Budget Setup - Help with used equip. + select Bookshelf Speaker

pearl_jam04

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Getting into the hifi world and would like to setup a system in my hall. The room is 9 x 16 .I live in Mumbai hence willing to check out used equipment in the city.
My usage for this setup would be Music mostly focusing on my dance practice (LAtin American Music ) . I would also like to connect my playstation for gaming and TV would also be connected for an occasional movie. here is my current understanding of my options. Please correct me if I am not asking the right questions.

Option 1. Active Speakers:
In this setup I believe I will get a decent set for 15k but the limitations of this setup is it cannot be upgraded or enhanced later. Am I correct? I havnt really explored active speakers much but I am considering these

Yamaha NS P 51 2.1 - Title says surround speakers but would it be good for my use?

Thonet and Vander Kugel - Bluetooth Speakers.

Option 2. Powered Speaker + Amp Setup

Budget for this setup would be 25k.

In this setup I would go for 2 Bookshelf speakers and later add more. Since I want to add more later , I believe a stereo amplifier limits that since it has only 2 channel output. The other option is AVR but then from what I read I feel it compromises on sound (in the same budget) . What should I prefer ? If I go for a stereo Amplifier, then for TV , movies etc would I need to buy an entire new setup?

Shortlist for AMP/ AVR

1. Norge Audio 2060 with Bluetooth - Rs 14080 - Auditioned this at their Mahim warehouse (plus their speakers which I did not like much). This doesnt have HDMI input.
2. TAGA TIA 300 - Rs 11,600 - No idea about this brand .
3. SMSL Q5 Pro - Shipped from Aliexpress. This seems to be a value for money option. But what are the drawbacks or what will I miss if I dont go for option 1 or 2 ?
4. Byford Audio str 200 bt - Any reviews of this ? Again what do I miss in this as compared to option 1 or 2 ? in the same price range is Cambridge Audio Topaz AM 5 - how do they compare?
5. Used AVR - Pioneer VSX 425 - No HDMI I can get for less than 10,000
6. Used AVR - Pioneer 523K - AVR with HDMI Rs 15,000.

Shortlist for Speakers

1. Pioneer SP BS 22 - Rs 14,800 - looks like this price is for the pair . but not sure.
2. MICCA MB42 - Rs 11,340 - no idea of this brand
3. Wharfedale Diamond 210 - Rs 15,200
4. Taga Harmony - S- 90SL - Rs 12,500
5. Boston Acoustics C 326 - Rs 12,900
6. Used Wharfedale Diamond 220 - Rs 14,500 quote

Any more suggestions are welcome for speakers.

So First question is AVR or AMP?
Second, how to look for used stuff, OLX was disappointing , is anyone selling here in my budget. Any good AVR / AMP under 10k will help me spend more on speakers.
Third, If any setup doesnt have Bluetooth are connectors available to make it BT ? Chromecast Audio?

Please also suggest where I can audition in Mumbai. I cant seem to find the right shops. Like I said would be great to get second hand AMP/ AVR so that I speand more on the speakers.
 
I use a SMSL Q5 pro with my Tannoy bookshelf speakers. This does not have bluetooth, I use chromecast audio for streaming from phone. From a sound quality perspective it is decent. At a volume level of 10-12 it is plenty loud in my 10x10 room. The Q5 pro has a subwoofer out, to which you can connect a powered subwoofer. It seems to get a bit hot when it is on but not playing music. Compared to the usb and co-axial inputs the aux-in is a bit dull.
 
If music is your principal requirement then don't go for AVR. Go for stereo amp plus bookshelf speaker. What's your music source? streaming apps? Then no need for bluetooth, etc in amp. Add a chromecast audio as suggested by FM and any amp will work.
It is very difficult to get comparative opinion among the amps you listed. Many FMs have positively opined on the Norge amps.
Pioneer SPBS22 are well reviewed, so are the Wharfedales. Any of them should be fine.
 
