Reddit mentions of SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier + Power Adapter (Black)

Quick list of what you are looking at

• 3x Dell U2515H 1440p monitors
  
• Audeze LCD-2 headphones
  
• Gustard H10 headphone amp
  
• 2x Micca MB42x speakers
  
• SMSL SA50 speaker amp
  
• Sescom RCA switch
  
• Magicforce 68-key keyboard (MX Blues)
  
• Logitech G502
  
• PVElectronics Nixie Clock

Micca MB42x + SMSL SA50 + Chromecast = about $194. You'd also need some speaker cable, and a 3.5mm to RCA cable.

Fluance SX6 if you want to bump up the speakers.

https://www.amazon.com/Dayton-Audio-SUB-1200-12-Inch-Subwoofer/dp/B00669L3HS

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E7H8GG2

I suggest that 3 part combo. The amp lacks a sub out so run the outputs into the subwoofer, set the crossover to 80Hz, and connect the speakers to the outputs on the sub.

Sure, they are $120 new.

Alternatives:

Powered/Active: 4" Edifiers start at $70. Edifier R980T or larger 5" Swan D1080-IV $140 or Fluance Ai40 $200

Amp+Passive:

$53 Bundle 6-1/2" 2-Way Bookshelf Speaker Pair and Hi-Fi Mini Amplifier

Mini amps:

Kinter K2020A $33. SMSL SA50 $67, Dayton Audio DTA-120BT $75, Micca OriGain $80 or $100 with USB DAC, more at Zeos AMP and DAC guide.

Speakers:

AverageJoe's Speaker List

Polk Audio T15 $50

Micca MB42X $80

Pioneer SP-BS22-LR 4" Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) $68 or if sale is over, PIONEERSP-BS22-LR $90

Sony SSCS5 3-Way 3-Driver Bookshelf Speaker $73

DIY C-notes $100

Clearance sale dual 5.25" Polk Audio Monitor 40 Series $100

Speaker wire and self adjusting wire strippers or basic.

Subwoofer:

Franklin Audio FPS10 10" 100 Watt Powered Subwoofer $90 with $10 off coupon

Small budget stereo amps like SMSL 60 to 150 range or if budget real tight there is that Lepai 25 bucks

I built up my first "real" listening area and I am absolutely thrilled with how it all came together. Pretty standard C-Note build, I did do the .22uF capacitor mod on the crossover to bring the peak down from -20 dB to -40 dB.


C-Note speaker kit


Crossover PCBs


.22uF capacitor


Binding posts


SMSL SA50


Chromecast Audio

Yes, you will need a separate amplifier, as well as speaker wire and banana plugs (banana plugs optional, gives a cleaner look). One like this would work well:

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Audio-R-S202BL-Stereo-Receiver/dp/B01EMQI2CU

Budget Options:

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter-Silver/dp/B00F0H8TOC?th=1&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-SA-36A-TPA3118D2-Amplifier-Black/dp/B017W13OR0

Extreme Budget Option:

https://www.amazon.com/Lepy-LP-2020A-Digital-Amplifier-Stereo/dp/B00C2P61FO

Speaker wire and banana plugs:

https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10239&cs_id=1023904&p_id=14915&seq=1&format=2

https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=104&cp_id=10401&cs_id=1040115&p_id=2801&seq=1&format=2

Skip the dac for now. Spending $70 on a dac but $40 on speakers is ridiculous. There are cheaper, smaller dacs out there as well. And that one has a phono preamp, which is pointless if you aren't incorporating a turntable.

I'd recomend a more powerful amp as well for better sound. Something like an smsl 36 at least. The 50 is a step up I started with the micca mb42x for speakers. Speakers are the most important part. If your budget is this tight I'd probably even skip the sub for now too. Start with a quality amp with quality speakers. Then you can look for a sub. THEN you can think about a dac. I got fiio e10K to use mainly as a headphone amp. The DAC really wasn't a noticeable improvement over my laptops sound. So I will be selling it.

To build a system using the minimum recommendations from this sub, let's start with this diagram: http://i.imgur.com/Z8FMJ.png
DAC is optional, so is a subwoofer but I recommend one.

DAC: Behringer UCA202 $29.99 Link: http://amzn.com/B000KW2YEI

Amplifier: SMSL SA-50 $68.99 Link: http://amzn.com/B00F0H8TOC

Subwoofer: Dayton Audio SUB-800 $99.00 Link: http://amzn.com/B0063NU30K

Bookshelf Speakers: Micca MB42X $89.00 Link: http://amzn.com/B00E7H8GG2

Wire: 16-gauge Speaker Wire $8.00 Link: http://amzn.com/B006LW0WDQ

With DAC, this cable: Stereo Male to 2 RCA Male $5 Link: http://amzn.com/B00I0HPK6O

Without DAC, this cable: Monoprice 105597 3-Feet Premium Stereo Male to 2RCA Male $5 Link: http://amzn.com/B0094A1F3S

This is a great starter system, I would have loved to had something like this starting out.
All of these pieces can be upgraded, do your research. Look for sales etc. Good luck and have fun.

Depends on the type of setup you're looking for, the most common of which are 2.0, 2.1, or 5.1 (or more).

For simple stereo music listening, you'd need a 2 channel amplifier, (such as a the small and very inexpensive but decentish Lepai, or better the SMSL SA-50, or a full size receiver such as this Pioneer) and a way to play and input your music.

For that you could use your computer and an Aux cable, or you could use your phone and an inexpensive bluetooth receiver. This would be a 2.0 system (2 main speakers only, no sub).

You may wish to add a subwoofer for better reproduction of low frequencies. As the subs usually come with their own amplification, but accept high level (already amplified) inputs, you can just wire them together from the amplifier. This would be a 2.1 system.

Plus you need speaker wires and maybe wires for input (like Aux) depending on your setup.

For Home Theater plus music, you'd want a Home Theater receiver such as this Denon, that plays at least 5.1 channels (the .1 is for the subwoofer. This will give you a setup to power Left and Right front speakers, a Center Channel, plus 2 surround speakers. You still need a way to play your source, such as a CD player.

As u/smackdaddies pointed out, you could get four of these Pioneer speakers, plus the related center channel and a sub, plus the receiver, for under $500. It would be a pretty great sounding (budget) 5.1 system.

Once you decide on the type of setup you're interested, we can help you choose items here on r/BudgetAudiophile.

I've built a bunch! Those instructions are fine. Only thing I'd change is I'd use a round speaker terminal cup in step #14, rather than the square one they show in the picture. Something like this in other words. Just because it's easier to cut a round hole -- you can just use a round circle cutting bit in your drill. You can get them for as low as like $2ea on Amazon or elsewhere.

> Do I need an amplifier?

Something like a cheap Lepai is fine.

A "real" amp like this or this or a used home theater amp for $50 from Craigslist will more or less get the full 100% of performance from the Overnight Sensations at higher volumes. A small Class D amp like this is a good compromise IMHO.

All of those amps ought to sound the same at low volumes. For "desktop listening" where you're sitting a few feet away, the Lepai should get plenty loud.

> Do I need a digital to audio converter?

Probably not. With the possible exception of the Lepai, all the amps I linked to have a dual RCA audio input. The typical "red and white audio inputs" you've surely seen in many places. All you need is a basic headphone-to-RCA adapter like this, assuming your music playing thingy has a headphone jack.

https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-105597-3-Feet-Premium-Stereo/dp/B0094A1F3S/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1483958406&sr=8-4&keywords=headphone+to+rca

That's interesting, but unfortunately most of these builds are DIY and lack any sort of standardization, so you'll have to do most of the heavy lifting in order to figure out what you have, as well as what you need.

As to your first point, you probably do need some sort of room selection, as well as a) an amplifier which powers the speakers, and b) either a single streaming platform (e.g. Chromecast Audio, Sonos Connect, etc.) to send signal to all speakers, or multiple streaming platform to send signal to individual speakers or rooms.

As to your second question, that depends on how you want to answer the above questions, and on how they're set up. As I mentioned, there probably isn't much standardization between this build and others, so I would start this whole process by getting a basic amplifier (Lepai 2020 is fine for this purpose) and going through each wire in that bunch as well as each pair of connectors in the garage (see below). Turn off the amp, hook up a pair of speakers, turn on the amp, play something, track down the sound, label the wires by room (colored electrical tape), stop playing, repeat.

After you figure out how the speakers, wires, and wall panels are connected, you can work on picking out an amplifier, a streaming platform, and a room selection device. I would budget $1000 for this, but it can probably be done for less. If you don't want to spend that right now (understandable), you can probably wire up one room to a Chromecast Audio and an SMSL SA50 (non-plus) for less than $100 if that room has a priority (see below).

As to your last question, those are probably banana plugs. Just another termination for speaker wire, not a big deal in the context of the rest of this. If you need banana plugs, Amazon or Monoprice have them for basically nothing.

The most basic set-up for whole home audio you could have is this speaker selector, this amplifier, and this streaming device. Probably $250 for the full home, or more if you have more than 4 rooms wired.

Alternately, if you want to be able to play two different streams in two rooms simultaneously, you could put this streaming device and this amplifier in the ceiling of each room. Google Home allows for CCAs to be combined into groups rather flexibly- you could put Kitchen-Living Room- Bathroom in one group, and Bedroom 1-Garage in another, and Living Room- Bedroom 1 in another, and every CCA you have in yet another, and still have the ability to play music in any one room on its own. Very nice system, but doing this is realistically $100 per room. If you don't mind limiting yourself to pairs of rooms, you can cut down on this cost by adding a four-channel room selector to this chain.

High-end receivers also may contain their own multi-room, multi-source implementations, but you're typically limited to two rooms, and two sources. Add in two splitters like this and you can expand that capability out to two groups of four speakers, but those groups would be less flexible than the CCA setup above. This setup is $500.

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1484858805&sr=1-2&keywords=smsl

https://www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B00E7H8GG2/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1484859060&sr=1-1&keywords=mb42x

https://www.amazon.com/Generic-F8V235-12-3-5mm-cable-12-Feet/dp/B01K9SCY88/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1484859089&sr=1-7&keywords=stereo%2Bto%2Brca&th=1&psc=1


/done

> I am looking into the Z625 right now.

Nope, no... no.

Don't buy Logitech, seriously.

Here's an alternative suggestion:
SMSL-50

Micca RB42's!

u/Polypeptide147 will be able to sing the praises of these speakers... the system I described will perform much better than those crap Logitech 2.1 systems.

Okay, fine, I went over your budget by $10... but I promise you, it's worth it! Friends don't let friends buy Logitech.

Currently I'm using this which is overkill for these speakers, but I got it for a good price and I wanted something that could comfortably power beefier speakers down the line.

The old recommendation was to get a Lepai 2020a, but since those no-longer use the Tripath chips, I'd go with something like the SMSL SA36 or SA50.

Here are some thoughts.

1. If you're going for a living room setup I totally wouldn't go with powered monitors. I would invest into passives and an amp/receiver/AVR. You're too locked in with monitors especially with ones that only have an analog input.
   
   
2. If you want to use a digital source or your TV doesn't have analog inputs you're out of luck unless you get an external DAC. Now that's just one more thing you have to wire and have power for.
   
   
3. What about volume control... not with these unless you get up. They work great at a desk but if you are using them for your main viewing area and put a couch in front of a TV this will be a problem.
   
   
4. You want to add in a sub great. You're splitting the source to go into each, then volume matching them with the volume/gain and now using the source for volume control. Will it work, sure as long as your source has volume control.
   
   
5. If they had a sub out or a preout I probably be less negative but they don't. Passives on the other hand aren't limited by the amp that you have at this time or the one built in. If you want to upgrade to an AVR just hook up your speakers and away you go. Here comes the remote, more power, digital sources, sub out, xovers, room correction, tone controls and whatever other goodies the AVR comes with.
   
   Here are some options I would consider
   
   2.0 - KEF Q100 $300 + Lepai 2020A+ $30 Yep cheap amp but great speakers that are still on sale. The amount of bass these put out is surprising but again you can add in a sub later on down the road.
   
   2.0 - Cambridge Audio Aero2 $250 and a SMSL SA50 You're getting a better amp with more power but still limited to analog input.
   
