I'm planning out a future system and I would like to hear from someone who has done anything similar.

Basically, I am thinking of a class D amp with some cheap bookshelf speakers and a cheap powered sub. I'll be mainly using this for movies paired up with my Vizio PQX and secondarily for streaming music, and occasionally a turntable. I'm not expecting the world or audiophile grade fidelity.

I have been into vintage components in the past and I had a variety of vintage receivers, integrated amps, turntables, and speakers. I got rid of everything I ever had except a Marantz 2235 and a pair of Epicure 100W speakers that I restored the walnut veneer of and refoamed/recapped.

Eventually, when I buy a bigger house, I would like to make the EPIs the main speakers in my setup. I don't think I'll ever want a 5.1 or more surround setup. I enjoy a good stereo set with good imaging.

Back to my temporary 2.1 rig...

I was thinking something like the Dayton DTA-Pro DAC/50wpc digital amp paired with their AMT ribbon-tweeter bookshelf speakers. For a powered sub to go with it I have not a clue what would work.

If there are other, better options in the price range I'm thinking ($500 or less all-in) let me know.







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These DCM's have proved to be very good especially for the low pricing.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Pack-6-5-...oAAOSwh0ldcRTR

A bit higher in price but very good.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-DCM-by-MT....c100005.m1851

Discussion on these low priced DCM speakers
https://www.avsforum.com/forum/89-sp...l#post58669910

For sub it really pays to get a good one. The RSL Speekwoofer is very nice at 399.
https://rslspeakers.com/speedwoofer10s/

Also refurbished Infinity subs are good too.
https://www.harmanaudio.com/infinity/SUBR12BK-Z.html

I think the tricky part will be tuning since those T-amps generally don't have a crossover.

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll see if anyone has compared those $70 DCMs to the Dayton's ($40). I have my EPIs I can hook up but the wife won't let me leave them in the living room They destroy any cheap speakers I've ever heard.

Spending 300-400 on a sub is not in the cards until I get a new house. I'd probably be looking used then anyhow.


I was looking and Parts Express has one with no DAC but an adjustable crossover on the sub output.

https://www.parts-express.com/dayton...ment--300-3831

So the amp, Dayton bookshelves, and an 8" Dayton powered sub would be $215 shipped. I can throw in a Fiio D3 DAC for $15 which I already know sounds good as I have set up family members with them to connect their TVs to their old component stereo sets.

Does anyone think that little junk setup could be beat by a sound bar or really ANYTHING else for $230?



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You know, with these sales right now you can get a nice 5 or even 7 channel amp (Picked up a spare Pioneer 934 for $299) and a couple good Klipsch (Just launched a web site sale, also on Amazon I think) or other bookshelf for a total of around $500. Eventually move these bookshelf to surround positions when you build out and worry about a sub later with the bigger system. That way you minimize waste of money. Just shop for these sales.
As far as sound bars, look at the little 1.5” speakers and ask yourself if they could do what you want.

Maybe I have an irrational bias against A/V receivers, I don't know. I just don't like having a large receiver and for 2.1 only I'm not sure I would benefit at all from any A/V receiver that I can afford.

I'm NEVER planning on a 5.1+ setup. I don't like fidgeting with surrounds. Just a 2.1 in the future incorporating my EPIs with a good amp/amps and a good sub when I have a larger living room.



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How about something like the JBL 308P MKII

Active monitors like these have tremendous value, no need for a separate amp, no need for a sub with these, you could get by with a chromecast audio or something like that for streaming music, or a budget desktop DAC/Preamp.

Paired with a Schiit Modi DAC ($99) and a Schiit Sys ($49) for master volume and source switching and you're pretty much within budget. That would be a great little system!

That is an interesting way to go, for sure. I have heard what some mid-tier powered monitors can do and they certainly have plenty of power. Maybe too much?

The one problem with those right now is their size. I would have to put them up high and aim them down. I could build some heavy stands that aim them down. With smaller, 6-1/2" bookshelf speakers they can sit at ear level next to my TV. It's a small room the couch is 11 feet from where the speakers will sit.

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Another good budget speaker is the Boston Acoustic A25 or A26. Buy one get one 1/2 price so very affordable. Should work very well for music and A/V.

https://www.accessories4less.com/mak...ck-each/1.html
https://www.accessories4less.com/mak...ck-each/1.html

Could even go with the Boston Sub
https://www.accessories4less.com/mak...r-black/1.html

Found one more option with a nice small amp and Focal 706's

https://www.accessories4less.com/mak...r-cable/1.html

Thanks for the recommendations. Wish I could try stuff out. You know what they say: Cheap, Easy, Good... You can only pick 2.

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Aw man. I clicked on this because I mistook 'super-budget' for big budget

dcm books ,, basic avr ,, and a sub (you can get an 8" yamaha pretty cheap), they are ok ...