Great home work on shortlisting the options! Did you limit to bookshelves because of the budget or because of space (you can only wall mount and cannot afford real-estate for stands)? If it is because of budget, you would also have allocate some funds for speaker stands unless you are going to wall mount them.

Active Speakers:
Swans are good option as well.
Some FMs have used studio monitors like Presonus 5, JBL LSR305, Yamaha HS5 with satisfactory results; you might have to use your TV/Playstation as mediasource.

My suggestions:
1.Norge 2060 + Wharfedale is well documented success story that you can read in our forum. Chromecast can take care off connectivity issues.

2. HTIBs are good options if you are not looking for audio bliss and can wall mount the speakers. It gives a lot of connectivity options and you get a sub-woofer as well.

3. Soundbars are neat solutions as well - audition them before you reject the option (you will have HDMI connectivity + subwoofer as well).
(Audition Option 2 & 3 before taking a decision)
4. SMSL Q5 Pro is something that I have for secondary setup (computer audio into Tannoy speakers in a 9 X 14 room). It has an inbuilt DAC with three input options - Optical, Coaxial and USB (apart from an Aux).Quite useful but you would miss HDMI. Also, it is good at lower volumes but struggles at higher volumes (sounds shouty IMO). You might have to listen to this other FMs place before deciding.

5. If you want multiple connections AVR + Passive speakers is what I would suggest. I have the same setup in my living room (11 X18 with open passages on couple of sides. You can weigh your option based on the importance of HDMI input/Output/ musicality of the system

I use an AVR from 1990 which is 25 kgs in weight. It cannot process DTS and other fun stuff (in fact it has snake cable as connector) but what it does brilliantly is amplification. It drives my 87db sensitive (4 Ohms) Elacs without any hassles. I picked this beauty for less than 15K (it has a terrific phono, FM tuner + amplification for two sets of speakers).

Picking an older but a premiere model AVR would give a lot of muscle to drive the small bookshelves. For all media processing, I have the Oppo UDP-203 taking care. If you can use Chromecast audio and go for an older but elite AVR (like Marantz SR series), you would end up with a very musical set up.

Going for used AVR with HDMI, you would gain on the video/connectivity part but lose out on power part of amplification but it is going to be versatile setup.

CAVEAT: Used equipments need a lot of inspection as they might been serviced. Be wary of this. Electronics fail - older it is, higher the probability.

Please have some funds (1-2K) for cabling. This will give enhance the value of your total spend big time.
 
If music is your principal requirement then don't go for AVR. Go for stereo amp plus bookshelf speaker. What's your music source? streaming apps? Then no need for bluetooth, etc in amp. Add a chromecast audio as suggested by FM and any amp will work.
It is very difficult to get comparative opinion among the amps you listed. Many FMs have positively opined on the Norge amps.
Pioneer SPBS22 are well reviewed, so are the Wharfedales. Any of them should be fine.

Ideally I would not go for AVR but considering it only because it helps build the 5.1 system later. and my friends and I do enjoy Playstation and live sports and movie weekends. So was trying to balance things out. If I do go the Amp way, how do I build a 5.1 system?
 
I use a SMSL Q5 pro with my Tannoy bookshelf speakers. This does not have bluetooth, I use chromecast audio for streaming from phone. From a sound quality perspective it is decent. At a volume level of 10-12 it is plenty loud in my 10x10 room. The Q5 pro has a subwoofer out, to which you can connect a powered subwoofer. It seems to get a bit hot when it is on but not playing music. Compared to the usb and co-axial inputs the aux-in is a bit dull.

Ok noted the point of subwoofer out. So I understand bluetooth is not something to be worried about so much. Chromecast Audio solves that.


Great home work on shortlisting the options! Did you limit to bookshelves because of the budget or because of space (you can only wall mount and cannot afford real-estate for stands)? If it is because of budget, you would also have allocate some funds for speaker stands unless you are going to wall mount them.