   2.1 - RBH R5Bi $225, lepai 2020 $30, and a Dayton Sub 800 $110 You're getting a full 2.1 system for about the same price as just the powered monitors. Yes the amp is only good for about 10watts but for the nearfield you should be fine with this until you can upgrade. The Dayton 800 is a great little sub that is more than enough for most music save for the deepest of bass tones.
   
   2.0 - Boston Acoustic CS26 $105 ea and a Yamaha R-S202 refurb receiver $110 Now you're stepping up to a full chassis amplifier with some decent power, remote, and multiple inputs.

Studio monitors, or powered monitors in general can work great in a 2.0 or 2.1 system. Broadly, they will be much more "hi-fi" than the Pro Media's will be; but also more expensive, especially when you factor in adding subwoofer.

The Klipsch's run ~$140 retail, and at that price you can begin to build a solid budget 2.1 set up.

There a few good solutions at this point, my personal favorite would be:

• Infinity Primus p143 bookshelf's Sold individually, but when they go on sale on amazon you can get them for 35-40 each ~$80
  
  
• SMSL SA-50 amp ~$70
  
  This puts you @ $150
  
  Adding this sub would get you up to $230 but also complete a system that would be world better than the Klipsch or anyother 2.1 system commonly used for computers.
  
  
• Dayton Sub-800 ~$80
  
  
  

SMSL SA50 ($67): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_RthDDbDAZR43F


Micca MB42X ($79.95): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E7H8GG2/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_UAhDDbJYN7S0D


Comes in right under your budget, and plenty of people on these forums have been happy with that setup (I have no experience personally with the amp or speakers).

http://www.amazon.com/Tripath-TPA3123-Stereo-Amplifier-Supply/dp/B008YBC172/

http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Integrated-Tripath-Amplifier/dp/B00F0H8TOC/

http://www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B00E7H8GG2

http://www.amazon.com/Mordaunt-Short-Alumni-Bookshelf-Speakers-Black/dp/B0049APO8U

http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-TSi100-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B00192KF12

http://www.fluance.com/product/SX6_High_Definition_Two_way_Bookshelf_Loudspeakers.eng-12.html

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-BS22-LR-Designed-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers/dp/B008NCD2LG

http://www.amazon.com/Fostex-PMO-4-W-4-Inch-Personal-Speaker/dp/B00CYNT8XG

http://www.amazon.com/Alesis-Elevate-Speakers-Elliptical-Waveguide/dp/B00F3F7OIS

You could pick up a little T amp. I have this one but there are cheaper options available. That only has two outputs and just a knob for volume control. Itd be good for testing them out and music for parties, etc but not realistic for TV watching since you'd have to get up to change the volume.

Everyone is going to tell you to get a receiver. Youre at the opportunity where you can dive into the home theater world and, if you have the funds, you won't regret it.

Probably a u turn with a phono preamp and a good set of active speakers. If you want passive speakers get this for an amp. http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Integrated-Tripath-Amplifier/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1427739491&sr=8-7&keywords=speaker+amp

Probably the $72 Orb Audio Mini T or the $68 SMSL SA50. I read reviews on the Lepy amps on amazon and they seem not-so-good even though it's a tempting $40. So I'm looking in the ~$70 range. Leaning towards the orb audio since it has a 3.5mm for convenience sake (and a subwoofer connecter, idk if that's useful for miccas).

Awesome.

So, you'll want something like this. It has a 3.5mm jack out and supports tons of streaming services as well as bluetooth. If you can find a chromecast audio anywhere, that might even be better, especially if you don't need to talk to it.

For speakers, these ascend acoustics will be your best bet. They're awesome speakers, with detailed highs and plenty of low end extension.

If they'll be close to a wall, or if you'd just rather order from amazon, these elacs are fantastic speakers. The front port means you can put them close to the wall, so that won't be a problem. They're a very easy to listen to speaker IMO. I have them and I like them a lot.

These monitor audio speakers will sound a bit better (better detail, tighter midrange, etc) but will have a bit less low end extension.

These by HSU might be a gamble. Reviews are scarce, but the ones that are out there are great. Mine aren't here yet so I can't give you any more info than that. Sorry.

Last one (and my personal favorite) is a pair of kef q150. Stunning details, low and tight bass, amazing vocals, the whole 9. They'd be closer to the top of your budget, but they are absolutely fantastic speakers. I really like them a lot.

That budget is kinda in a 'no mans land' for speakers. It's between where the 'budget' speakers are and where the 'high end' speakers start, if that makes sense. Those are pretty much all the ones in that price range, but those are some pretty solid options.

You'll need a way to power them as well.

If you don't have tons of space, a little chip amp could do the trick. I've got a bunch of those and they're all great, but not the best.

Your next best bet would be a 2 channel receiver. Even better, if you're okay with refurbished, a Denon receiver would be great.

To connect the speakers to the receiver/amp, you'll need speaker wire. You can cut it and strip it with a knife or scissors, but this will make the job easier.

Oh, and you'll need this to connect the echo to the receiver. And this one if you go with the chromecast audio.

How does this all look?

If you aren't turned off by your bad experience with the Ai40s, I am using the Fluance signature series bookshelf speakers with an SMSL AD-18 amp. There is no noticeable hiss. I use it for my turntable, pc and tv all with good results. If you only want to use it for your turntable I have heard good things about the SMSL SA50 as a basic amp.

​

Fluance Signature Series

​

SMSL AD-18

​

SMSL AD50

What others have said here is correct, you can't power your Micca's with a subwoofer, but that doesn't mean that you can't get everything working for $200.

Amplifier: SMSL SA50 $69

Subwoofer: Dayton Audio SUB-1000 $129

You'll need to run speaker wire from the amp to the high level inputs of the subwoofer, and then wire from the high level outputs on the subwoofer to the Micca's. Inputs on the amplifier are RCA, but you can use a cheap 3.5mm to RCA cable if you want to run the setup off of something such as you phone or laptop that doesn't have RCA outputs.

EDIT: The r/audiophile purchase help thread or r/budgetaudiophile might have some other options for you to consider as well

I really like my SMSL amp for my OS MTs hooked up to my desktop.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0H8TOC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

It's Class-D so very efficient and small. Pretty good price and comes with a decent external power supply. But for the $65 price you won't be getting any extra features on that model. Just RCA in and binding posts out, which is perfect for my setup.

> SX6

@ZeosPantera, took your advice and bought instead of the audio engine a2's I bought the http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Integrated-Tripath-Amplifier/dp/B00F0H8TOC along with the Sx6 speakrs. I also have a modded odac (jdslabs / mayflower o2 amp) which jdslabs re-integrated for me, and the audio is phanominal.

• $150 a pair, Sony Core Series: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-core-series-5-3-way-bookshelf-speakers-pair/5721014.p?id=1219148662428&skuId=5721014 Review: http://www.cnet.com/news/sony-new-affordable-core-series-speakers/
  
  
• $73, SMSL SA50: http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Integrated-Tripath-Amplifier/dp/B00F0H8TOC
  
  
• $110, Dayton SUB 1200: http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-sub-1200-12-120-watt-powered-subwoofer--300-629

On this sub, most of us are going to recommend passive speakers, and a amp/preamp or receiver. The reason being, that it gives you more options in the future; Once you've made the decision to come to a reddit sub and get recommendations, chances are at somepoint in the future you're going to want to upgrade the performance (whether that's when you move into a new house, need a system in a different room, or just get bored and have money burning a hole in your pocket).

So, that being said, start with the amp. If you're short on space, some small class D Tripath style amp is what you'll want: pretty much anything by SMSL like this guy. But, if you have the space, I'd go with a really receiver like this onkyo mostly because of the method it uses to power the speakers (a/b class) and the LFE out for a sub.

Now for speakers, I'd check out Elac, like these B6's

Adding a sub will be big too, but it can be added later if you still want more base. You can also check craigslist, you can often find great deals on home theater receivers with obsolete video components (but great for audio still), and sometimes good deals on used speakers or subs.

I would get an amp and passive speakers. Studio monitors for casual use make barely any sense for most people. The JBL 305s sound decent, and then you get to run a power cable to each speaker, some kind of dongle to switch your unbalanced output from your motherboard to a balanced input (even though the signal will not be balanced at this point), then each speaker has a volume knob...on the back, so you're setting and forgetting those and have to do all of your volume control in software. They're just inconvenient, also their enclosures are garbage (on the 305 and 308 anyway)

If it was me, with a $300 budget I would track down a decent integrated amp and bookshelf speakers locally on a site like USAudioMart or Audiogon and post about them here to get opinions before pulling the trigger.

If you don't want to frig around with haggling and want something new I would just get an SMSL SA50 and some Elac B6.2's while they're still on sale. This also gives you the opportunity to upgrade your amp or your speakers down the road if something comes up.

I agree, get a pair of the Fluance SX6 with an amp like the SMSL SA50 or the Lepy if you don't want to go over budget. This combination will blow anything else for 200 dollars out the water. You could add a subwoofer somewhere down the line as well.

• SMSL SA-50 hit $55.
  
• Emotiva XPS-1 phono pre-amp for $100 (normally $150)
  
• KEF Q300 at $400 a pair normally $650 -- I can't recall if the Q100 or Q300's are the ones that have dropped to $300 a pair before though.

Excellent input- I completely agree with JohnBooty's assessment of the OS sound. Definitely not for home studio usage.

As far as amp - unless you're pushing them super hard, (since you're in nearfield) you can go with a SMSL amp. Good price, decent build quality, and it should hopefully free up more budget to spend on speakers.

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465509439&sr=8-1&keywords=amplifier+smsl

You can totally get both high quality TV and music audio over wireless for a reasonable price. Check out the Chromecast Audio or Apple Airport Express. Both will stream audio over wifi to any speaker setup you go with.

I only have experience with Apple's Airplay, but if you have a couple Apple devices, it's super simple to use and works really well. You can pick up and Airport Express for ~$20 used.

For example, a pair of Micca MB42x (I'd recommend the PB42x instead, but they seem to be out of stock), an SMSL SA-50 amp, and an airport/chromecast would be about the same as the lowest-end sonos setup, and sound a lot better. For your TV, you can use a receiver instead of the amp to switch between the Airport/Chromecast input and the TV input.

If your budget is bigger than that, then swap in a better pair of speakers. Your speakers determine 90% of the quality of your system, so spend the most on them, not expensive wireless solutions.

(this is very similar to how my house is set up, so let me know if you have any questions)

I'm not sure about best buy maybe check out their subs, you could crosscheck prices on subs/amps on amazon to best buy's prices. I'm about to drop a couple hundred on a 2.0 setup and buying a sub later on. These are the speakers I'm getting (and were recommended to me on this subreddit) Fluance SX6 with this Amp

You are a bit squeezed in but a set of Micca X's should fit on those little shelves. A decent T-amp like the Muse M50 or this will power them very well and then grab a sub like the Dayton-1200 or the more compact Martin Logan Dynamo 300. The hookup would look something like this(minus the dac unless you need one)

Selling my SMSL SA50 for $55 shipped (USA only).
Currently on Amazon for $68.

Purchased in April and used with my Pioneer BS22's. Like new condition, placed back in original box. Selling since I'm switching to active speakers.

Strictly speaking, wattages and THD are a good guide for figuring out quality, but are certainly not a hard-and-fast rule. Knowing your brands and trusted opinions are better, listening to it yourself is best.

The link in the sidebar has some good ones.

I'm actually in exactly the same position as you at the moment, I'm considering this one as it's the cheapest (50w per channel, ~au$80 delivered), but apparently this one is much better even though it's only 30w per channel and is $20 more.

Or then again I could anticipate future upgrades and just go for this yammy amp which is 100w per channel for ~$190.

I really like that Denon one you've posted, though. Decisions, decisions.

SMSL SA-50 or SMSL SA-60 would be good bets for lots of power for your money.

$67-$80, so quite a bit more than your Lepai.

Lepy 2020 is basically the cheapest worth bothering with.

I've got an SMSL SA-50 and I really like it. Feels nicely built and such.

The good news is that everything is already wired for sound, the bad news is that you'll need to buy amp(s) in order to use the speakers. The cable that you're holding up is RCA and is not powerful enough to drive a speaker. You'll need something like a multi-zone amp for 6 channels if you want to use all of the speakers in the house. These are ambient house speakers and not speakers set up for a home theater though right?

