Help me pick an amp/receiver for my buddy!

[james_e5]

I'm building some small bookshelf speakers and a sub for a buddy of mine. This is going to be his first system. I need some suggestions for a receiver or amp to power the speakers. The speaks are an 8 ohm design.

He doesn't want to spend more than $100 - $150 on the amp/receiver. I haven't researched amps/receivers in a while, so I'm a bit out of the loop. Does anyone have any suggestions? Maybe a little T-amp?

Thanks!
-j

[bambino]

Is this system just for stereo listening? Or surround?

[james_e5]

Good question. He only wants a 2.1 channel system. He also has no intention of adding channels later.

-j

[bambino]

Accessories4less is a good place to buy good warrentied equipment, they carry new and B-stock all with warrenty. I want to say they mainly carry Onkyo and Marantz and probly others, it might be worth a look.

[mikejennens]

I've heard a lot of positive talk about the Sherwood receivers in that price range, if you're not looking for vintage. If you're looking for vintage, small Pioneer receivers in that price range are well received and easily serviced.
Mike

[fastbike1]

Get the Dayton DTA-100A.
Wire as follows: CD/source to DTA-100A. Speaker outs from DTA100A to high level inouts on sub amp. High level outs on sub amp to bookshelfs.

Very compact, ~30 clean w/ch to 8 ohms, very compact. Volume control on amp.

[jim85iroc]

I was in a similar situation when building a 2 channel system for my inlaws that consisted of a pair of Zaph's Silver Flute 2-ways. I decided on a refubrished multichannel Onkyo receiver. It's been a few years, so the exact cost & model number escape me, but I doubt that I spent more than a couple hundred on it. For the price and versatility, a multichannel receiver is really hard to ignore, especially considering the very limited numbers (and quality) of entry level 2 channel receivers that are out there. One feature that I find very useful on A/V receivers is their digital input capability. It allowed me to re-purpose a low end DVD/VCR combo player without needing to deal with the low quality analog output from the device. Best of all, if plans ever change in the future, the multichannel receiver can still fit the bill.

I've got nothing but praise for the low priced Onkyo A/V receiver that I used in that system.

[thekorvers]

I'm building some small bookshelf speakers and a sub for a buddy of mine. This is going to be his first system. I need some suggestions for a receiver or amp to power the speakers. The speaks are an 8 ohm design.

He doesn't want to spend more than $100 - $150 on the amp/receiver. I haven't researched amps/receivers in a while, so I'm a bit out of the loop. Does anyone have any suggestions? Maybe a little T-amp?

Thanks!
-j

For a basic 2.1 system, the Sherwood RX-4105 offers a good deal.
They are well built and highly rated. I personally have purchased 4 of them for myself, family and friends and have never experienced a problem with them.
They also make a kick-a$$ PC sound system if you have the room for it.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=252-125

[J_Shea]

What are you planning to use to power the sub? If it's going to be separately powered with a plate amp of it's own, then you can use a wider selection of receivers/amps for the stereo portion. If the sub is going to be passively crossed over and the receiver/amp is going to power everything, then you're going to need a significantly more powerful receiver/amp.

[davepellegrene]

I have the Sherwood RX-4105 for my measuring rig and I bought one for a customers office. They are very nice receivers for the money. They are only a two channel receiverthought. No Hook up for a sub.
Dave

[thekorvers]

I have the Sherwood RX-4105 for my measuring rig and I bought one for a customers office. They are very nice receivers for the money. They are only a two channel receiverthought. No Hook up for a sub.
Dave

Agreed, but most plate amps have speaker level inputs.

[james_e5]

What are you planning to use to power the sub? If it's going to be separately powered with a plate amp of it's own, then you can use a wider selection of receivers/amps for the stereo portion. If the sub is going to be passively crossed over and the receiver/amp is going to power everything, then you're going to need a significantly more powerful receiver/amp.

The sub will be powered by a plate amp.

[james_e5]

I'm leaning more towards a receiver since I think it will be easier for them to change inputs, adjust volume, etc.

What do you guys thing about this one?

Onkyo HT-RC230

-j

[mikejennens]

Onkyo is a well regarded brand, so quality-wise, you can't go wrong. Depending how tech savvy your buddy is, I'd look for simplicity accordingly. Some people can pick up a remote and have it and its controlled piece of equipment figured out in minutes. Some folks could never figure out how to change the time on their VCR. I'd try to pick the reciever that best fits your buddy's level.
Mike

[jim85iroc]

I'm leaning more towards a receiver since I think it will be easier for them to change inputs, adjust volume, etc.

What do you guys thing about this one?

Onkyo HT-RC230

-j

It certainly gets my vote. The Silver Flute speakers I built sound wonderful being powered by the Onkyo receiver I gave to my inlaws with the speakers, and like I said before, the extensive amount of digital inputs, as well as a dedicated subwoofer output make a lot of sense even on a 2 channel rig.

[johnastockman]

I'm leaning more towards a receiver since I think it will be easier for them to change inputs, adjust volume, etc.

What do you guys thing about this one?

Onkyo HT-RC230

-j

Wow, $140, nice...more complicated, has features he won't use (he can upgrade to a surround system later). But even used in 2-channel mode, probably better overall sound quality than many 2-channel-only receivers in that price range. I used a Yamaha HTR-5240 5.1 receiver in 2-channel/stereo mode for years, music only. Having the sub out on the receiver makes hook-up to the sub easier, but the main advantage of using the sub out is better performance and SQ as opposed to using the high-level/speaker wire inputs/outputs.

John A.