[SpatiallyAware]

Alright - I'm somewhat of an audio n00b, here is my audio profile:

Cheap Denon HTIB (AVR 681, 68S sats, unsure of sub model) for living room, very very rarely used.

Tivoli iSongbook for bedroom/bathroom/kitchen, used very often

Klipsch promedia 2.1's for home office (where I spend 95% of my audio listening time)

Used to have a set of HD590's but headphones just aren't for me.  I also built an altoid amp for them..


So..  I'm now looking to build a nice system for my home office so that I can move my promedias to the bedroom.  I use them for roughly 75% music (all types, some rap so I would like a sub) and 25% gaming (where a sub is required imo).  I was at first considering the Audioengine A5's or maybe Swan MK200III until I realize just how huge those speakers are and am leary of the lack of bass.  When a rocket hits the wall behind me I want to feel it, this is why I bought a house

I can use wall-mounts, but I believe I'm better off with a 2.1 rather than 2.0 so I can cut back on satellite size..

I have room for a receiver but would prefer something smaller and nicer looking than a 'full size' receiver although I could technically hide it somewhere I guess.  Aesthetics is important to me for this application



Price range...  $400-$500 for the speakers and receiver, max.  I can add a sub later if it pushes out of my scope

Thoughts?

[funkmonkey]

1) your budget is way too low for what you are looking for.
2) Audioengine A5s are not anything even remotely close to huge, and they may actually be your best bet for hitting the mark (with your stated budget).  They do not lack bass.  For their relatively small size the amount and quality of the bass they produce is actually quite remarkable.
3) Orb audio might be to your liking for speakers
4) consider used gear if your budget is not flexable

[hdspeakerman]

http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_24&products_id=89
Several models here.  Prices seem reasonable.  Howard

[NewBuyer]

Not a receiver, but... if you can spend about $200 more, you can get a Blue Sky MediaDesk 2.1 System which I think you would like. 

[woofersus]

If you're only doing 2.1 you may not need a receiver, and you can get a small, low power amp that sounds decent for less than you can get those things from a reciever.  Also, the A5's are about as small as anything out there in the world of home audio.  If you want smaller you're probably going to have to look at stuff designed for computer audio that comes all in one box.

If you can deal with the size issue by wall mounting or something like that, there are a number of options that you might be able to find that are around the size of or slightly larger than the Audioengines.  One I've heard and can comfortably recommend is the Tweak City Audio WAF-1/Gizmo combo.  It's $309 for two speakers and a 2-channel amp with a sub output that you could utilize later.  I've heard them and they are impressive for the price point.  Not a ton of bass though, so you'll want to add a sub sooner than later.  To get much else in your price range that doesn't suck you may have to look used.

[mpaulsen]

The A5s are a good bet in that they are small, within your price range, and don't require an amp. If you are concerned about the bass you can always add the S8 sub later when you save more.

Your budget is pretty tight if you want to buy a receiver, speakers, and a sub; however, it is possible.

If you are ok with a full sized receiver here is a system you can buy off the internet. It comes in at $475.79 with free shipping. There may be sales tax depending on where you live.
http://store.audioholics.com/product/1650/0/
http://store.audioholics.com/product/2599/0/
http://store.audioholics.com/product/1973/0/

You may also want to look in the "Cheap & Cheerfullll" circle here to get some good ideas. http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=165.0

Happy Listening,
Mitchell