An option that might work well if you like Chromecast is to buy two or three pairs of this SMSL SA50 amps with the Chromecast Audio devices. This would also allow you to control multiple zones for music using each Chromecast audio. Each Chromecast Audio connects with each amp using a 3.5mm to RCA cable and then each SMSL amp connects to the gold terminals on the wall using speaker cable.

I have these speakers. All you need are an amp + copper cables + Banana plugs (optional, but worth it).

I recommend this amp: https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482259592&sr=8-1&keywords=SMSL+50

I'm on a tighter budget than you, but I just set up a nice little system with a SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier and a set of Pioneer SP-BS22-LR Andrew Jones Designed Bookshelf Loudspeakers without a sub. Add a sub to that you'll have a nice sounding set-up under budget that should last you well beyond your time at college.

In addition to this subreddit, here's what I used for guidance:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/66ylk9/guide_speakers_2021_desktoproom_systems/
and
https://www.reddit.com/r/AverageJoeAudiophile/comments/3uoksp/i_have_xxxxx_to_spend_what_should_i_buy_bookshelf/

For considering which sub you want:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AverageJoeAudiophile/comments/3w9tdw/i_have_xxxxx_to_spend_what_should_i_buy_subwoofers/
and
https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/5b1u99/guide_subwoofers/

If you sign up for promo codes for Fry's and check every Sunday, the SP-BS22-LR Pioneer's can be had for $62 as they seem to go on sale around once a month. Actually if you can get a promo code from someone today, you can order them this evening at that price. Even at $129, they're considered a good value.

Pricewise you'd be looking at: $62 Pioneer SP-BS22-LR + $69 SMSL SA50 + $180 for the ELAC S10 or something comparable + $30 for speaker wire, plugs and cables to connect to your source and $341 total

This will be plenty loud to fill any dorm room (and drive your neighbors crazy if you're not careful) with much better sound quality than a soundbar or a 2.1 system like a Klipsch Promedia 2.1.

As for the bluetooth, buy a separate bluetooth adapter. You'll have more utility that way rather than buying one that's integrated into your receiver or amp. This way you'll only need to upgrade your bluetooth receiver when bluetooth is inevitably upgraded in the next few years. Your receiver and speakers can last you decades.

What about the Micca Covo-S speakers and an amp like the SMSL-SA50?

From what I've read they're great speakers for the size and you can always upgrade down the line if you're so inclined. I have the Micca MB42xs myself and they're fantastic speakers for the price. Though those would stretch your budget a smidge.

I would suggest the Micca PB42x as they're on special pricing right now but the volume would be on the back and not as accessible as they would be with speakers using the amp I linked.

Well, I did the best I could. I ruled out bookshelves since you said you had the room since bookshelves in this price range don't do so well with "loud" without causing distortion and hearing damage.

So, here are some options. Get one thing out of each section. Try to spend as much as you can on the speakers.


Speakers

BIC America Venturi DV64 x2 (~$250)

Infinity Primus P363 x2 (~$350)

PSB Alpha T1 (~$400)


Integrated Amplifier

SMSL SA50 (~$75)

Emotiva mini-X a-100 (~$190)


The following aren't necessary to get things working but you should add them when you get the cash.

DAC

schiit modi 2 (~$100)

This connects your computer to the amplifier. Without this, you just use a male 3.5mm to rca stereo cable.


Subwoofer

BIC America F12 (~$190)

You connect the amp's outputs to the speaker inputs on the sub and then connect the speakers to the sub's speaker outputs.

If I were you I would start out with the PSB speakers and emotiva amp (if you can afford the ~$600) then add the sub when you get more money. The DAC will sound better than your computer's sound card and reduce static and interference from your computer.

$60 Dayton B652 Air Speakers

$70 SMSL SA-50 AMP

Decent starting point, can tweak this setup with better passive bookshelf speakers and different size/make amps. Can also pair later with active subwoofer for real bass.

Are you in a metro area where craigslist is an option? At that price point used speakers make a lot of sense.

link to local craigslist if you want help.

Small cheap amp at your price point, i think this is the go to around here:
https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC but obviously only has one input.

but obviously there are other options.

Do you have someplace to tuck a subwoofer or does that blow your definition of small?

What kind of music? priorities? Clear? Loud? Accurate? Bass?

Does your record player have a built in phono amp, or do you need a receiver with a built in phono stage? if you don't know give model and brand of record player.

DIY is what I do... here's what I would part together for a $150 budget.

SMSL 2x50W Amp:
http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

Dayton B652 Speakers:
http://www.amazon.com/Dayton-Audio-B652-Bookshelf-Speaker/dp/B002RMPHMU

5A Battery:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idproduct=16770.html


Instructions:
http://imgur.com/a/Qgmay

This would be better than anything else for the price!

SMSL SA50 and Pioneer SP-BS22-LR are a popular combination and should sound pretty good.

2 problems:
That's a car amplifier, you'll do a lot better with an amp that's meant to sit on a desk. this is a popular choice:
https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1497632169&sr=1-2&keywords=SMSL+amplifier

That sub is unpowered; it'll need its own discrete amp. you'd be better off getting a powered sub, and splitting off your '.1' channel to it's amplifier.

An subwoofer with a built in amp (most home audio subs have one) will probably blow out your budget. Those low frequencies take a lot of power to drive. you may want to go 2.0 for a little while until you're ready to get a sub.

Honestly, for your budget, the Z623 may be the way to go, rather then buying super cheap components separately.

I am running the Fluance speakers you are asking about, and a Lepai 2020+ amp. The amp is obviously the limiting factor in my current setup. I would have to give the nod to a 50watt or more per channel amp if I wanted to fill a bigger room. Zeos likes this one, and I plan on getting it when some money comes in. http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Integrated-Tripath-Amplifier/dp/B00F0H8TOC

Both speakers are around 90db, but i'd also have to side with those saying the Yamaha's are your better bet.

Tower speakers are a good option but you can get a lot of sound out of bookshelves.

Those are passive speakers requiring separate amplification, which the Mac doesn't provide.

You could use something like the SMSL SA-50. (I need to make a macro for that sentence.):

https://smile.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/

A cable like this from the Mac to the amp:

https://smile.amazon.com/Hosa-CMR-206-Stereo-Breakout-Cable/dp/B000068O3B

Speaker wire from the amp to the speakers:

https://smile.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-16-Gauge-Speaker-Wire-Feet/dp/B006LW0W5Y

Do yourself a favor and skip the Lepai. The SA-50 is a bit better.

http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/

Just my opinion here, but class-D amplifiers have gotten good enough and cheap enough that there's no real reason to DiY amplifiers if your sole goal is bang for the buck.

Here is a nice amp that's probably better and cheaper than anything you could make yourself.

I have a receiver, but you'd be fine with an SMSL SA-50 with 150s.

Depends on what you want - for Music? 2 bookshelf speakers and a mini Amp will Sound Much Better.....or powered speakers like Edifier.......

https://www.amazon.com/Edifier-R1700BT-Bluetooth-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B016PATXSI

https://www.amazon.com/Edifier-R1280DB-Bluetooth-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B0719C132V

https://www.amazon.com/Micca-PB42X-Powered-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B00NXAEPDC

or

https://www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B00E7H8GG2

plus

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

several other Choices $120-$150

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00NOA58RS

plus

https://www.amazon.com/Nobsound-Bluetooth-Amplifier-Audio-Receiver/dp/B07QNJPC31

Hi!

A friend of mine recently bought the Dayton B652-AIR, which sound phenomenal for the price. They're on sale right now for $50 from Parts Express. I haven't heard the basic B652, but the reviews seem to indicate that the AIR models are worth the extra money. They have a better crossover (internal circuitry) and an upgraded tweeter that's supposed to provide smoother treble and more clarity.

Second, you're going to need an amplifier to drive those speakers. Your previous system had a built-in amp. I recommend this little guy which is a barebones amplifier that produces nice clean sound and has a very small footprint and a reasonable price.

It won't amplify your headphones, though.

Something like this receiver would cover all your bases-- provide power to your speakers and your headphones as well.

If I were you, I'd just use an analog cable to attach my source (computer?) to the receiver.

Oh, and you'll need some speaker cable to connect the speakers to the receiver.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0H8TOC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

just a cheepo guy

Hi all,

I'm going to pick up a U-Turn Orbit Plus: http://store.uturnaudio.com/products/orbit-plus-turntable

I already have speakers and a power amp, but I'd like to get a tube pre-amp for the turntable. My power amp and speakers are nothing special:

T Amp: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0H8TOC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Fluance bookshelf speakers: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067OS0A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So I don't want to spend too much on a tube pre-amp, especially since I'm guessing most of you will say a tube pre-amp will be overkill for the current quality of speakers. I don't mind building the pre-amp either, so if there is a cool kit out there I'd go for that too.

I'm using the SMSL SA50
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0H8TOC/

I started off looking at the Lepai 2x20 but after doing some research, I decided against it. I don't need 50w per channel but the Lepai only has a 12v power supply so it can't even do 20W.

Hi everyone, newbie here. I bought the Micca MB42x and a smsl sa50. I would like to know if this amp is sufficient for the mb42x. I see that the recommendation here is smsl sa60. I saw that the impedance is fine of 4-8ohms. But I have no idea how the watts come into play, can you explain how this works and if my system will be fine or will it fry?

I have a SMSL SA50 Amp + Micca MB42X setup for my speaker system.

Also, you'll be fine with Malwarebytes and Windows Defender.

The SMSL seems to be the go to standard for good, cheap 2 channel amp

You got passive speakers from Best Buy, they're still compatible with your record player, you just need a receiver or amp. This little amp will work with them. If you'd rather have active, Edifiers are good, but a receiver/amp will let you upgrade to nicer or cool vintage speakers in the future. What was wrong with the Mackies? They're usually pretty solid too.

Exactly. I wanted basic tone controls so I tried all sorts, even that Lepai Pyle clone (which had a lesser "pop"). Most of the guts on these things are the same chinese boards.

I eventually ditched the idea of using a mini-amp on my bedroom TV because it's all powered up and down with wifi smart plugs - which would make the amps pop on and off. The basic SMSL SA50 amp was great - no pop, but no tone controls - and for TV you need to override some bass & treble. (I absolutely hated the SMSL AD18 though).

I ended up going back to using an older Yamaha HTR amp in stereo mode via optical SPDIF. Its large, but fits in a bedside table shelf out of the way and the power on /off is protected by relays.

what is your budget? I am a big proponent of passive speakers with a separate amp/dac. They sound the best to me. They do tend to take a lot of space though, so it may be tough with a smaller desk. If you want powered speakers though, the edifiers have been the best in my experience.

My current setup is:

AMP: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0H8TOC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
(note: this amp doesnt support subwoofers, so look elsewhere if you want a 2.1 system. In my experience I haven't felt the need for one, but YMMV)

DAC: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SY9RBOM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Speakers: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V2UBS8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A cheaper but still solid speaker: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008NCD2LG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 AND https://www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B00E7H8GG2/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1526322009&sr=1-2&keywords=micca

take the audio output and convert it with this:

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Audio-Cable-Splitter-1-Mini/dp/B00004Z5CP/

get a small amplifier such as this:

http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Integrated-Tripath-Amplifier/dp/B00F0H8TOC/

set your tv output to variable to allow the tv to control the volume

The $150 price tag includes the 79 dollar speakers and the smsl sa50 amplifier, which are the only two things you need. Simply hook the amp up to the computer and then your speakers and you're good to go.

Oh, you may need some cheap speaker wire, interconnects but that shouldn't be more than 10-20 dollars.

http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Integrated-Tripath-Amplifier/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426021140&sr=8-1&keywords=smsl+amp

If you are only going to have 4 speakers then get two analog amps with zwave outlets. You could also get ANY stereo receiver with digital A/B speaker select and use a harmony hub. This is what I do in my house (with multiple receivers though and I route IR around so I can turn on a specific room from Alexa).

You're looking at a simple 2.0 set up for that budget.

I would go with the following:

Micca MB42X Bookshelf Speakers With 4-Inch Carbon Fiber Woofer and Silk Dome Tweeter (Black, Pair):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E7H8GG2

SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier + Power Adapter (Black):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/

I would then add a subwoofer if you feel you need it. I spent many a year upgrading from builds like this to what I have today. Enjoy what you have and upgrade at your own pace.

