Computer Theater System to 2.0 Setup!

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xSDMx

Gawd
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Apr 21, 2005
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Hey all,

I'm going away to college in a few months, and I (obviously) don't have the space for the Kenwood HTB-504 Theater System hooked up to my computer.

I was looking at the Audioengine A5 and was wondering what to expect.

Will I lose/gain audio quality?

Thanks!
 
Would I be better off keeping my receiver, and getting some bookshelves? Or, is the Audioengine that good? I'm not the biggest fan of flat, neutral sound, I like more of a warm sound, but, I'm just going over my options. I need a good, portable audio setup for my dorm.
 
Honestly, the Audioengine A5 will probably sound better than your Kenwood "Theater System".

If you want portable, stick to A5's. Carrying around the receiver and all the related cables and wires can be a bee.

What are the specifications on your receiver? If they are good enough, you might want to get passives for higher sound quality.

So you need to choose your priorities. Sound quality? Portability?
 
I barely had space for my small tower and a UPS in college, I had a printer up on the shelves above my desk, can't imagine where I would've stuck a receiver... Then again, I did have a 19" CRT sitting on my desk, heh. An LCD would've freed up a good chunk of space. I'd say go w/the 2.0 setup regardless and leave your home setup in place, much easier to deal with, there's plenty of options out there 'sides the A5 too (not saying they aren't nice tho, because they certainly are).
 
My receiver is the Kenwood VR-517 - the whole setup is decent, nothing special, but not bad. I appreciate all the advice - what would be other solutions to the A5s? I'm trying to keep costs low and get some decent sound, with some warmth and decent lows to it when necessary.
 
Swan M200MkII is another option. M-Audio AV40 would be another even cheaper option, obviously the smaller/cheaper you go the less present the bass will be (tho the M200 are actually larger than the A5 IIRC). If you run a search here for 2.0 setups I guarantee you'll find at 'least half a dozen threads mentioning those and a few others. :p I'm pretty happy w/the set in my sig and it can be found locally for $120. If you do opt for the A5 make sure you use one of those 20% off codes floating all over the web.
 
Coupon code is MW09. If you're not a particularly obsessive audiophile, just take Impulse's advice. Lol.

If you ARE looking for the biggest and baddest, it will take money and some consideration for space. You still haven't really given a budget.
 
I have that receiver in my closet. I highly recommend getting something else. It has no eq settings and the defaults are really odd.
 
If it's any consolation, COVERTEN is supposed to knock off $20.
 
Then they removed the coupon only recently. Lol. It's been around since the beginning of this year. They must have realized too many people have their hands on this coupon code.
 
I was just about to buy it too. Then I realized that there is no volume control on the front of the speakers. That is a major pain for me as my X-Meridian does not have a headphone out so I use a Y-cable instead.
 
The A2 lack a volume dial on the front, the A5 have one (on the left speaker, it's plainly visible on their site pics, same speaker that has the USB charge port, amp, etc., obviously).
 
Good call, totally missed that little knob. Now I am thinking about the A5s again. Damn

So it is between:

KRK Rokit 5, unlikely but can sometimes be had for much cheaper than A5 used, no knob
AudioEngine 5
old receiver with Polk rt35i or some other passives

3rd is probably going to sound the best while being the cheapest but space is a concern in a dorm room. I can probably make some room. Decision decisions...
 
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My dad owns the A5's and they are very nice, if you have room for them. I cant imagine where I would fit them in my dorm, but if you have room I would whole heartedly recommend them. In order to get the best out of them you need at least 6" away from the wall or else the bass gets very boomy and you loose sound stage . It's also very convenient that they are active so you can just set them up somewhere and plug pretty much anything right into them.

@R128m If you can go for a 2.0 system rather than 5.1 they sound 100 times better than your z5500's.
 
Decided to pick up the audioengine a2 for my bedroom. The a5 were just too big for my desk. and when trying them both in a store they sounded very comparable to me. The a5 just were able to get louder and had alittle more bass.

But i am very happy with the a2. They sound much better than the z5500 i had. Its a much cleaner sound. Only think i miss from the z5500 is the bass, for now its fine. May need to pick up a sub sometime in the future.
 
xSDMx said:
Hey all,

I'm going away to college in a few months, and I (obviously) don't have the space for the Kenwood HTB-504 Theater System hooked up to my computer.
Click to expand...

Why not? I had a pair of Cerwin Vega D-3s (good sized floorstanders) the first time I lived in a college dorm, and a pair of Klipsch KG1.5s (bookshelves, but prob still bigger than the speakers in your HTiB) the second time.
 
Those Swans look absolutely gorgeous.

I recently picked up the M-Audio AV30's and I'm tempted to return them for the Swans...
 
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