I have a friend who is looking to get a decent 2.1 system for under $1000. He'd rather only spend $500, but he said $1000 was possible, so I'd like to have that be the absolute ceiling. He needs the two speakers, a sub, and a receiver. I'm tempted to have him go for M3s without a sub at first, just to see if that will suffice. For receiver, I'm not sure. I'm always at a loss when it comes to the lower-end models. There are too many deal-breakers for me to consider them. I'll probably have to go over a few models feature by feature with him and see what features are musts for him. In the meantime, what would you do with $1000 for two speakers, receiver, and sub?

An entry level Denon Receiver, M3 or M22 for speakers (factory outlet?), subwoofer from Parts-Express and all cables/wires from monoprice.

I bought my son a $600 setup for Christmas that he likes which just consists of these 2 items.

Axiom M3's for $330.
Pioneer VSX-819H-K for $270 ($300 with 10% off at BB Magnolia)

Plus approx $100 for wire and banana plugs (Axiom and Monster)

I guess the choice of the mains depends partly on how much bass he likes with his music. If he were to try the M3's but feel afterwards that he still wanted more bottom end, I think it may be better to go with the M22s(w. sub). Trouble here is, you really won't know 'til you try the M3's w/o sub first.

As Doc mentioned, look at Parts Express for a subwoofer or try Vanns, they usually have some deals going too.

I'd get M22's, a $200-300 sub and a Pioneer, Onkyo or Denon receiver.

Since you are getting a sub get the M22's, an entry level receiver of your choice, refurb would yield slightly better bang for the buck and as the others have said a sub from Parts Express or similar, BIC comes to mind for the cost conscious with still good sound.

Charles, to keep the cost as little above $500 as possible(at least initially)I'd suggest that using the M22s without a sub be tried first. In the past(pre-EP500)I often used my M22s without a sub and found it satisfactory for most music. If a sub was desired, the Bic Acoustech Pl-200 which Dana reported that he preferred to the EP350, and which can be had for around $280 delivered, might be considered.

To keep the receiver cost to a minimum, a factory refurb would be advisable, and the best buy I saw at the moment in an Audyssey MultEQ unit is the Denon 589 from eCost for around $145.

Thanks, guys. Even with recent mentions, I still hadn't really considered getting a sub from Parts Express. Certainly something to think about.

Axiom M3Tis (used from ebay or FO) $300

Little Dot MkIII tube preamp/amp $230


Velodyne vx11 $130 at Fry's

Sony XDR-F1HD HD/AM/FM Tuner (XDRF1HD) $80 Amazon.com

Sony PS 1 for CDP $25 (used)

This system will blow away any system belonging to any person who thinks all solid state amps sound the same.

Just a little gasoline to warm the evening.

If you need a bit more power, get one of these 2024 tripath class D amps for about $20.00



But keep the little dot MkIII as a preamp.

Oooh! Wilsonart laminate # 546, "Taken for Granite" in Shoreline Beige! I use it in all my promo shots !

You no likee little dot?

I like the receiver John linked to with some M3s and the Hsu STF-1 for under 1K

I use a Little Dot MKIII to power my headphones with. I have never used the preamp section on it and I do have a pair of M3's just sitting around.

I also have a spare receiver but I don't think I can hook up the MKIII to that.

The receiver johnK linked says HDMI 1.3 (video only). Does that mean you still have to run a optical or coax audio cable to the receiver from any components for sound, or is that just if you wanted to pass sound thru to your TV from an HDMI out if you weren't using external speakers?

Yes, you are correct. There are some entry level Denon models that will pass only video through HDMI. Not sure how old this model is but it was common with some of their entry models around 2-3 years ago.

If you are using HDMI through this receiver you will have to run a separate audio cable (toslink/coax) for sound. In the case of Blu-ray if you want to use the lossless audio that this format supports you will need a Blu-ray player with multi-channel analog outputs and processes these codecs internally.

Dr. House you are correct ... l'il dot cannot drive m3s. L'il dot would make an excellent though limited preamp.

Dr. H ... if you grab one of those muse 2024 $25 amps for your l'il dot and your m3s you could confirm whether the combo has the magic.

Where would you recommend purchasing that amp?

Personally, I would steer clear from any receiver that doesn't allow sound through the HDMI inputs.

I was going to make the same post. Don't even bother with HDMI "switching" receivers. If all you think you'll ever need is a optical audio input, find a high-end model from 5 years ago, and get yourself a Monoprice HDMI switch. But really, you can't say you'll only ever need lossy DD and DTS.

EBAY. I'm ordering my recommended system today.

Now, when I say 2.1 I don't mean a 2.1 as opposed to 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 home theater system. I mean 2 channel stereo with a subwoofer.

Cool 2x6. I have been really happy with my MK III though I have not used it as a preamp. It has been very reliable. I have used the MK III for late night listening with headphones the past year, used almost everyday on average 2+ hours a night. Still on the original tubes! Very nice product and has excellent build quality.

I would recommend purchasing the MK III from the authorized dealer DavidZheZhe on ebay.

http://www.littledot.net/forum/index.php

Good luck with your purchases.

I just exchanged emails with David. He seems very nice. I wonder if I'll need an external DAC to interface the Little Dot with the Play Station 1 as a CDP.

Here is the system I'm putting together. Opinions welcome!

Speakers - Axiom M3Tis.


Velodyne VX-11 subwoofer


Little Dot MKIII preamp


Muse 2024 T-Amp


Sony XDR-F1HD FM TUNER


Sony Play Station 1 as CDP

Did the PS1 even have a digital audio out which could be used with a DAC?

I thought the whole point of using an original PlayStation as a player was to take advantage of its DAC.

Holy hell, I haven't seen a PS1 in a long time!