Let me know if you have questions.

I have that particular turntable, though mine is hooked up to a much smaller set of speakers. To put it in the simplest terms possible, you're going to need an amp and some speaker wire. Connect the turntable to the RCA input on the amp, then run speaker wire from the outs on the amp to the corresponding ins on the speakers themselves. That's it.

It looks like those Sonys can handle up to 60 watts @ 8 ohms, so they seem pretty efficient. You shouldn't need a ton of power to get them a little loud while still sounding good. As far as hardware recommendations go, I've been very happy with my little SMSL SA50. It should get you a nice, clean sound for less than $70 shipped. I went with these Mediabridge 16 gauge pre-finished cables, but you can always just cut your own and screw the bare ends down/clip them in if you're looking to save a few bucks or if your speakers lack binding posts.

There are also loads of vintage stereo amp options out there for less than $100 if you're willing to dig a bit and are comfortable with something that might have a few miles on it. I recommended the SMSL because it's compact, solid, and new in the box. Either way, enjoy your turntable and those Sonys you saved from the scrap heap!

Here's what I picked up based on the Zeos 2.0 recommendation thread.

• Speakers - Fluance SX6
  
• DAC - SMSL SD793-II
  
• Amp - SMSL SA50 50Wx2
  
  Here's what it looks like setup at my desk - LINK
  
  After installing and setting up Equalizer APO on my system and tuning it by ear through a WIDE assortment of music, this setup sounds absolutely amazing. With the amp and Windows at half volume, it's loud enough to be heard throughout my 2-story house with no audible distortion.
  
  Near-field performance at my desk, where my head it at the peak of basically an equilateral triangle based on where I sit in relation to the speakers, is absolutely astonishing.
  
  I use this setup for games, music, and audio editing for video work I do. It's awesome all-around.
  
  Throw a pair of stands in there like these and it's right at your $300 budget.

I'm also considering getting something like this amp and these speakers as well to go the passive route. From what I understand, this amp can power the speakers, correct? Also, I'm going to need RCA from turntable to pre amp, and RCA from pre amp to amp. Then from amp go to one speaker with speaker wire,then one speaker to the other with speaker wire, so in total 8 banana plugs right?

Get yourself a Class D amp. You can get a decent one for about $60 - $70. The SMSL SA50 is a good option.

Those are regular passive speakers. They do not contain an amplifier (hence no power cord or batteries), so you will need an amplifier to put between them and your laptop. The amplifier makes the signal strong enough to physically moves the speakers. (Your laptop has a weak amplifier in it, but only strong enough to power headphones.)

One popular cheap amplifier is the SMSL SA50. I've never used it, but it's less than $70 and should be pretty adequate for your purposes. A nicer way is to buy a stereo receiver, which will have a remote, better circuitry, the ability to switch between several sources, and more, but those start at around $150-200 minimum. (Although if you are knowledgeable and careful, you can find used receivers on craigslist for far less.)

Anyway, most amplifiers have RCA inputs, so you will need a 3.5mm (same connector as headphones) to stereo RCA cable for connecting your laptop to the amplifier. Then you need speaker wire for connecting the amplifier to the speakers.

you will need a phono preamp and a power amp.

power amp

phono preamp

after that i would replace the cartridge/needle on the turntable

So I bought myself a teac tn-300 during a sale recently and I've been truly loving it along with the vinyl I have been collecting since. However it naturally makes me want to keep improving my system and I'm looking for a good starting point.

I have been using A bose dock by directly plugging into the rear input of the device. Works fine for the time being but it would definitely be nice to start thinking of getting some actual speakers and an amp.

Could anyone recommend a good starting point to look? How much money am I really looking at spending? I'd love to hear the recommendations for my situation.

Specs: The speakers would be mainly used to sound a 20x15 room.

considering:
http: //www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Black/dp/B00E7H8GG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453818118&sr=8-1&keywords=micca+mb42x

http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453820918&sr=8-1&keywords=smsl+sa50

It has a little amp built in, you can connect to computer speakers if you wanted. If you have no idea what you're doing just buy new:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC?psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Black/dp/B00E7H8GG2/ref=pd_sim_23_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=41-MULbHU8L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1PFNK0K8D8E94BQV287R

I just got a set of Kef LS50s for a desktop setup. I got a good deal so I picked them up without thinking how I'll be powering them. Then without much thinking I thought the PS Audio Sprout looked good so I ordered it off Amazon, as I'm looking for a clean/simple setup. It turns out it's a bit of a no-no and isn't a great product the more I look into it.
So what's the recommendation around the $500 mark for a desktop unit that I can use to power the speakers to play music off my laptop while I'm working? I'm willing to buy used.
Any help or advice is appreciated.
Thanks!

EDIT: I also have a Schiit Magni/Modi 2 Uber. Could I just use the preamp and hook it up to something like this SMSL SA50 or does the LS50 deserve a better setup?

> so you're saying for PASSIVE speakers i just need the external amplifier, right?

Correct.

> do you have a cheap suggestion for me when it comes to an external amplifier?

Well, cheap is relative. If it needs to be cheap-cheap, then there are some small Chinese amps on Amazon from the brand Lepai/Lepy that are alright considering their price, although nothing great. Slightly higher in price there's this SMSL amp at $70 (I should note that I have no first-hand experience with this, but have heard and read good things about it). Keep in mind that you might need something more powerful depending on your speakers.

If you're set on Bluetooth and want a simple all-in-one setup get these.

However, I have to recommend the Chromecast Audio - so much more reliable than Bluetooth, better sound quality, and easier to connect to. I'd pair it with this amp and these speakers. If you're feeling adventurous go this route but you'll be happy with either coming from Bose.

You can sell the unused monitor on /r/hardwareswap to recuperate some cash. Even if you don't want to get rid of it, I'd still move it so there's space for the speakers and they aren't being blocked.

If you just want to buy something, the SMSL SA50 is a great choice.

https://smile.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1501903960&sr=8-3&keywords=smsl

It's well built, has plenty of power unless you're speakers have low sensitivity or it's a big space, and the audio quality is unsurprisingly terrific. Amps are pretty much a 'solved problem', and while you can deliberately color your sound with tubes and the like, simple and accurate amplification is pretty easy to achieve.

You might be able to find something used on craigslist or a thrift store but nothing new that has a phono stage in an amplifier. You best bet is a super cheap phone pre-amp and a cheap amp. Such as the following two items:

https://www.amazon.com/PYLE-PRO-PP444-Compact-Turntable-Preamp/dp/B004HJ1TTQ

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

I would not get powered speakers. It limits your selection and complicates upgrading. I would get a little smsl amp like this
And some daton [speakers](
https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-b652-air-6-1-2-2-way-bookshelf-speaker-with-amt-tweeter-pair--300-651)

I do like that nobsound, I used one in my bedroom setup for a long time. With all the cables going into on both ends, cable management for a desk is not ideal, so I would not use it on a desk setup. It would work though.

I would try to spring for something like this micca origain, because of the connectivity options. If you can't swing for it, or you dont want/need the dac portion, I would use this Dayton, or this SMSL.

Your gonna need an amplifier to drive these, amplifiers are usually designed to have the speakers connected via bare wire so you should probably just hack the connectors off. The Amp will have RCA and 3.5 mm connectors that you can plug into whatever source you want. Something like this is what you want: SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier + Power Adapter (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_g9jJBb18QVYRA

That one looks like it has banana Jack's for the speakers which are also somewhat standard and you can get for a few bucks.

What about this:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107R150/Polk-Audio-R150.html?tp=186

paired with something like this.

http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Integrated-Tripath-Amplifier/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1417036388&sr=1-2&keywords=t+class+amp

That way in the future, you're not stuck with some god awful looking shelf system.

Just plug in your laptop or Ipod.

Well there's a few options for you here. There's these, which I have a highly recommend. Fluance SX6. Or a cheaper yet still apparently great set of Micca speakers that are quite a bit smaller. These both require something like this to power it, along with some speaker wire and maybe banana plugs. You could also get some powered Audioengine A2
's. Those shouldn't require an amp. Overall I would highly recommend taking the plunge into quality sound equipment. I myself would buy the fluance one's again but it's up to you. The cost is most definitely worth it when it comes to these speakers.

I'd say save some money: http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Integrated-Tripath-Amplifier/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414978743&sr=8-2&keywords=SMSL+t+amp

I've had the pretty common beginner setup for about 6 months now:

TT: AT-LP120 (built in preamp)

Amp: Lepai 2020A+

Speakers: Dayton B652's

I had noticed that my current setup lacks quite a bit of bass/low-range sound, resulting in a somewhat flat sound. I was considering upgrading the following:

Speakers: Pioneer SP-BS22-LR ($129.99 on Amazon)

Amp: SMSL SA50 ($68.90 on Amazon)

Will I get a noticeable difference out of this upgrade? Or would my money be put to better use elsewhere?

Alright. I would focus on getting the absolute best speakers you can get first and just cheap out on the amp for now until you can get something better.

Speaker options would be.....

Klipsch R-15M

Pioneer BS22

Bic DV62

Infinity R162


Powered with something like Kinter K2020A+, SMSL SA-50, or Dayton DTA 2.1BT2 depending on how much you have left after you choose the speakers.


If you can push your budget ever so slightly you can get a very good pair of Wavecrest HVL-1's for $160+ shipping (usually $20-30) and you can get the cheap Kinter amp above for an all in of ~$210-220. The Wavecrests will outperform all the others for accuracy but the Infinitys and Klipsch's will beat them for max output, most likely at least.


It all depends on whats most important to you and what type of sound you like and music you listen to.

I'd go this rout for versatility and the option to upgrade each component in the future.

Pioneer SP-BS22

SMSL SA50

$165 total

that would be true with powered speakers, but the polk audio need an amp to power them. the interface is only a digital to analogue converter in your case, taking the digital signal from your pc, via usb, and turning it in a analogue signal for your amp, or headphones.

​

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543317762&sr=8-1&keywords=SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492

​

This is an example for a little amp you could use

​

​

If you already have this setup just stick with it. It's a fine starter setup. The Lepai amp is very good for the price. You can jump up to THIS or THIS, which I have and really like. For budget speakers check out THESE or the Miccas are a fine pick.

This setup you listed will play your albums. You can always upgrade down the road but you're on the right track for a budget setup. I would try to save up a little more but you've got all the necessary parts to play albums on a 2.0 setup. Oh you need speaker cables and RCAs but other than that you're good

I'd be happy to help!

So these floorstanding speakers take speaker wire to carry sound and power to them. This can be done two ways:

1. Use a receiver. A receiver would be used to run your separate sources into, (for example running an Xbox One in through HDMI, or a phone through an RCA>3.5mm cable), and then using speaker wire to run to the speakers. Audio can be transferred to the receiver in many different ways: RCA, HDMI, Optical, Coax, just let me know where you want to get your sound from. Simple as that. Different receivers are more or less reliable than others, and some will provide cleaner/stronger power to your speakers, but I'd suggest sticking to some bigger brands when choosing a stereo receiver such as Yamaha, Denon, Sony, Pioneer, Marantz, etc.
   
   .
   
   Now, if you only need one place to get sound from one source (for example you ONLY want to run your TV to the speakers), look into a simple 2 channel amplifier. This will take an audio signal, and send it straight to the speakers, even simpler than using a receiver. Let me know if you have any questions.
   
   

Anything bluetooth/portable will be way less value for money so only do that if you need it to be bluetooth/portable.

I would second the recommendation for passive speakers, but for your use case maybe also consider slightly cheaper speakers than most around here would recommend, and pairing it with a sub.

Something like this sub or this
With a small amp like this

And then spend the remaining 120-170 on some passive bookshelf speakers [(a list)](https://www.reddit.com/r/AverageJoeAudiophile/comments/3uoksp /i_have_xxxxx_to_spend_what_should_i_buy_bookshelf/)

Someone else may help you narrow down which speakers. Edit: The Pioneer BS22 looks like a good option.

