bedroom setup

Plenty of people here do.
But some of us prefer to listen to actual music.

Hi Ryan,

And welcome to AVS Forums. That said, more info is needed to make good recommendations here... size of room, budget, experiences, budget...

Joseph

Do you have anything yet? Or is that $500 for receiver, source, and speakers.

For my bedroom I'm running Ascend CMT-340SE "mini-towers" and an Outlaw LFM-1EX sub. Speakers are driven by an Emotiva XDA-1 preamp/DAC, dbx 223s crossover, and Emotiva UPA-2 power amp (125 honest watts per channel). My sources are Sony BDP-S580 to play SACDs and stream music and an Apple Airport Express to play music off the computer/smartphone. I sometimes run the computer directly into the DAC with a TOSLINK cable if I want to play 96/24 music and not deal with the Sony. I also have a TV in the bedroom, and I use the system for 2.1 HT audio, even though it's primary purpose is music.

Total cost is ~ 2000 (excluding phone/computer), and it sounds fantastic for blues/jazz as well as hip hop. The electronics provide very good detail and control, the speakers are airy but can play loud when necessary, and the sub is a beast. My room is 12x15x10, and the sound definitely fills it. I don't think I could get any better system to play digital music for the money.

The one component that I'm missing is a parametric equalizer. If I find a good quality, inexpensive component that can EQ and also serve as an active crossover, I'll replace the dbx.

The OP was looking to spend a MAX of $500...

There are so many directions you could go its really hard to give you any sort of advice other then keep saving.

Your budget is impossibly low.

Hiphop recordings have deep bass, and are generally played loud. You can spend $500 for just the sub.

Oops, I skipped over that part!


Here's an idea, but I'll preface it by saying i haven't heard this speaker myself, so don't construe this as a recommendation. The Pioneer SP-BS41 is being talked about by many as a fantastic budget speaker. For example, here is a review from Stereofile:

http://www.stereophile.com/content/pioneer-sp-bs41-lr-loudspeaker

MSRP is 150 per pair, and I'm pretty sure that some of the stores like Fry's and Best Buy carry them, which means you can give them a listen first and decide if you like what you hear. Then, if you can find a used or clearance set for 100, spend 200 on a decent sub like the Energy 10.2, and you've got 200 leftover for the highest wattage integrated stereo amp you can find.

Yes. These speakers can be found for under $99 consistently. NewEgg has a $50 off promo code right now that makes these speakers $99 shipped. I would jump on these. I base my recommendation on several subjective opinions that I have read. I will get a pair of these myself someday!

For a subwoofer you may look at HSU Research. I think you could find something very capable of satisfying your needs for the budget you have left over after the above listed Pioneers. STF 2 Subwoofer $319 or you could stretch a bit and get the VTF-1 MK 2.

This all assumes you are going to use the receiver you have. With the roughly $39 you have left over I would make a Monoprice order for RCAs, speaker wire, optical or digital coax source cable, banana plugs if you feel like it.

I agree with everyone else. Your budget is challenged for what you are trying to achieve. And the Pioneer SP-BS41 is a good speaker for $100 a pair.

I have Energy RC-10s that I really like for listening to bass heavy hip hop and techno. They are rated with a higher sensitivity than the Pioneers, so you should get a little more volume out of them with the same receiver.

The Infinity Primus P163BK and the Polk Audio RTi6 are also good value speakers.

For subs, look into the Energy S10.3, Klipsch RW-12D--both of these are on special this weekend--then the BIC F12, Premier Acoustics PA-120, and BIC PL-200.