portion of it but ratter maximum channels as possible (which would also be safer for your potential new speakers!). In order to do such, lets say you use the front channels to drive the tweeters and then use the rear channels to drive your drivers. You have to make sure your AVR allows you to program for stereo front and rear.

Step 2: I am not too sure what those 70s are priced at but your next step would be to acquire a powered subwoofer in order to again ease the workload on your AVR. From there, you might want to change the frequency response of your MONITOR 70s. So, depending on what is left of your budget will determine when you can move toward the sub purchase.

Step 3: Don't rush it for now but stay active on the forum, read and learn as much as possible. Look at the FS forum to get an idea about amp and-or AVR pricing in the use market. Carefull of what you do at this time in the FS forum (rule is 100 posts minimum to sell and some people seem to feel the same when it comes to buying). In the mean time, read discussions pertinent to your needs and don't be shy to ask questions. Stick around cnh as he seems to be eager to help the new comers and provides sound advices. Once you are ready (can afford) to replace your Sony receiver, shop around but ask for advices on the forum before you buy as many people can provide feedback and tell you what to stay away from, what is good along with advices on pricing (IE: the HK 3490, check this discussion here:http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100088&highlight=3490 and particularly post 14 ). Now, you have mentioned music and best is an amplifier, second best is stereo receiver and last is the AVR. If your focus is not solely music but you also want the HT (video) side then a quality AVR would be your best bet (unless you can afford a music rig along with an HT rig ) By the way, WELCOME to CP

Best of luck and enjoy :cool:

TK

curved

Have you looked at the RTi8's:
http://cgi.ebay.com/PAIR-RTi8-BLACK-Towers-Polk-Audio-/230445220346?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item35a79b01fa

ejperry09

Thanks forthe opinions, all. Just got an email from Newegg saying that the Monitor 70s are on sale for $150 a piece. That seems like a killer deal. What do you think about scoopng up two of those and then finding a used Harman Kardon Stereo 3490? Would that be enough to power the 70s or should I look for some sort of amp as well?

JayCee

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290015&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL051510&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL051510-_-EMC-051510-Index-_-HomeAudioSpeakers-_-82290015-L0D

Promo codes expire at 11:59 PT on 05/16/2010

cnh

+1, the HK is a very nice 'starter' and as xcapri mentions...one of the great things about it is you can add amplification...but you might be OK with just the HK and the M-70s because it has good power and it does sound very good with the M-series.

cnh

On3s&Z3r0s

My friend, your timing is phenomenal. I haven't seen the 70's go that low since I bought mine last Thanksgiving! You should jump all over those. I can't imagine finding a better value on a new speaker.

rooftop59

Another vote to jump on the 70s and the hk. I love my hk receiver, great power for a receiver, a nice warm sound that will match the 70s well, and as already mentioned you can add external power if you wanted. This would also be a system that would sound good with tv and movies, keeping in mind that it will be at most 2.1. If you are interested in being able to expand to surround sound eventually, I would recommend an HK like this

http://cgi.ebay.com/Harman-Kardon-AVR-630-Home-Theater-Receiver-/320529344555?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Receivers_Tuners&hash=item4aa109a82b

(this is the one that I have). Test bench results show that it has almost as much power as the 3490 plus room to expand to 7.1, and the hk direct ebay often sells them refurb with full warranty and they usually go for under 300. Good luck!

Peace,
Paul

ejperry09

Thanks very much, everyone. I've learned more in the last few hours on here than the previous 20 hours or so I spent trying to research on my own.

Alright, I'm taking it one step at a time. I need a few votes here, given my situation described ad nauseum above.

Do I go for new Monitor 70's at $300/pair or a pair of new RTi6's at $300/pair [eBay]? I'm leaning toward the 70's for the value alone. Please weigh in.

rooftop59

I have owned the rti6s and monitor 30s/40s but not the 70s so I can't give an opinion on those specifically. What I can say is that the rti6s are really nice bookshelfs, and they image very well with a very detailed tweeter (but that I found a little bright). You would definitely want a powered sub with the rti6s, whereas you might be able to be happy at least for a while without out one with the 70s. So it comes down to what you really want. If I had it to do all over again I would have started out as high end as I could go and slowly piece together the system instead of trying to get at all at once (which has all been replaced a couple years later). I would also buy used (at least the speakers). Having said that, those m70s are supposed to be really special and in a league of their own price wise, so if you want a good affordable pair of towers that might be the way to go.
peace,
Paul

ejperry09

Also, a lot of the reviews I've read have said that the tweeters on the M70's are cheap and/or very delicate. Has anyone else found this to be true, or is that because they weren't being powered sufficiently?

ejperry09

Thanks, xcapri. Anyone else care to weigh in before I pull the trigger on the M70's?

shutterup

Pull the trigger already..:D

ejperry09

Just did! Thanks all! I'm glad I came on here last night at the last second because I was 95% ready to pull the trigger last night when they were $220/speaker. Saved $140 and peace of mind by waiting 24 hours!

...And now, onto receivers, tweeters, and amps.

ejperry09

Also, I'm taking this general thread over to another thread because I still feel a bit lost in terms of adequately powering the M70's. Any and all replies would be great!

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101428

mshan242700

Punt the receiver and buy the Audio Engine A2, with or without sub: http://audioengineusa.com/

If analog output of the iMac is not sufficient for your needs, an outboard USB DAC can greatly improve that in a cost effective manner. Check out Head-Fi: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/list/46

On3s&Z3r0s

mshan242700 wrote: »

Punt the receiver and buy the Audio Engine A2, with or without sub

Dear God, man. You are undoubtedly the worst shill ever.

ejperry09

Yeah, are you going around copy/paste-ing that response everywhere?!

mshan242700

The Audio Engine speakers are very musical, as long as you don't need really high spl or room shaking subterranean bass. I have owned them for years (without sub) and think they are fantastic, if used within their limitations.

You may ultimately prefer a different flavor of sound, but these speakers are ones you should really at least consider at such a low price point.

PSB Alpha with NAD integrated would probably be a synergistic combo if music >> home theater. SaturdayAudio.com may have some good prices on new, and you can always search Audiogon.com for used.

Good Home Theater Primer thread: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=89484

mshan242700

Can no longer mod my post above, so I am adding a comment here:

There was some review which I can't find now that found the PSB B25 (http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ddspkrfull&1273896239&/PSB-Special!-Image-B25-Bookshe) to be particularly synergistic with a particular NAD receiver (forgot which one).

Never heard the combo, but PSB and NAD are supposed to go together like peanut butter and jelly (same company owns both brands and presumably voice their products to work well with each other).




edit: I think I read that review somewhere on NAD website: http://nadelectronics.com/products/hifi-amplifiers