I am planning on buying some ELAC B6s but I need an amplifier. I will mostly be listening to music through streaming services like Spotify in my room. I had this SMSL SA50 amplifier recommended to me. I was told it'd be fine for my purposes and if so I'll buy it but if you've got other recommendations, I'd love to hear them. I'm willing to buy used. I live in the Salt Lake City, UT area. I'd like to not spend much more than $100 for one though. I'm planning on using Chromecast Audio to make it a wireless setup. I'd love to hear any thoughts and suggestions or advice.

SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier + Power Adapter (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_0Mb.wbN21Z6ZR

I built a set for my girlfriend a while back, paired them with this. They sounded tremendous.

I have some decent 8ohm 40w Sony's that I'll send you for free if you pay shipping.

Also, this amp was recently recommended to me from an audiophile friend. A little above your budget, but he swears by it

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Xzaxzb8VN4XDJ

Perfect. I've been using the SMSL SA50 amp for my patio speakers. https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1499781143&sr=1-4&keywords=class+d+amplifier

It's ok, but have to leave it on and doesn't have the A/B speaker option. Definitely going to get the one you recommended for the kitchen reno we're doing.

Here is the setup I went for in a small room. This is for a desk setup in a 11x14 room. Couldn't be happier for about 250$.

Speakers: 90$
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E7H8GG2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Amp:70$
https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1454215590&sr=8-1&keywords=smsl+amplifier&linkCode=sl1&tag=zeos-20&linkId=97458c4923f86af9ecf53e1a566a6fca

Sub:81$ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KGA6A8A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Wire:8.50$
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-16-Gauge-Speaker-Wire-Feet/dp/B006LW0WDQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1454214218&sr=8-4&keywords=speaker+wire&linkCode=sl1&tag=zeos-20&linkId=50aa0e85d9168eed8d40f824e4203a64
https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-109436-Copper-Speaker-Banana/dp/B0097JLQVC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1454214342&sr=8-17&keywords=speaker+cable&linkCode=sl1&tag=zeos-20&linkId=2fe231768f52ad0ca86e94f394a83fca

Plugs 10$
https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-109436-Copper-Speaker-Banana/dp/B0097JLQVC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1454214342&sr=8-17&keywords=speaker+cable&linkCode=sl1&tag=zeos-20&linkId=2fe231768f52ad0ca86e94f394a83fca

I am looking for a decent amp to push my Micca MB42X.

The Muse posted above has a ridiculous shipping date (especially compared to the free 2 day for the rest of my stuff.) Im looking at this Topping but I'm not sure. Two of my friends have the SMSL and they are not pleased with it. I have also considered the Lepai.

How much power do i really need? I live in the dorms so i won't be going obnoxiously loud, but i still want to rock out.

Thanks for any and all help!

Yea it seems like the next best thing is the SMSL SA50 which is over 3 times as expensive. It makes a strong case for powered speakers vs the amp-speaker combo. I'm personally looking at the MB42x(es) with the SMSL but I'm wondering if that's a waste of money and I should just get the PB42x(es).

Exactly! The only benefit of a receiver is it's ability to take signal from hdmi. Something like this would be more than enough power at 80wpc, with built in bluetooth, aux in, and a few digital ins as well if your computer doesn't have a good aux/headphone out.

Or you could go with something a bit cheaper, like this. That one only has one aux(rca) in, so you'd need an aux to rca, female or male. For bluetooth with that amp, I'd get one of these as well as an aux splitter. That way you don't have to unplug anything to switch between bluetooth and aux.

yeah, there's a lot of cheap decent amps on amazon. the two the other guy posted are good as well, but I'd go with the SMSL. it's cheap and will have enough power to get the speakers reasonably loud. how big is your room?

I know you already have a receiver, but for simplcity I would recommend a small class D amp like this. Chip amps like these run off a laptop charger basically and are very efficient. I leave mine on 24/7 and it only uses real power when it's amplifying music. You pair that with a 3.5mm to RCA adapter and a Chromecast Audio and you're set.

Easy control of the music by voice or by phone. We use spotify with our Google Home's and love it. Currently running my setup on 4 in-ceiling speakers. I plan to replicate this to outdoor speakers for my back deck. When you starting adding more zones my method is pretty economical compared to other multi-zone amplifiers.

It's a little more, but you could get a set of passive speakers and a small amp, you'd need some speaker wire and a 3.5mm to RCA Phono cable to connect it to your PC, but it will sound way better than those desktop speaker packages from logitech etc

https://www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B00E7H8GG2/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0H8TOC

I'm planning on upgrading my amplifier. I need a no-nonsense, can be bare bones, stereo amp. I have a pair of Bang and Olufsen Beovox RL 1000 speakers, a Project Debut Carbon, and will soon have a 'good' preamp (Schiit Mani, whenever it gets released). I have my headphone setup on my computer so all this will be is TT -> speakers, so something like the SMSL SA40 caught my eye. I'm not sure if the Topping amps are well regarded, but some of them have a dual input, which might be nice to have for my iPod to pump out ALAC/AAC to my stereo system, but not a requirement.

I'm looking to spend around $100-$200 for a decent amp, separate from the $130 for the Schiit Mani.

These are your best bet in my opinion. They will sound better than that logitech system, and probably last longer as well. With the logitech system you are tying yourself down to using their sub, which means that if you decide you want better bass in the future you will have to either scrap the whole system and start over with dedicated speakers, or try to reuse the Logitech speakers and end up with something sub-par. With the Miccas, you can just add an RCA splitter and a subwoofer and be good to go.

If you want even more flexibility, go with the unpowered Miccas and get an amp like the SMSL SA50, which will be more power than you would ever need for those speakers for near-field (close up) listening.

To save a little money now you could also go with the Micca MB42 instead of the MB42x. The MB42x come with an upgraded crossover and according to most reviewers it is very much worth it to get the upgraded version.

If you really want your system to last a long time, you are much better off separating your components. Get a pair of speakers, get an amp for the speakers, and get a sub all as separate components. That way, you can upgrade components individually in the future without needing to scrap the whole system like you would need to do with the Logitechs. This also applies if a component breaks; you can replace one thing at a time. And even without upgrading, you will still end up with a much, much better sounding system for not much more money.

smsl sa-50 should be powerful enough for it unless you want it to go really loud.

The $25 Lepai LP-2020TI will get the job done at normal volumes:
https://www.parts-express.com/lepai-lp-2020ti-digital-hi-fi-audio-mini-class-d-stereo-amplifier-with-power-supply--310-3000

If you can afford to spend more, something like the SMSL SA50 would be a beefy upgrade that could really open the C-Notes up, but it's $68, so that might be outside of what you were looking to spend:
https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

https://www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B00E7H8GG2

There. 5 pairs of those for under 500, and they will blow the Logitech speakers out of the water in every aspect.

As for amps, you either need an industrial amp with 10 outputs, or buy 5 smaller amps. SMSL makes good stuff, and doesn't cost a whole lot.

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

And you should still be able to come in under 1k.

Yes, you could leave the receiver on, it would use a lot of power though. You can get a cheap digital amp that would be much more efficient, like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_eUygAbEA4RYCG

Budget 200-500 €.

I am looking for a stereo for my HTPC. I listen to all my music, watch all my tv and play all my games via it. So I'm anywhere between 2 meters in the couch to 8 meters away from it. This means I've only got one analouge audio source to bother with - the two RCA connectors on the sound card, which is an Asus Xonar Essence STX if that matters. I never play loud music 'cause of neighbours so I'm not looking for a powerful system capable of drowning out the vaccum cleaner or running water in the sink.

I'm willing to buy used but since I live in Sweden, used market is a bit smaller than the one in the US.

Bonus points if the system is aesthetically pleasing and not too intrusive. There's a regular sized slot in the TV bench that measures 30h x 60w x 60d (cm) and would take a regular sized reciever/amp. I would love to have an amp with old-school VU meters but I would guess that would be out of my price range :) ) There is space both on the tv bench for speakers and next to it for free standing speakers.

Should I go with active or passive speakers? Should I get floor standing speakers or not?


Edit/update: Would this work for me?

Klipsch RB-61 II
SMSL SA50 amp

https://www.komplett.se/product/771307/tv-ljud-bild/hogtalare/stativhogtalare/klipsch-rb-61-ii-svarta-stativhogtalare#
https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=pd_sim_23_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00F0H8TOC&pd_rd_r=47VERT43P6CEQ89E32GZ&pd_rd_w=CGnwg&pd_rd_wg=LIpy5&psc=1&refRID=47VERT43P6CEQ89E32GZ

I had the same issue, best thing I found was this receiver hooked up to a Chromecast audio. I leave the amp powered on at like 60% volume. It is very energy efficient, burns ~1 watt when on but not playing anything according to my kill-a-watt.

http://i.imgur.com/YYxecNl.jpg

SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier + Power Adapter (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gPvCybQF53XPB

Now I can use Google home to send music to a room, woot! And I can cast to multiple rooms at once.

I had such good success with this setup I got 3 amps for 3 separate zones in my house. Only thing I'm missing now is the ability to cast to Sonos in our living room using Google home or synchronization of sonos/cast zones.

That will be really hard. You could get a pair of Monoprice speakers for as little as $60. Then drive it with a power amp that you can get for about $40-$60. Consider the SMSL SA50 although it is a tad more expensive, or a Tripath Class T TA2020 chip amp such as the Lepai for $27. If you don't drive it hard, these TA2020 amps sound as good as $1k amps, and I am not even exaggerating. Hook it up with a $20 CD/DVD player and/or a $35 Google Chromecast that will do high quality wireless streaming audio and even supports high res audio.

Edit: The Micca speakers are also for $60.

not sure how much power the CCaudio pumps out, but I've got these on a 50W x2 speaker amp and they sound amazing

speakers: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009IUIV4A

amplifier: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00F0H8TOC

Hey, so I ordered the SMSL SA50 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0H8TOC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

for my Project Debut Carbon Turntable with the Pioneer Andrew Jones speakers but should I not have gotten that amplifier or should i get something else? It's for a small room but I want to be able to enjoy my speakers

Will i be able to connect these to a SMSL SA50 amplifier without any problem? I don't know the name of the connector, but it delivers audio from my Pioneer prologue100 speakers, i just need a new amp since my small subwoofer has one bad port.

Edit: The speakers are marked on the back saying "170W" , does that mean i need a different amp?

I've got a SMSL SA50 I've been happily using with a pair of Micca MB42x bookshelf speakers as a 2.0 setup for my desktop for a little over a year now. I find myself using the speakers to listen to music about 60-70% of the time on my desktop, the other 30-40% being gaming/Youtube/whatever.

I've bought a Chromecast Audio that I'd like to use with the speakers so I don't have to be in front of the computer to control the music. The SMSL amp only has one input though. What is the best/cheapest way of adding Chromecast Audio support while still being able to use the speakers with my desktop and not having to manually swap inputs via cable swapping? Buying a new amp? Buying an additional piece of equipment? In a perfect world I'd have something about the size of my SMSL with a remote (so I can switch inputs from bed :D) that I can use for both desktop and Chromecast Audio purposes. I'd like to keep it to just one unit, but if I need an additional unit, I'd like it to be the same size as the SMSL as I've got limited desk space.

Regardless of whether I need to purchase another amp or an additional piece of equipment, I'd like to keep the cost under $100.

Thanks!

What about this for the amp?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0H8TOC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1V0149CC6WCAD&psc=1

Can a 2.1 work its way up? I don't see why not, but I don't know much about audio. I'm gonna replace my shitty 5.1 logitech from like a decade ago to a 2.1. Going to get the BIC America F12, Fluance SX6-BK, and this http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0H8TOC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1V0149CC6WCAD

When I can upgrade to a 5.1, I would just need to get the appropriate amp and get another pair of the fluance, no? Thanks for your input.

Here is the mobile version of your link

The two class-D amps I have are both from Amazon and $65/70 but both work pretty well.


SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier + Power Adapter (Black)
$65
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00F0H8TOC?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd_title


Nobsound 2.1 Channel Integrated Amplifier TPA3116 Hifi Bluetooth Digital Amp with Power Adapter
$69
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0196HF0OI/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Micca MB42

I bought a refurbished one for $31 total..
Also bought a SA-50 for $69 from there.

