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beginner budget set up

I'm looking put together a set up, my funds are limited. Most of my music on my pc. I'm thinking of airmotiv4 and emotiva XDA-1.

This is probably the wrong way to go about this but years ago i put together a set up consisting of a marantz av receiver and mission bookshelf. All from info I gathered from the internet. It sounds horrible.
nat72sherman

Showing 2 responses by rar1

rar1's avatar
rar1
1,745 posts
 
Two SUPER buys out there. Your total cost (before cables) is just under $400.

For your amp, from Emotiva ... Emotiva mini X a-100 now on sale for $175.

For your speakers, from Energy ... Energy RC10 at $220.

At $220, the RC10's are a steal ($600 list). They are a very smooth sounding speaker with good bass. I used them for a few years and they were good performers.

Rich
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,745 posts
 
Without owning the Marantz or Mission, I wouldn't know. What precisely sounded so horrible?

Today's entry level AV receivers are not designed for 'music only' reproduction. They are designed to make car crashes, explosions, and general movie mayhem sound impressive. It's not that they necessarily sound bad, it's just that they don't do music justice. Think about the bass that goes with movie reproduction ... boom, boom, boom.

That is why music only users tend to go for separate amplifiers, CD only players (as opposed to universal players), etc.

There are also synergy issues to consider. Just because individual components are rated highly, doesn't necessarily mean that they will sound great together.

This is why auditioning is important, though depending on where you live, that can be difficult.

Rich
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