[sdk9vt]

I am looking to spend about $800 between bookshelf speakers and a receiver. I was wondering what suggestions there are for a receiver that will get the job done to power speakers similar to the ones i have been being recommended such as JBL S38's and Paradigm Atom Monitor v.5 loudspeakers.


feel free to recommend speakers too. but they cannot be floorstanding because as i said they will be in a college apartment and we will have parties so the further away from drunk college kids the better

 

[PIRSQUARED]

For your application, spend around 500-600 for the speakers and 200-300 for the receiver. The Energy Take Classic 5.1 ($600) and Denon AVR-1609 ($230) is one such combination, albeit $30 over your budget. Good luck!

 

[shiram]

if you go for the Takes

try to find the 5.0 package, and look for a better sub

energy has alot of better option than the one included in the 5.1

 

[batpig]

honestly -- for a college apartment, where I assume you will be simply cranking music and blasting some movies, don't waste your money on a new HDMI receiver. hit up the used market and find a nice, high-end digital receiver from a few years ago for under $200. you can get a killer receiver with plenty of features and better power and build quality than what you could get for $300 new.


save your budget for speakers + subwoofer, that's going to make a lot more difference than spending extra to buy an entry-level receiver with HDMI just so you can hear lossless codecs on Blu-Ray. especially the subwoofer, that will take the parties/music up to the next level.


don't get the Takes, they are too small, get some full-sized bookshelf speakers.


when I help set up friends with HT systems on a budget, I always hook them up with a killer used non-HDMI receiver, much better sound quality bang-for-the-buck. If you DO want an HDMI receiver, you probably won't find better value than the HK 254 refurbs at the Harman ebay store ($200-ish).


what city do you live in? we can check your local craigslist for you.

 

[tuan209]

Ill second batpigs recommendation. I would go for HK 254s which goes for ~220 shipped on ebay. With the rest of the money, get best speakers you can get your hands on. The Paradigm Studio 20s can be had for around 600ish or cheaper used on Audiogon and ebay.