yup, a new avr will able to connect your speaker set.
dunno what to look for? Try denon mid range

not sure worth the price 1k? Unless u know the characteristic of this tube amp.
not accounting internal DAC chip and cd player yet

suppose u buy a active sub, choose the one support high level (speaker) input + output, it will go thru crossover to separate out bass.
u will need additional cable


another way is buy a component crossover, it support all the connections you need

what is ur speaker ohm value? maybe one NAD amp is enough to push both set

recently i acquired a marantz CR503 cd receiver from garage sales, pair up with aego m satelite without subwoofer.
the characteristic is plenty of warm depth and detail separation. vocal opens very up front & sings the best.

i bring it out at work place & let a few friends test it. well their impression were jaw dropping the power is enough to fill a medium sized room.
haha never under estimate this mini setup.

4" aego sure has limitation of bass lacking at lower frequency, but can be solved by connecting to a spare sub i have.

dynamic compression (like handphone sound ) and then mediocre built quality to fight price

audio engine 5+ is fine, take DM39 if u listen to standalone CD and radio a lot.


yup, DM39 is decent system. newer CEOL models (with network function!) from Denon also within ur budget.

this looks like a all rounder set, when u buy at new unit roughly in 2-3k range
just follow the recipe
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=3276137

This post has been edited by ktek: Jul 15 2014, 09:11 AM

2.1 satelite-sub system has advantage of save space while giving satisfying bass.
weakness... poor detail due to small satelite given, crossover design etc..

go audition a few pair 5" or 6.5" size speaker. with proper stand or table positioning, they will give plenty of details in low-mid volume (amp dependand).
not recommended to hanging on ceiling

dont worry, i guess mushy has no intention of offend or the other way round...
audio engine a5 is fine, but my personal fav small system is krk rokit 5 powered monitor

840 got support dvd video playback, i think onkyo, denon, marantz and other brands only play audio cd, mp3.

maybe can compare with pioneer got

yourr tv has headphone port or rca output?
as i know you can maximize the 3k budget getting a pair of good qquality bookshelf spkr and stereo integrated amp by analog connection.
it is better than spending hdmi arc device or other half baked technology stuff

This post has been edited by ktek: Nov 13 2014, 07:56 PM

got plenty choices, hard to recommend directly. anyway i'll make it short, hopes u can catch up...

HDMI-ARC function is transfer audio data to a decoder, then play using external speakers. RCA does the same for 2 channel (left and right sound). whats make the different between HDMI versus RCA is extra ability to carry 5.1 surround.

in your case dont need surround, so why not buy speaker that able to fit on table + stereo amp. thats the best combination for sound quality.
the size is smaller and setup as easy as plug & play.

the weakness, because all in analog connection (RCA), tv has to receive all hdmi cable.
do you planning to add other video player? if true i affraid ur tv may run out of hdmi port...

the 2nd choice would be AV receiver. a.k.a. home theater amplifier with many hdmi ports. got HDMI-ARC !!
all are digital connection (non-RCA) and support latest movie codecs like Dolby TrueHD, DTS-MA and plenty more like do-re-mi-fa-so...
entry level can drive 5 channel speakers. better ones give 7 channel, network (for music streaming & remote apps), usb port and auto calibration.

it takes more space and u might wasted the additional channel because you dont plan to have rear speaker.

for speaker, need to know the depth measurement of cabinet first

This post has been edited by ktek: Nov 13 2014, 10:47 PM

if size is not a problem, take Q300 or latest R series

thats a bluetooth audio transceiver. its using the same concept as wireless sound bar u have seen, so the advantage is enable playback on better quality speakers instead of tiny sound bar.

go most of ur budget to speaker (estimate 1600-1800) then balance for avr.

yamaha 477, denon x1000, pioneer & onkyo im not sure the models

myself was using yamaha rx-v463.

damn good feature set for beginner, such as auto room calibration and dolby trueHD, dts master audio, speaker A-B, plenty of RCA as well as legacy connection like spdif, no hdmi hand shaking issue (version 1.2a). usb playback, rare titanium colour, long lasting and low power consumption.

no network support back then, everything need to control from the unfriendly tight packed remote. no hdmi overlay for GUI settings.

i learned from many sifu here, it is not always the best to buy latest model, but aim higher range as long it fulfill the feature you need. that will rewards u with stronger amp section and built quality.


u wont go wrong with any of the british brands. mordaunt short > wharfedale diamond for movie.
BR2 win all if you dont use subwoofer, given 6.5" cone size

rear bass port =Mission M31i, diamond 10.1, MS Aviano 1
front port =BR2

necessaty for basic avr are just hdmi port and 5 channel surround. buy some cable u can start enjoy liao.

additional features for modern avr are:
network remote control (using apps) and dlna streaming, bluetooth wifi even better!
usb port to load flac and other lossless codecs
front side hdmi port and MHL devices
auto calibration with multiple seat & subwoofer eq
house sound tuning (by xxx studio, yyy endorsed, zzz gurantee)
beefy powderful amplifier
high quality separate DAC, decoder
multi zone 2,3,4,5...
integrate with smart home automation system
full channel pre-out for external amplifier
going 7 or 9 channel surround add front height and wide speakers

not to forget the "atmos"


This post has been edited by ktek: Nov 21 2014, 10:01 PM

the giant towers makes me wow !

actually u are looking for home theater, not hifi stereo,when u mention movie and games.

3k is good budget to start from a pair of bookshelf speaker and av receiver. Additional cost like cable have to count too

marantz is not warm (a.k.a. midbass centric), more to voice, realistic and tame down aggresive speakers.
depends la, if u match with laid back speakers, it may sound a bit closer to warm tone

nad new model need to ask owner to give listening experience. but i see nad dont have treble bass tone control and speaker A + B function

This post has been edited by ktek: Dec 18 2014, 07:51 PM

no cable, just speaker and front grillz