Current items I am planning on buying for my first speaker set up. Speakers, Amp, and 2x Cables. So two questions does the current setup I am planning on buying all work together? Second, for connecting my computer/phone to my Amp should I use the optical port on my computer or just stick with the 3.5mm jack?

here is what I was looking at

Polk Sub
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KVQBA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

SMSL Sanskrit Dac
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SY9RBOM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A3B7WLI720CP9N&psc=1

SMSL Amp
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0H8TOC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=A1V0149CC6WCAD&psc=1

Micca bookshelfs
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E7H8GG2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?smid=AFKH6OU9WWNFS&psc=1

Am I overspending for any of those components unreasonably? I come from the PC world, so I want to make sure I'm not putting a top end part among middle tier stuff and making the top end part a little pointless in doing so.

Get this it is a headphone amp and a dac, and fairly good at both. If you want to power monitors get this and you can output from the dac to the amp. You will need optical for the headphone amp/dac.

Thanks for the feedback umdivx,

After further research today, it looks like you are corrrect. The wire is 4 conductor in-wall speaker wire: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=4039

The Chromecast audio seems like the best value option but there are actual quite a few speakers per floor. The second floor has probably around 8 ceiling speakers and the third floor has probably 4. Will those small amps be enough to power 8 ceiling speakers?
I've seem this amp recommended a lot as well: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0H8TOC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1V0149CC6WCAD&psc=1

Glad I found this sub.

A couple weeks ago I bought this amp and these speakers after discussing it with a good audiophile friend of mine as a sort of beginner's setup for my computer. (Along with some generic speaker wire and banana plugs.)

Setup went well, I made my cables with some banana plugs, got everything plugged in and good to go, sounded great. The banana plugs took me a couple tries, but I felt like I got more used to them after all the cables were done.

Now I'm a little ways in and I'm starting to experience some issues with the left speaker. When I play with the cables a bit, wiggle them around and stuff, the sound is intermittent, cutting in and out of that side. If I just leave the amp alone, it's usually fine. But every so often it'll just stop outputting sound, just at random. I'll move the amp a bit, just a nudge, and the sound comes back. It's not a huge issue, but of course I'd rather not deal with the mild inconvenience of having to adjust the amp randomly, from now on until eternity.

If I plug the right speaker into the left's channels and vice versa, everything is fine. Nothing I can do will make the sound stop on either side. It's just that left speaker on the amp's left channels. And drilling a little further, I think I've narrowed it down to just the positive terminal on that left channel with the left speaker's cables.

Everything I know from other general tech troubleshooting tells me this is just a loose connection in that cable. That doesn't quite explain why the left cable works fine on the right channel, but I know audio connections can be very finicky.

I'm wondering if anyone here maybe has another diagnosis or something I should try out?

I doubt it has anything to do with the amp itself but the return window for that is closing soon. What I was going to do next is just completely redo the left side's cable, since I have plenty of wire left. Probably even replace the plugs, since I still have one set left.

You could get an amp like [this one] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00F0H8TOC?psc=1)

Speakers: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067OS0A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Amp:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0H8TOC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I don't need support for a turntable or phono, but a regular plug (or port) to plug into my phone (or play Bluetooth audio, no preference).

Will banana plugs fit into this? http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Integrated-Tripath-Amplifier/product-reviews/B00F0H8TOC/

Would this amp (the smsl sa-50) be a good fit for my Klipsch R-15M's? I bought the Micca origain but it pans heavily to the right when listening at low volume :/ Shame cause it's a nice little amp otherwise and I really like the look.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/cr/B00F0H8TOC/ref=mw_dp_cr

Thank You! Really appreciate the help

Just need to add the amp to my cart now. Will this smsl do good or is there a better for $100

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00F0H8TOC/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1511293184&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=smsl+amplifier&dpPl=1&dpID=41ZJRL36sHL&ref=plSrch

>If I go with AVRX4400H could I do 5.1.4 powered by the AVR and then put a little desktop amp for the zone 2 stereo speakers that are in a different room? I have this amp driving a 2.1 setup on my computer.

Separate zones only accept 2.0 PCM signals. No .1 subwoofer(bass mgmt.) but yes this will work. However If you have a subwoofer with speaker level inputs/outputs you could run a sub in the separate zone by adding it between the 2 channel power amp and the zone 2 speakers then use the subwoofers low pass filter to pass the frequencies above 80HZ to the speakers. It's a workaround to get a sub in a zone 2 setup.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0H8TOC

>Would something that small work?

Yes, that should work fine.

>If it does ideally I would put the amp in the same room as the zone 2 speakers so the volume could be controlled directly in that room. And the AVR in the theater room would be the DAC

Sounds good to me. If you had a spare AV receiver you could even run a multi channel separate zone setup but what you are laying out should work.

If I go with AVRX4400H could I do 5.1.4 powered by the AVR and then put a little desktop amp for the zone 2 stereo speakers that are in a different room? I have this amp driving a 2.1 setup on my computer.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0H8TOC

Would something that small work? If it does ideally I would put the amp in the same room as the zone 2 speakers so the volume could be controlled directly in that room. And the AVR in the theater room would be the DAC

Is it this one?

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

Seems really cheap, would this be noticeably worse then a more expensive one?

I was looking at this for example (cheapest 'decent' one I see mentioned on this sub) here in Thailand : https://www.powerbuy.co.th/th/onkyo-เครื่องรับสัญญาณ-stereo-สีดำ-รุ่น-tx8020-235730

Which is $280 in Thailand :/ Kinda annoying since the white Kef's Q150 are the same price as US Amazon surprisingly.

I have my eye on the Q150's but am clueless about an amp and they all seem rather expensive, but if the amp really doesn't matter all that much then I'd gladly pick up the SMSL to save a bit of cash and keep the other half from killing me! If I'd really get the most out of the speakers with the Onkyo or similar though I might have to go for it.

SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier + Power Adapter (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_oN36AbW36YS1G

This ^^ and a pair of bookshelves

Edit: I myself started with these and they’re quite good

Dayton Audio B652 6-1/2-Inch 2-Way Bookshelf Speaker Pair https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002RMPHMU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_tO36AbTXV2N0R

Edit 2: All said comes to just around $100

Can you provide a few examples of the amps you've used so far? These little Lepai amps are quite popular; I've got one and haven't noticed any hiss, but it's in my garage so it's entirely possible it's drowned out by background noise.

On the high end, check out the SMSL SA50. I have one in my office, and have absolutely no issues with noise using the included power supply. It's not "cheap", but it's a decent value.

The subwoofer might be easier than you think. There are a few 2.1 amplifiers out there, very similar to the Lepai above, but I haven't used any and so can't comment on how noisy they might be. For a bit more money, the cleanest setup would be a subwoofer plate amp to convert what you've got now to a normal active sub. Those Dayton amps are good, although with an active sub you'll have to pay attention to ground loops. If you can plug the sub into the same power strip as the speaker amp, you shouldn't have any problems.

http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Integrated-Tripath-Amplifier/dp/B00F0H8TOC

If you're looking for a 2ch stereo amp, this is what I use. It's powerful for its size and sounds absolutely fantastic. I primarily listen to flac audio files and play ps3 games with it and this little amp rocks my entire apartment.

The amplifiers roll is to power the speakers. Nothing but the amplifier needs to be plugged into the wall.


Im not familiar with the amps you linked, so i cant recommend any of them.


Here are a few of the cheapest ones recommended on here

https://www.amazon.ca/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/

https://www.amazon.ca/Dayton-Audio-DTA-120-Digital-Amplifier/dp/B00HFG3FYA/


Speaker wire

https://www.amazon.ca/AmazonBasics-14-Gauge-Speaker-Wire-Feet/dp/B01D5H8XOY/


The amplifier will have two sets of speaker outputs, one for each speaker. It will be clearly labled.


On each output there will be two terminals, one for positive + and one for negative -. Again, this is clearly labled.


The speaker will have a matching terminals for input.


The speaker wire will have two sections, one to go on the positive + terminal and one to go on the negative - terminal. Not all speaker wire are clearly labled, but there is usually a marking of some kind to indicate positive + or negative -.


You need to remove the isolation of the speaker wire to reveal the bare copper, aprox 1/2 inch on each end. Dont strip any more or you run the risk of loose strands of wire touching eachother, shorting the amplifier.


On both the amplifier and the speakers you unscrew the little nut and there will be a hole in the side of the screw for you to thread the bare copper wire through.

Tighten down the nut, making sure to only clamp the bare copper wire, and not the isolation.

Make sure that there are no loose strands of wire touching the other wires or terminals.


Speaker wire comes on a spool, you need to cut it to lenght. Cut it so both wires are equal lenght.


Now, it sounds A LOT more complicated written down like this than what it actually is.

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

Just out of stock most likely.

Receivers with headphone jacks often don't sound good, and probably aren't going to drive your cans particularly well. Also, you don't need a receiver, though that is an option. For desktop use and bookshelves you'll often see amps like this. A separate headphone amp can be hooked up if needed, such as a Magni 2 Uber.

Awesome, so would you recommend a cheaper amplifier then, without a remote?

Maybe this guy? - https://www.amazon.ca/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1479881067&sr=1-1&keywords=SMSL+50

Hey thanks for the reply and that's what I was thinking as well. Right now all I have is a SMSL SA50

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

Eventually I'd like to get a receiver. I would't need one with the HSU correct? Thanks again.

Widely variable. You can get a decent class D amp like the SMSL Sa 50 for like $68:
SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier + Power Adapter (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_cdUVzbX5NFRY3

You can also get anything up to a Macintosh power amp for several thousand. It really depends on your budget and what you're looking to do with your setup.

Your computer already has a perfectly good DAC, all you need is an amp like this that is strong enough for speakers.

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=pd_cp_107_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00F0H8TOC&pd_rd_r=9J1EVP1WJ1JDT55R1HG5&pd_rd_w=adQdf&pd_rd_wg=H6jUP&psc=1&refRID=9J1EVP1WJ1JDT55R1HG5

it's a tough combo to get right, most are either one or the other. My setup right now is 2 bookself speakers into a smsl sa50 and then just a fiio e10k when I use my headphones. They both sound good and look nice stacked together so it works pretty well. I know not exactly what you're looking for but it is a great setup

> Smsl 50

Thank you for your input.
https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

what cable you use for the input?

This SMSL SA50 is on Black Friday special: https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/

You need to buy speakers with an integrated amplifier or buy an amplifier separately.

Example: the Micca MB42X needs an amplifier, but the Micca PB42X can be plugged directly into the motherboard.

Micca MB42X bookshelf speakers plus a dedicated amp would be a go to solution for around $150-175.

http://www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Black/dp/B00E7H8GG2

http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

I have a pair of MB42's are the same as the MB42X but cheaper as they lack a crossover.

They work great both for computer use and playing music in my experience.

I'm not using anything other than [the amp] (http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC), so I guess not? I don't think the amp includes a DAC, would that cause this problem?

I bought a amazon warranty anyways, so I think I'm good.

Hello everyone, just picked up some Beyerdynamic 770 Pro 32 Ohms over the weekend and I'm absolutely loving them so far.

Even at the risk of sounding like a dumbass, I'm stumped. They sound great but I'd love for them to potentially sound even better. I have a SMSL SA-50 Amplifer which powers my Micca MB42X speakers. This setup worked extremely well in the past as all I had were some crappy Steelseries Siberia V2's for gaming.

But now do I need more equipment to have my headphones sound as good as they possibly can? I know very little about DACs/Amps or audio equipment in general but from what I do know I'm missing something crucial.

Sorry if my question is vague and please let me know if you need more information!

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Something like this would work well if space is an issue, although you would have to switch cables depending on the device, but that's not that big a deal.

http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

thank you. ill probably grab one of the bookshelf speakers unless you think the floor speakers you posted are that much better or too good to pass up. i already have a phono pre amp too so should i get an amp to power them or a receiver? like i said, im not connecting anything else besides the turntable. people on here seem to recommend this one

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kLuOAbYNS1YCP

So would it be worth it to just get this amp and this set of speakers be better than the HS7? Guitar Center is down the street from me, so I can go there and check out what they have on display. Thanks!

Edit: I'm lost.

All those units are honestly crap.

If I were you id go with:
Subwoofer (Go with the Amazon warehouse deals offer for $63, thats an absolute steal on this sub)

Amplifier

Bookshelf Speakers

This setup will be much better than any "Computer" speaker system, as all of those are crap.