Active Speakers:
Swans are good option as well.
Some FMs have used studio monitors like Presonus 5, JBL LSR305, Yamaha HS5 with satisfactory results; you might have to use your TV/Playstation as mediasource.

Frankly not explored the active speaker option much as I thought its not upgradable. Once you switch to passive speakers, the active ones become pretty much useless right? I would like to build the system starting with a basic setup. I have kept a separate budget for stands thats fine.

My suggestions:
1.Norge 2060 + Wharfedale is well documented success story that you can read in our forum. Chromecast can take care off connectivity issues.

2. HTIBs are good options if you are not looking for audio bliss and can wall mount the speakers. It gives a lot of connectivity options and you get a sub-woofer as well.

3. Soundbars are neat solutions as well - audition them before you reject the option (you will have HDMI connectivity + subwoofer as well).
(Audition Option 2 & 3 before taking a decision)

so for HDMI connectivity my current options are AVR (will have to go for used) or a soundbar. I will definitely consider this. HTIB I wasnt very keen on. If I buy a soundbar then later if I go for AVR/ AMP then soundbar is not of much use correct?

4. SMSL Q5 Pro is something that I have for secondary setup (computer audio into Tannoy speakers in a 9 X 14 room). It has an inbuilt DAC with three input options - Optical, Coaxial and USB (apart from an Aux).Quite useful but you would miss HDMI. Also, it is good at lower volumes but struggles at higher volumes (sounds shouty IMO). You might have to listen to this other FMs place before deciding.

5. If you want multiple connections AVR + Passive speakers is what I would suggest. I have the same setup in my living room (11 X18 with open passages on couple of sides. You can weigh your option based on the importance of HDMI input/Output/ musicality of the system
Noted, very useful input. Arnt there any HDMI to Coaxial/Optical cables? That could help me go for an AMP.

Also, any suggestions on Mumbai shops where I can check out my options. https://www.ooberpad.com/ is letting me check out some brands at their warehouse but not all the brands.
 
I am posting my Wharfedale DX-1 for sale soon in Mumbai. If you want to audition those pl carry your AVR. I also have AVR yamaha 471 in a dock. But your price budget is low for dx-1.
 
I have Own Norge and believe its a great buy. No fads pure Performance. Had paired with Elac's, Dx-1, Boston Acoustics. Simply unbelievable. But u cant compare Elac's here they are outstanding. But Norge are good to have .
 
You decide whether you are interested in 5.1 or a stereo setup. Dx-1 is a 5.1 and truely classy outstanding speakers for HTS. Not boxy but diamonds like. Chk out the earlier forums. Will post it soon at 38K.
 
I have Own Norge and believe its a great buy. No fads pure Performance. Had paired with Elac's, Dx-1, Boston Acoustics. Simply unbelievable. But u cant compare Elac's here they are outstanding. But Norge are good to have .
Alright noted. Regarding the DX-1 , yes out of my budget. Willing to sell Norge?
 
Ok noted the point of subwoofer out. So I understand bluetooth is not something to be worried about so much. Chromecast Audio solves that.

Frankly not explored the active speaker option much as I thought its not upgradable. Once you switch to passive speakers, the active ones become pretty much useless right? I would like to build the system starting with a basic setup. I have kept a separate budget for stands thats fine.

so for HDMI connectivity my current options are AVR (will have to go for used) or a soundbar. I will definitely consider this. HTIB I wasnt very keen on. If I buy a soundbar then later if I go for AVR/ AMP then soundbar is not of much use correct?

Noted, very useful input. Arnt there any HDMI to Coaxial/Optical cables? That could help me go for an AMP.

Also, any suggestions on Mumbai shops where I can check out my options. https://www.ooberpad.com/ is letting me check out some brands at their warehouse but not all the brands.

For upgrades, you can always sell and explore new components. It looks like you are leaning more towards AV solution than music and are keen on more than casual listening. Yamaha HTIBs are good. You can read through reviews on the forum.

