What kind of amp do I need for a pair of Q150 Bookshelf Speakers?

[zarando]

Hi there, I am planning to buy a pair of bookshelf speakers (Q150 is my current target, if you have suggestions I am all ears). Someone online suggested the SMSL AD18 amp but I read here that it's not good. So I come seeking your advice on what IS good.

Here is the relevant information:

- Audio setup is for my condo living room, which is about 12x16 feet, to be hooked up with my big screen TV along the longer wall. Couch faces directly across.
- Primary use of speakers will be connected to my desktop PC which I use to watch movies, sports and play some games on the living room TV
- I will eventually get a subwoofer as well so the amp should support that
- I would like the amp to have bluetooth support, and be able to be simultaneously plugged into my PC (whether via USB or 3.5mm, idk what the best signal is when doing this) and directly into my TV (I guess its optical?) so it needs to have both of those inputs
- future proofing for surround sound and additional inputs not necessary. I am trying to make this a 2.1 setup on a lower budget.

Totally newb to the audio thing. Just want a pair of decent-ish speakers to enjoy the media centre/TV with. I mostly listen to house music, rap, watch shows, and play some PC games. Stumbled upon this website and of course the more you dig, the more questions you have.

BUDGET: $600-$700 CDN. I can get the Q150 pair + SMSL AD18 for $620 delivered which I am okay with. If you have better suggestions for this price range, I am open to any suggestions.

Thanks very much.

 

[Kachda]

Yamaha WXA 50 is one the best budget amps reviewed here. Just don't rely on the musiccast app too much, but as an amp it works fine. It was USD 350 last year though prices may have gone up.

 

[bigx5murf]

Looks like your amp budget is around $100-200. At that level, I think it's better to buy used. An outdated AVR will likely have poor distortion measurements as per the standards here. But it'll likely be better than the smsl, and provide significantly more power. Especially if you bypass all the DAC portions, and just use it as a pure power amplifier. You'll also get subwoofer output that should have some level of crossover control. More inputs than you'll ever need, so many ways to connect a PC. Bluetooth capability can be added for cheap with a separate dongle.

 

[Doodski]

@zarando what country are you in?

 

[Bear123]

Still seems like a normal AVR would be the best solution. Would be a shame not to have the option for a center channel. TV/movies/games, heck even music without the option of a center channel is really leaving a lot on the table. As mentioned, it will give you all the important stuff like bass management, sub out, and, depending on model, speaker and subwoofer eq along with great connectivity.

Although AVR's don't typically give SOTA measured performance, they're good enough that the signal will be sonically transparent in real life. In other words, its all well and good to push for better measured performance but the world isn't going to end if your AVR sends a signal with .02% distortion to your 1% distortion speakers. No one is going to hear that under real conditions.