This requires a bit more setup than those, and this list is a bit more complicated than the one with the Mackie speakers, but its worth it because these are better speakers imho.

What motherboard do you have because many newer ones have great onboard audio (Also in order to help you Ill need to know how the audio plugs are for that board)

Which of these ones do you think would be what I needed for the Miccas?

Dayton DTA-120 60WPC w/ headphone

Topping TP21 25WPC w/ headphone

Topping TP22 30WPC

SMSL SA-60 60WPC

SMSL SA-50 50WPC

I think I'm missing something about the Toppings, is there a reason they are the same price as the others but with only half the WPC?

Monoprice 3" speakers: $33

Monoprice 8" subwoofer: $61

SMSL SA-50 + Power supply: $70

Total: $164 + ~$30 shipping = $195

And don't forget cables


EDIT: Another option would be the Mackie CR3 powered monitors at $99/pair. Then you can add a subwoofer to that. This would probably be the better way to go.

Depends on whether you purchase powered or passive speakers. Powered speakers do not require an external amp, passive speakers do.

Budget recommendation:

Micca MB42X Speakers

SMSL SA-50 Amplifier


You need this cable to connect the PC audio to the amp.

And this speaker wire to go from the amp to the speakers.

Plug the 3.5mm into the audio port on the back of the PC. Plug the red and white RCA plugs into the "Audio In" ports on the back of the amp.

Place the speakers and amp where you want them and measure how much speaker wire you need. Cut two pieces of speaker wire the appropriate length for each speaker (4 pieces in total).

You'll have to strip the insulation off the speaker wire. Very simple, you can just cut around the wire with a razor blade. Strip about 1/2" of insulation off each end of each length of speaker wire. Twist the ends tightly to prevent stray wire strands (the ends really should be tinned, but that isn't imperative).

Now you'll unscrew the plastic nut on the connections on the back of the amp and on each speaker. Just loosen it far enough to expose the small hole drilled through the side of the post. Insert the speaker wires, then tighten down the nuts. They need to be pretty snug. You don't want any movement of the speaker wire in the holes in the connectors. The wire you put in the black post on the speaker goes in the black post on the amp, and likewise for the reds. The connectors on the amp are labeled "R" and "L." Self-explanatory, left speaker wires go in the connectors marked "L," etc.

Turn the volume knob on the amp to zero, turn on the amp, then increase the volume. Leave Windows volume at 100, use the amp to control volume.

If you don't want to mess with cutting speaker wire, you can purchase premade cables like these: http://www.amazon.com/Silverback-Speaker-Sewell-Banana-Strand/dp/B009RT2IAK/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1452657250&sr=1-3&keywords=speaker+cables

Those have banana plugs installed, so all you have to do is plug them into the ends of the connector posts like a standard audio jack. Do whatever you are most comfortable with, but cutting your own speaker wire is dead simple, and you get 50 feet of it for $8, as opposed to $35 for the premade cables (you'll need two, as they are sold individually).

Okay, so I have a small Class T Amplifier which powers a set of bookshelf speakers:

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

Today, the power went out, and when it came back on, the amp wasn't working. I tried a different power supply and it seemed to work, so I surmise that the power supply for the amp for fried. Both power supplies are 24V, but the original is 4.5A, compared to 1A for the spare that belongs to a different device.

Here's an image of the label for the original power supply:

http://i.imgur.com/S44i4W9.jpg

I can't seem to find a precise match for 24V 4.5A on Amazon. This was the closest I could find:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01AJQ9G2C/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481615067&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=24v+power+supply&dpPl=1&dpID=51iJNRE6X6L&ref=plSrch

Would that work? Or is the fact that the amps are too high a problem?

https://www.amazon.com/ELAC-Debut-Bookshelf-Speaker-Black/dp/B01DKDJRH0/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1481579582&sr=1-7&refinements=p_4%3AElac


https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-BS22-LR-Designed-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers/dp/B008NCD2LG/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1481579773&sr=1-2&keywords=andrew+jones+pioneer+speakers


https://www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B00E7H8GG2/ref=pd_sim_23_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=QHMW6HGG544CS3GXG66Y

What's your amp budget?

https://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-A-9010-Integrated-Stereo-Amplifier/dp/B00SY20TE8


https://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX8020-TX-8020-Stereo-Receiver/dp/B00EE18O7W/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1481579807&sr=1-1&keywords=onkyo+tx8020


https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1481579937&sr=1-5&keywords=class+d+amp

If you can swing it I would go for the ELAC speakers and ONKYO A9010.

This is what the seller wrote on the Craigslist page: "Turntable has the preamp bypassed for much better sound quality (sounded muddy with the cheap built in preamp. Just google "AT LP120 preamp bypass" and you'll find lots of positive feedback on the modification." I meant to ask him about it but completely forgot.

I have a budget of $70-120. I'm looking at amps like these:

SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier + Power Adapter (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_eD8vybBZKFNRZ

Dayton Audio DTA-120 Class T Digital Mini Amplifier 60 WPC (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HFG3FYA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_gW8vybA47HVHH

Which I'd use with something like this:


ART Pro Audio DJPRE II Phono Turntable Preamplifier https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AJR482/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_nX8vybW98ZMT1

BEHRINGER MICROPHONO PP400 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H2BC4E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LX8vyb5S2EEDN

I would also recommend looking at a used audio shop or on craigslist for some bookshelf speakers and an older receiver with a phono input.

If you want new gear, I would start with this amp which has adequate power but only one input, no phono stage, and no remote. https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1520091276&sr=1-3&keywords=smsl

and maybe some Elac speakers
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014GSER6O/ref=sxr_sxwds-rbp_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3346373142&pd_rd_wg=gLTk0&pf_rd_r=556S3777QMEMCK15MSYB&pf_rd_s=desktop-rhs-carousels&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B014GSER6O&pd_rd_w=RVIMk&pf_rd_i=kef&pd_rd_r=9f9c5ef2-9f2c-4e33-a97b-f6f479c7ec61&ie=UTF8&qid=1520091374&sr=2

You'll have to budget for speaker cables as well.

This site has some good reading and reviews in your budget http://noaudiophile.com/reviews.php

SMSL SA50

You didn't mention a budget so I'd recommend the following kit:

Speakers: Micca MB42x for 90$

DAC: FX-Audio DAC X6 for 65$ - bonus: you're also getting a decent headphone amp

Stereo amp: SMSL SA-50 for 65$

Total is about double what the Bose kit goes for but it should sound significantly better, is more future-proof (you can replace individual components if you want to upgrade) and it gives you an actual headphone amp. It also offloads sound processing from your motherboard to the DAC, which can result in better sound quality (depending on your motherboard). The DAC X6 and SMSL SA-50 are the same size and stack very nicely so it doesn't take anywhere as much space on your desk as a receiver.

Like /u/Cukedaddy said, you can't turn RCA output (line-level) into speaker wire (high-level) with a passive converter. You need an amplifier. Fortunately, basic receivers are relatively low cost and will do what you want.

Alternately, you can get an ODAC (USB to RCA) and cheap stereo amp (RCA to speaker wire) and probably spend less than 200€.

I've heard good things about this amp. You could connect that straight to your headphone out (3.5mm to RCA can be done passively), and skip the ODAC even.

For a better recommendation, head on over to the daily purchase advice thread. You're looking for a cheap stereo amplifier.

I bought the HD 598's on Black Friday.

---

Headphones

Amp

DAC

Can I use my headphones with my amp and DAC? I was looking at the back of the amp and I noticed it only has output for normal speaker wire or banana plugs, which i don't think I can use with the headphones.

On the Amazon page the headphones say they come with a 3.5mm adaptor. Doing so would enable me to just plug right into my laptop, but this wouldn't power the headphones nearly enough, would it?

If not I can buy a new amp, I just want to avoid buying something I don't need.

Would this headphone amp/DAC work for me?

What's a 30A SMPS amp- a module? Or do you mean one of those [small Chinese tripaths] (http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Integrated-Tripath-Amplifier/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=pd_sxp_grid_i_0_0)

You need speaker wire and an amplifier that outputs to speakers. Like [this](SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier + Power Adapter (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.vhIzbGPCW0Q4) and [this](AmazonBasics 14-Gauge Speaker Wire - 50 Feet https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D5H8XOY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_VzhIzbT3TGHMM). I suggest looking over the recommendations at r/budgetaudiophile.

Do you think you'll ever expand your arsenal from 2.1 to surround? If not, or if you'll at least be rocking 2.1 until you can eventually put more cash in the budget, I would recommend the SMSL SA-50. It'll give plenty of power for any pair of bookshelves you connect it to.

I have this amp: https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

These speakers: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008NCD2LG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This sub: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KVQBA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

What all do i need to run it to a phone, and also into a tv?

I purchased one of these a year ago for my Buttkicker 2, it works perfectly.

I bought the SMSL SA50 https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC , the SMSL SA100 https://www.amazon.com/Amplifier-TPA3116D2-Channel-Adjustment-Amplifiers/dp/B07Q2XC7K3/ , and the FOSI T20 Bluetooth Tube https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q26T5N7 to try out with a pair of Sony Cores (crazy sale right now) and the Dayton MK442t.

This is totally subjective, but I felt like the FOSI was so much warmer and easier to control where I wanted the tone to be. Hands down sounded way better than the SMSL. I was really skeptical of the tube hybrid, but it sounds great. I'm curious if the AD18 would have similar tonal range to the SA100.

I wouldn't want speakers mounted to my monitors, the stand may vibrate some as it's not designed to support a speaker, could vibrate your monitors or make some unwanted resonance.

You may be able to use some wall mounts if you have room.

A pair of Micca MB42X and SMSL SA50 amp may be a nice combo. You could later upgrade to a nicer DAC to improve your audio quality.

I'm never going to use AM/FM. And Wi-Fi/BT isn't a concern as long as it has an AUX input for an Echo Dot. I feel like i'm going overkill with some of these receivers.
Tell me which to go with and I'll pull the trigger. There's way too many options for my brain at this point. I want it to power my speakers so I can connect via phone & also connect to my turntable. TV isn't a priority - if I can just connect an Aux or RCA cord when watching a show I'm set with that.

Stereo Receivers:
[Cambridge Topaz SR20]
(https://www.ebay.com/p/8016312414?iid=253274315396&chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=253274315396&targetid=541454022652&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9001989&poi=&campaignid=6470552628&mkgroupid=81274342767&rlsatarget=aud-412677883135:pla-541454022652&abcId=1139336&merchantid=6296724&gclid=CjwKCAjwxaXtBRBbEiwAPqPxcKn72GWACnqpdxaxApzQ8SiiN32q_fXw-JnzSNDBM6FNKxDsa3AfPhoCvQ4QAvD_BwE) - $200
Yamaha R-N303BL - $165 Used

AMP / Phono:
Dayton apa150 - $155
SMSL SA50 50Wx2 - $67
SMSL SA100 - $75

Pluto Phono - $85-100 Used/New

I’m using these:


SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier + Power Adapter (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qfmPDb2SP0AQK

This link is in the sidebar:

What is a DAC and do I need one?

Better quality small chip amps like the ones from SMSL have more output power and less noise. And generally better quality design/components which theoretically means longer life, etc.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/589057/emotiva-pro-airmotiv4-loudspeakers-review

http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Integrated-Tripath-Amplifier/dp/B00F0H8TOC#customerReviews

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/89-speakers/1670969-review-smsl-sa50-class-t-amplifier.html

http://www.budgetphile.com/2013/10/budget-speaker-review-pioneer-sp-bs22-lr.html

/r/audiophile should be able to help. If I am reading your question right though all you need to power speakers are an AMP. A DAC won't power speakers. I power my Fluance SX6 speakers with a SMSL SA-50 AMP. It's a great combo.

Amp, Speakers

The best thing you can get for that budget is a decent 2.1 setup for 1 source.

1 SMSL SA50 amp $70

1 Pair Pioneer BS22 $100 (or Fluance SX6 for a bit more)

1 Dayton Sub 1200 $110

You can also try to luck in to a good pair of used bookshelf speakers and a sub on craigslist. I've found a lot of higher end bookshelf speakers going for around $100 in the past, and plenty of decent subs for < $100.

If you are dead set on a receiver for multiple sources and adding center/rear later, the AVR-e300 is on sale for $150 from A4L., you can grab that and match it with either of the above bookshelf speakers, and add a sub later.