Maybe someday when the kids are out of the house, lol.

Then it'll be boutique class a mono-blocks and giant floor-standers, for sure (pending female approval).

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I wish they made a SYS with a remote. It would erode some of the beautiful simplicity but it would be very convenient.

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I wish all of these things for you

Nifty little system for sure, but from the specs: "Bluetooth aptXUSB 24-bit / 96kHzDAC 24-bit / 192kHz Revolutionary diet Compact dimensions IR remote control" I have to wonder what you feed it? Or, does it cook for you? That could be major WAF (probably not as good as if it did the dishes, though).
Morgan

LOL. Good one. I saw that and thought what in the world is that there for!

I'd think it eats a big sizzling platter of electrons! I'd avoid giving it beer tho

In my workout room I've had:

Dayton B652's
Dayton MK402's
Hsu HB1 MKII
DIYSG HTM-8
DCM TP160

The DCM's are drastically better than either of the Dayton's. Without subs, the DCM's sound better than the *very* capable HTM-8's, which don't have enough extension to be used without subs.

I would want to A/B the Hsu and DCM's to say for sure but from what I can remember(recently sold the Hsu), I think they sound at least as good if not better than the Hsu without subs.

Pair them with a decent little sub and they would of course be much better, as would literally any speaker.

JBL has their 550P 10" sealed sub on sale for $189 from $599. This would put you at $280 for speakers and sub...I'd put the rest towards a cheap AVR or stereo receiver with bass management.
For $169:
https://www.accessories4less.com/mak...eceiver/1.html

I didn't really spend any time looking, betting you can save a little on amp/avr, but I would be sure to get one with subwoofer output and bass management.

The above combo would be $449.

The DCM speakers really do sound quite good. How much better than the Daytons? I wouldn't *give* the Daytons to friends or family. I would not hesitate to gift the DCM's. Or sell them to a friend/acquaintance.

That's awesome. Exactly the kind of input I was looking for.

I REALLY don't want the bulk of an AVR, however. Hopefully I can find an integrated amp that will work.


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If I were you, I would go for a used 3 of the top tier models from Yamaha, Denon/Marantz, or Sony. The advantage of going his route is that your not paying any depreciation costs, reliabilty is good, good power, good bass management and flexibility. In 2 channel, AVRs will compete with separates in sound quality.

The problem with these small amps is that they don't have input selectors, so they are a bit clumsy to deal with if you have multiple sources. Also, do you need the DAC?

If you really want a tiny inexpensive amp, the Lepai LP-2020TI is a great sounding amp and compact and has separate bass and treble controls. Only 1 input also though (and no DAC obviously). They used to be insanely cheap, but the price has gone up a bit. You need to upgrade the power supply to get max power out of the Lepei.

If you can tolerate larger, and since you seem to have an affinity for vintage, I would get something like a Pioneer SX series receiver -- or a Harman Kardon 330a or 330b -- can be had inexpensively and performance is great.

Whatever amp you choose, I don't think it is necessary to put too much priority on bass management/sub output/preamp outputs -- you can drive the sub with high-level speaker wires off of any 2.0 amp and use the sub controls to tune it (I actually prefer driving sub by high-level for 2-channel use).

Agree with the DCM's for speakers. Seems to be a no-brainer (and they will eventually run out)

If I were going bargain basement I would purchase from Amazon a new with warranty (including a remote control) Yamaha R-S202 ($130) or a Sony STR-DH190 ($89) stereo receiver.

Neither has bass management but both have a secondary pair of speaker outputs that makes it easy to connect to any subwoofer that has speaker-level inputs.

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Audio-...5240691&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-STRDH190...NJ6VS4PAZ0CJ65

I have the Marantz 2235 I could use but I don't really have a place for it near my television. Also, it's pretty much as bulky as an AVR. Pre-kids I had a listening room and a bunch of vintage gear I rotated in and out of service. I had a really nice headphone setup, as well.

Maybe I'll pick up the Lepai and the above mentioned speakers.

My TV has an analog out that can be fixed power or variable. Using that as a pre would probably be really crap-tastic, right? I mean, using it to control the volume and using a stereo amp with it.



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That should work great, including using the TV as a preamp. You could make it totally stealth and hide the Lepai behind the TV since you are using volume control from the TV.

The power supply included with the LP2020-TI is 12v/3a, so it can deliver at most 36 watts in total -- probably about 15 watts per channel actual. That is good enough for medium loud volumes. I would try that first and see if it is enough.

If you want to crank it up more, then get an upgraded power supply that puts out about 60 watts. The Lepai can handle power supplies from 12 to 24 volts, then figure out the amperage you need for 60 watts (Power (Total Watts) = Volts x Amps). Parts Express carries the amp and power supplies (the amp look to be on sale at Parts Express as I write this).