Noted, very useful input. Arnt there any HDMI to Coaxial/Optical cables? That could help me go for an AMP
Can't you do this through playstation? Doesn't it have optical out?

Why don't you contact hifimart folks (contact available on their website) for auditions?
 
Budget for this setup would be 25k.

My usage for this setup would be Music mostly focusing on my dance practice (LAtin American Music ) . I would also like to connect my playstation for gaming and TV would also be connected for an occasional movie.

Given your priorities, i think HDMI will be a boon here as it is less clutter & easy to switch between devices..

The other option is AVR but then from what I read I feel it compromises on sound (in the same budget) . What should I prefer ?

I would say not to worry much abt opinion / reviews.. My suggestion would be to consider an used AVR with HDMI, bluetooth / wi-fi functionality.. These have 3 - 4 HDMI unputs and be very useful with connectivity.. You can play your music from mobile to AVR thru network..

I was abt to suggest SMSL Q5 Pro (or) FX Audio, but then it will make too many wires between devices.. An AVR will do it for both music / movies.. With an AVR, you can always add a sub later..

Once you buy used AVR, then consider getting speakers based on remaining budget..
 
Given your priorities, i think HDMI will be a boon here as it is less clutter & easy to switch between devices..
I would say not to worry much abt opinion / reviews.. My suggestion would be to consider an used AVR with HDMI, bluetooth / wi-fi functionality.. These have 3 - 4 HDMI unputs and be very useful with connectivity.. You can play your music from mobile to AVR thru network..
Agree totally. AVR solves a lot of problems and is not a let down for music.
 
Given your priorities, i think HDMI will be a boon here as it is less clutter & easy to switch between devices..



I would say not to worry much abt opinion / reviews.. My suggestion would be to consider an used AVR with HDMI, bluetooth / wi-fi functionality.. These have 3 - 4 HDMI unputs and be very useful with connectivity.. You can play your music from mobile to AVR thru network..

I was abt to suggest SMSL Q5 Pro (or) FX Audio, but then it will make too many wires between devices.. An AVR will do it for both music / movies.. With an AVR, you can always add a sub later..

Once you buy used AVR, then consider getting speakers based on remaining budget..
Alright , AVR seems to be a better option for me . I would be auditioning some speakers today from hifimart guys and on monday from ooberpad guys.
 
I could only manage to audition couple of speakers , that too not from my short list.

1. Dali Spektor 1 - Rs 19800 - I wasnt really impressed with the sound . It was a good sound overall but in between the song hotel california it sounded weird.

2. Jamo s622 - Rs 16800 - These sounded much better. But I feel the Norge Audio speakers I auditioned were also of equal quality but cheaper.

I auditioned these at "The Shop" on Cosmopolitan Education Society Marg, andheri West (Near Juhu Circle)

Any reviews of these two speakers?
 
I auditioned the Sony soundbar HTCT90 it has a wireless subwoofer. It sounded pretty good but it seems with this option i wont be able to upgrade later. is that correct?
 
But I feel the Norge Audio speakers I auditioned were also of equal quality but cheaper.

You can pretty much use Norge speakers if you find them appealing..

I auditioned the Sony soundbar HTCT90 it has a wireless subwoofer. It sounded pretty good but it seems with this option i wont be able to upgrade later. is that correct?

Yes.. Right.. Also they don't offer much in terms of connectivity..
 
any comment on these ? Thonet and Vander

These look fine..

My usage for this setup would be Music mostly focusing on my dance practice (LAtin American Music ) . I would also like to connect my playstation for gaming and TV would also be connected for an occasional movie.

But for your given needs, connectivity may be an issue.. At best, if you like the above powered speakers, you can connect all your sources to TV via HDMI & you can connect these to the TV using RCA cables permanently..

As said in the above post (like soundbar), this will limit your upgrade options..
 
A beautiful, well-constructed speaker with class-leading soundstage, imaging and bass that is fast, deep, and precise.
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