~£100 budget, speakers/HiFi

Soldato
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I recently bought this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-CMTS20...e=UTF8&qid=1419963902&sr=8-1&keywords=cmts20b

However, the sound is slightly too tinny, the bass is almost good enough, and they just don't go loud enough (each speaker is 5W). I'm thinking of returning them.

So for ~£100 can anybody recommend something that's got better bass, at least equivalent sound quality, and is much louder?

It doesn't even need to be a hifi system. A pair of speakers would also do fine.

Thanks!
 
Soldato
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Thanks for the reply. Those look great, however, surely I would need some sort of amp/hifi to use these anyway? I'm only planning on plugging a laptop/mobile phone into it, so I'd need a way to connect via 3.5mm.
 
Man of Honour
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The whole point of powered speakers is that they're a self-contained solution. They have amplification built-in. All they need is a source signal: your PC or phone via a cable with 3.5mm on one end to whatever the speakers need on the other.
 
Soldato
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Thanks guys! To make sure I've understood you correctly, these speakers will perform better as standalones than my current speaker+HiFi set up. And should I wish to connect these microlab ones up to an amp in the future, that could improve them further?
 
Man of Honour
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No, you can't connect an external amp now or in the future. If you want to do that then you need to buy a conventional Hi-Fi and spend a heck of a chunk more cash than you're prepared to at the moment. [s/h - min £200, new - start at £300].

Performance-wise, the active speakers have more budget spent on the things that matter.
 
Soldato
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They will be better than the Sony system for sure, but as Lucid has explained, you cannot connect an amplifier to these. The amplifier is built in to one of the speakers, so they just plug into the mains. To connect a separate amplifier, you would need passive speakers.

If you just need some decent stereo speakers, they are a good choice without costing too much money.

For a decent budget stereo system or speakers an amplifier, then you'd probably be looking at £200-£300 for a stereo system. This Denon DM39 system and Tannoy V1 speakers, for example, and £150 for this Wharfedale 9.0 speakers and Cambridge Audio AM1 amplifier package.
 
Associate
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Hi,

There's a half decent onkyo with speakers in richer sounds sale for 99.95, pale blue though !
It also has a lightning dock !

May Help

Be safe tonight all and the very best

T
 
Man of Honour
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So you've bought a hifi for £79, you're going to send it back and then spend around £100?

What is it you want? Just a hifi?

You can't just keep throwing small amounts of money into something such as a non expandable stand alone hifi and keep making it better.

Decide what it is that you want, and then look around.
 
Man of Honour
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Yeah I read that and edited.

Buy cheap, buy twice - if the OP wants good SQ, that is loud with bass, I don't think £100 will buy that. So he needs to compromise somewhere, either by sacrificing aspects of the sound he requires, or by spending more money.
 
Soldato
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Okay thanks for all the advice everyone!

Situation has slightly changed. A friend had a decent pair of Onkyo passive speakers lying around and has given them to me for free. So I'm potentially looking at getting an amp for these. I'm thinking that this way my money will take me a bit further.
 
Man of Honour
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You can get some very good analogue amps for a lot less than £100 on eBay, or you could get a older digital AV 5.1 receiver and run it in 2.0 mode. My old Sony STR 820 sounded great running as a hifi.
 

Ev0

Ev0

Soldato
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Okay thanks for all the advice everyone!

Situation has slightly changed. A friend had a decent pair of Onkyo passive speakers lying around and has given them to me for free. So I'm potentially looking at getting an amp for these. I'm thinking that this way my money will take me a bit further.

I may be sticking a Kenwood 3030R amp up in members market this weekend (when I get around to it) which could be good for the job.

I believe they weren't bad amps when released, this one was my late father's and after a few years of thinking I'd use it doesn't look like I will so rather than it take up space I'd rather it got used.
 
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