First time setting up passive speakers

[vyral_143]

Hello all,

After lurking for quite some time and reading through all the info in guest mode, I have finally registered.

I am in process of putting up my first passive speakers' setup. I used to have Swans/Hivi D1200 but due to lack of bass, I have let them go.

I am looking for a 2.1 setup. Initially I preferred active speakers and considered Swans/Hivi D1090, D300. Since I could not audition/demo them, I did not go ahead. I did not want to end up in same situation as D1200 - even though D1090, D300 has 6.5" woofer which could potentially provide more thump/rumble.

Source would be TV TCL C745 and phone. I want optical input and Bluetooth connectivity. My living room is about 12ft x 16ft. Given the space constraints, I would only be opting for 2.1 setup at max.

For subwoofer, I have acquired Edifier T5 - an active subwoofer. For speakers, I have narrowed it down to either from Mission LX1, LX1 MKII or QX1. This is all from listings in pre-owned market.

Now for amp, I have shortlisted Aiyima T9, T9 Pro and Decoder Amplifier. Since I am in Hong Kong, I have access to Taobao and prices for these are very competitive. For instance, without power adapter, T9 is for about US$60, T9 Pro is US$93 and 'Decoder Amplifier' is for US$89.

I need suggestions on selecting amp from list above or the ones which are similarly performing

 

[vsch]

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You may want to consider a used AVR instead of a stereo amp. AVRs have several advantages:

• Due to economies of scale, they offer great bang for the buck.
• They come with an active crossover that allows you to integrate one or multiple subwoofer(s).
• They give you ~80-100 watts of relatively clean AB power.
• Some come with competent solutions for room correction, such as Dirac (Onkyo/Pioneer) or Audyssey XT / XT32 (Denon/Marantz). You can even use @OCA's fantastic A1 Acoustica open-source solution room correction with Audyssey XT and XT32 compatible AVRs. FWIW, in my experience, once you have decent speakers and a subwoofer, room correction is the next biggest upgrade -- particularly, in an untreated or accidentally treated room.