More info on the speakers starting on post 355 of this thread -> https://www.avsforum.com/forum/89-sp...-choice-4.html

It started out as a "Budget Speaker Talk" thread, but became a "DCM Talk" thread about halfway through.

I have the Lepai 2020 amp. I mean, for $20 or whatever, you can't say anything bad about it. I will say though that if you are driving full range speakers, it doesn't have enough power. Audiosciencereview tested it at 8w/channel before clipping. I mean, it performed reasonably well within that range for noise, distortoin etc. Maybe a bigger power supply would help, no idea. But when I switched to my old, barely working(HDMI board) Yamaha RXV-375(cheapest entry level model), my Hsu's sounded MUCH better.....drastic increase in bass...the Lepai just didn't have enough power. I haven't tried it with the DCM's yet but I expect it may be even worse as I feel like the DCM's have more bass/lower extension which would strain the Lepai even more. Might work ok at very modest volumes if crossed to subs.

I'm currently looking for a 2.1 solution to replace the Yamaha as it sometimes works sometimes doesn't. But it needs to be cheap and decent since its just my seldom used workout room, and my main setup has been telling me it would like to have a new amp to drive my LCR. I'm a nice guy so I'm going to try my best to help.

A bigger power supply absolutely helps a lot. I don't know why they do this, but the power supply it comes with is only 3amps @ 12 volts, so the maximum theoretical it could produce in total is 36 watts. The max volume level is definitely limited with the stock power supply, but that amp will go much louder with a larger power supply -- something like a 12v 5amp will have 60 watts available.

It's a baffling mystery why they ship it with such a limited power supply and have done so for years. If you read the details on the Parts Express page, it talks about voltage ranges that will work. I think they generally recommend 60 watts, but I don't know what the maximum you can safely go to.

Hey there.

I received a Lepai 2020TI but I'm waiting on some speakers. I must say, if an upgraded power supply doesn't DRASTICALLY improve the 2020TI, it will be given away for Christmas. I hooked up my EPIs in the living room to get a sense of how well this amp performs. Well, it'll go to decent volume but with very little bass. Granted, the high-excursion 8" woofers in the EPIs really need some big power to wake up but they rattle windows powered by my 35wpc Marantz.

I'm sure I could find a 19V 3.4a laptop power supply at a goodwill but I would have to hack an uncommon 2.1mmx5.5mm plug onto it, most likely.

I ordered the Parts Express MK402X bookshelves because I can't find the DCMs for under $100 any longer. If I ever see them for $60-$70 again, I'll order some.

Supposedly, the MK402X sound a lot better than the cheaper 6.5" woofer PE speakers and even have better bass. They'll also fit better next to my TV.

Interestingly, PE has a pair of transmission-line towers with the drivers used in the MK402X that some say compete with big-buck towers. They were on sale for $180 recently.



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Sorry to hear that. Have you tried adjusting the Lepai tone controls? One thing to bear in mind is that older receivers like the Marantz have a loudness circuit (if it's enabled) that boosts bass and treble -- it's intended to be used at low volumes but it's usually left on all the time. The difference between loudness on and off is fairly night and day. You would need to use the tone controls on the Lepai to try to compensate for Marantz loudness (tone controls are unlikely to be as effective as the loudness circuit, but should get you closer). Or, you can compare against the Marantz with loudness off for apples vs apples on the amp section itself.

The above is not to say that I expect the Lepai to sound as good as the Marantz. I love vintage stuff and think it sounds amazing in general, and certainly Marantz is one of the better sounding receivers from the era (which is why the 2235 regularly sells for $500-$700 today). Among T-amps, though, that Lepai model is one of the better sounding T-amps and almost certainly the best at that price point.

For a power supply, you can get one for under $10 shipped from the US on eBay by searching for "12v 6a power supply" and click item location US (so it doesn't take forever to ship from Asia). Verify to make sure the plug size and polarity match (I think most of them do). While I hate to see you invest more in something you already aren't happy with, it is a modest investment to try. I would also suggest reading the individual user reviews on Parts Express and maybe Amazon to get more insight about the impact of power supply upgrade and overall sound of the amp. The Lepai will sound better with a larger power supply, but I can't really predict how it will stack up against the Marantz.

Unlikely to find the DCM lower priced. The secret is out on these, so the seller has been steadily raising the price and there is a limited supply on closeout. In fact, they are all out of the cherry finish and only have black remaining, so when they are gone they're gone. This is 10,000 percent conjecture, but I would not be surprised if, a couple years down the road, when new supply is long gone, listing a pair on eBay would bid up to higher than the current new price because they are no longer available and the word is out on the sound quality. Of course, there will always be new miracle budget speakers that come along over time, so it can't be guaranteed that the DCM will be hailed as a budget standout (at least at closeout prices) for all of eternity.