$70 - SMSL sa50

$150 - Polk Audio Monitor40

So I was looking at this guy, the SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier. That price seems like a good range but if there's an awesome say, DAC/AMP combination that I could plug a USB into to hook it up to a laptop along with the traditional audio in ports like the linked item, I'd be willing to spend more. That size, however, is fairly ideal.

Aaaand I just realized that I linked the SMSL SA-50 that you mentioned... did not recognize the shortened name! I feel like a "full sized" receiver would necessarily be too big. Again, the only speakers getting plugged in here are bookshelf speakers, maaaaybe a sub but likely just bookshelf.

The positive I see here is that there are many awesome integrated amps, amps and pre-amps that are quite minimalistic in terms of aesthetics and are also very small and great space savers. I too am a minimalist but have created a set up that is aesthetically and mentally pleasing to me, and in my opinion, have not compromised sound.

One thing you could do to save space would be to get some good powered speakers and a good, small, minimalistic pre-amp, thus eliminating the need for a separate receiver. Some people may find passive speakers better, but in your situation, it could be a good compromise. You could also opt for no speakers and invest in a good headphone amp, which would also save space. The Orbit is already pretty minimalistic in design and is quite pleasing on the eyes.

I am not sure about selling what you have other than Craigslist.

Edit: Grammar

So I am looking at some gear here and am having a lot trouble deciding where to on putting it all together.

So here's the stuff amps first:

SMSL amp

Denon receiver

yamaha receiver

now the speakers:

JBL

Klipsch

Polk sub

I play a large variety of music from jazz to EDM. I throw house parties as well where, at there largest, I need a set up that can fill up a house and drown out ~100 people.

I guess I'm really curious as to what all of your opinions are on this equipment and what I need it for.

As for suggestions... this is quite tricky because we're working with such a small budget. I would get a simple chinese integrated amp with optical input (to connect with your TV) and a pair of Philharmonic AAMs. Total cost of about $400. If you want cheaper we could go down to ~$300 with a simpler stereo amp, and use your TV's stereo RCA outputs.

You'll get brilliant sound quality for your dollar, but you'd be sacrificing future upgradability you'd get with a full-fledged HT receiver.

Looks like you have both. That's pretty standard and gives you good options.
The simplest may be to add a simple SMSL amp (SMSL SA-50
for $66.99 would do the trick) with whatever passive bookshelf speakers you can afford with the rest.

The Micca MB42 are only $60, while Micca MB42X are $90.
You might be able to find the Pioneer BS22 on sale from Amazon or Fry's for under $90

You'll hook up speaker wires from the amp to your sub (Input 1) and another set of speaker wires from your sub (Output) to your speakers. Then make sure to select High on your High cut toggle.

You can buy an SMSL mini stereo amplifier and then an DJ ARTPRE II. That should cost less than $150 with that combo.

I bought a pair of powered Bluetooth speakers for outdoors, but wish I had gone with something like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC?psc=1 with a pair of https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-NS-AW350B-All-Weather-Outdoor-Speakers/dp/B0001VHARO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1485907544&sr=8-2&keywords=yamaha+outdoor+speakers
Add a chromecast audio to stream too and you are set. These aren't recommendations just suggestions.

I have multiple Aura bass shakers (one per corner), I have a TON of the small Dayton pucks (probably 12+ of them in the house lol, not all hooked up). I have been using the small SMSL amps to power everything with very good success. I will eventually change up and get big Clark transducers, but the money can be spent for now on other stuff that would give me a bigger benefit (like motion).

SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier + Power Adapter (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GkV0Cb3HB33K8

https://www.parts-express.com/aurasound-ast-2b-4-pro-bass-shaker-tactile-transducer--299-028

https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-tt25-8-puck-tactile-transducer-mini-bass-shaker-8-ohm-4-pack--300-391


Those are the current things on my rig, I also have these which are the 'knockoff' brand of the Aura (Dayton bought the company of I recall correctly, so it's not a true knockoff, but you know what I mean). They're not quite as good as the Aura but still good and much more powerful than just the small pucks. They are also a little cheaper than the original Aura if you need to save a few bucks.

https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-bst-1-high-power-pro-tactile-bass-shaker-50-watts--295-244


IMPORTANT INFORMATION!!!!!!!!

My rig is built of 80/20 profile tubing, and the shakers are either mounted to a thin (roughly 5 to 10mm thick depending on which transducer it is) piece of wood that's directly attached to the rig.

If you are using something like a Playseat or GT Omega rig make sure you think about how solid everything will need to be mounted and the vibrations will be stronger since the material isn't as solid or sturdy.

It's fine to use those, just pay attention to how you mount stuff to avoid buzzing or it coming loose lol.

1. yes, those powered speakers will be better than the Logitechs
   
2. I'd go with SMSL SA50 and Micca Covo-s - that's just north of $100.00

I think I actually have a decent idea on what I might do in order to leverage all of my existing speakers:

Home Theater:

• Upgrade my sub to the BIC 12 (per Zeos recommendations)
  
• Add upgraded Bookshelf Speakers (I'm liking the HDT Level 2's for my price range coupled with the center)
  
• Move my Micca MB42x to Surround
  
  ​
  
  And in order to not waste my current speakers, I'm planning to also upgrade my Desktop Computer Setup:
  
  
• Move my Klipsch sub to my desktop
  
• Move my Micca MB42x-c to my Desktop
  
• Buy another Micca MB42x-c to complete a 2.1 setup
  
• Add an SMSL Amp
  
  ​
  
  The total comes to ~$755 and would upgrade my full home theater setup and desktop setup (I spend a lot of time gaming on my computer).

I use this to power my rears: https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC
Sounds just fine

SC-95 is my receiver.

Sometime last year, I bought a used monoprice amp and an used smsl a50, I recently noticed when my speakers are at low volume it creates a quiet static sound. What causes this and how can I fix it?

So I'm by no means a hobbyist. In fact, as of today I just purchased my first pair of ELAC bookshelf speakers. Over at r/buildapcsales, people were raving over these speakers for the price. So I bit! The problem is I know next to nothing about how to set these things up.

​

I know I need Banna plugs, speaker wire and an amp (and a sub ^(ill probably buy a) ^(Polk) ^(later)). I will be using these with my new PC I'm building currently. I'd also like to be able to run my echo do (mainly for Alexa functions and streaming music) through this system.

​

I have a few amps in my cart atm via Amazon.

​

• Dayton Audio DTA-2.1BT 100W Class D 2.1 Amplifier with Bluetooth and Power Supply $88.75
  
• SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier + Power Adapter $66
  
• BT20A Bluetooth 4.2 Stereo Audio 2 Channel Amplifier Receiver Mini Hi-Fi Class D $76.98
  
• Lepy LP-2020A Hi-Fi Digital Amplifier $24.39
  
• SMSL AD18HiFi Audio Stereo Amplifier with Bluetooth 4.2 Supports Apt-X, USB DSP Full Digital Power Amplifier 2.1 $130.49
  
  So if I'm planning on sync devices via the echo I don't technically need Bluetooth receiver in my amp, right? What about if I have a Bluetooth in my motherboard? I'm not sure if there's a difference between devices like keyboards and audio devices with Bluetooth.
  
  ​
  
  Thanks for the Help Experts,
  
  u/rnplyr1985

That sub is already self powered and u/mindtomb had explained exactly how to hook it up.

For an amp under $100, her are a few good ones:

Lepai LP-2030TI - $38
https://www.amazon.com/Lepai-LP-2020TI-Instruments-TPA3118-Amplifier/dp/B071FJF4FF

SMSL SA50 - $65
https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

Micca Origain w/DAC - $100
https://www.amazon.com/Micca-OriGain-Compact-Integrated-Amplifier/dp/B01LXV4O6B

Thanks, this explains a lot and makes sense - I think some of the setups I was looking at must have involved powered speakers.

Would something like this phono amp get the job done instead of finding an older receiver off craigslist/ebay? Or would a receiver really be the way to go? Right now I'm looking to get a simple working setup with lowest cost and effort (Amazon being easier than craigslist shopping and pickups), and then I can upgrade customize once I get started.

Thanks again!

What so you think about the mini SMSL amps

Glad you noticed the speakers :)

SMSL SA-50, it is an entry level amp, but honestly it does more than I need it to.

Link for reference

Ahaha, very good analogy, fair enough. Id probably pick up this T amp-http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Integrated-Tripath-Amplifier/dp/B00F0H8TOC
Added photos of the room

Your other option might be to get a small amp like this to power a single pair of speakers. This could be easily hidden behind the TV.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1QAHGKICIVGRJ&coliid=I3PYM2FY6GIODN

an amp like this https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC and some speaker wire

Can anyone recommend an amp for a 2.1 set up? (Between 75-150 dollars). I originally purchased http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00 but realized I couldn't add a sub later down the line.

Also, will I also need 1 3.5 to RCA cable? I purchased 2 of http://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Series-Speaker-Plated-Banana/dp/B00I52I2PU?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00 but assume I will still need the RCA as well.

I'm not a guru, but to my understanding at 300$ price range you want to start looking at AMP + Bookshelf Speakers for music.

I came to that conclusion with couple days of looking at forums and threads.

Even more so in US and I'm from EU.

​

and even before that price point some Active Studio Monitors or Active Bookshelf are better quality than Edifiers R series already.

More clarity, more depth and tighter bass, but I cannot speak for Edifier S series, they are supposedly good.

Adam, JBL, Mackie MRT, Klipsch, M-Audio, PreSonus, KRK and some more active brands I'm forgetting.

​

But at that price you can be looking at some proper Amp + Passive Speakers combos.

​

If you need Mini-amps for desk and on budget:

SMSL SA-50 68$

Dayton Audio DTA 2.1BT2 95$ - recommend this one for punchy bass and features

You could probably find some good new and used amps, if you can use bigger sized ones.

But like I said I'm no guru.

​

Bookshelf speakers:

ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2 275$

KEF Q100 357$

Q Acoustics 3020i 299$

Q3020 non i version which I tried with Dayton Audio DTA 2.1BT v1. lacked bit bass, decided to go for Mission LX-2 they still haven't arrived.

But they do not seem available in US.

​

​

Okay, I just want to make sure I have the right things:

https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-BS22-LR-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers-Refurbished/dp/B07L17348Y/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Pioneer+SP-BS22&qid=1550449348&s=gateway&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=SMSL+SA50&qid=1550449292&s=electronics&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1

With this and the turntable, would I need any extra wires, or is that everything to get me set up?

This seems like a decent amp, but it has so many features that I wouldn't use, like HDMI out and support for surround speakers.

I was thinking that a straight 2 channnel amp might be better for this situation. I'm thinking about one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Integrated-Tripath-Amplifier/dp/B00F0H8TOC

However, I'm not sure if it'll have enough power to drive the sub and the speakers...

Not the most elegant solution but something like this: https://www.amazon.com/KK-R1-B2-D1-Banana%EF%BC%884banana%EF%BC%89-1-64Foot-Pair-3-28Foot/dp/B01MQ1URD8

These would be some amps around your price range, RCA in with Speaker out. That may be the better route.

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Audio-Amplifier-Professional-Speakers/dp/B071XQGYRJ

I have this very amp. I've been using it for a couple of weeks with a simple set of cheap bookshelf speakers and it's worth it's weight and then some. It was $65 from Amazon.
SMSl SA 50

It seems that your comment contains 1 or more links that are hard to tap for mobile users.
I will extend those so they're easier for our sausage fingers to click!


Here is link number 1 - Previous text "amp"



----
^Please ^PM ^/u/eganwall ^with ^issues ^or ^feedback! ^| ^Delete

I heard the Lepai 2020ti has a high pitched whine,
I can't stand high pitched whines, pops, etc.
Maybe I should get a cheaper pair of speaker and a nicer amp like this amp:
https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-SA-50-PLUS-TAS5766M-Amplifier/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1505188511&sr=8-5&keywords=smsl%2Bsa50%2B&linkCode=sl1&tag=zeos-20&linkId=b2762698e84428afdc57b44d6cf4fb4c&th=1

Ok, so I am seeing this for $67 as apposed to the Lepai for 29 dollars, you think its worth it to get the SMSL SA-50?