Hi guys and gals,

I am looking to get a pretty solid low price range rig set up for essentially pumping loud music for parties. (I unfortunately don't know too much about audio equipment, so pardon any ignorance I may portray here.)

Currently, I have a pair of Sony SS-F6000 Floor-Standing 4-Way Speakers (link) running on a cheap 2 channel receiver I got for ten bucks on Craigslist. They can get pretty loud, but I know these aren't the best speakers, and I certainly know that the receiver is pretty crappy.

I'm looking to get two more floorstanding speakers (maybe a pair of Polk monitor 50's that keep going on sale at Fry's) and maybe a subwoofer to add to the mix. And I'm sure I'll have to get a new, decent receiver for this. Music will be primarily played off an iPod (or out of a laptop's headphone jack, nothing fancy.) It would also be nice to use this setup with an HDTV, but this isn't necessary (I'm aware HD capabilities in receivers would up the price significantly.)

Can anyone offer an ideas for good components for what I'd need? A good sub and receiver, mostly, that would be able to handle these 4 speakers and a sub? I'm looking to spend no more than $300-400.

Thank you very much,
Mike

I can't make a specific recommendation. Really, you probably should go to a retail store and listen! (It's hard to judge speakers without listening.) If you want to "rattle the walls" and "feel the bass", you're probably going to need a 12" or 15" sub... But, it depends on the size of your room, the design of the particular speaker, and how "loud" you really want to go.

You can get "powered" subwoofers (with a built-in amplifier), and un-powered subs that require a separate amplifer. Since you're not using a "home theater" receiver with a "subwoofer" output, you'll also need a crossover. Most powered subs will also include an active crossover.

Parts Express sells finished subs and kits (as well as drivers) for reasonable prices.

For your application, you might want to consider a "pro" subwoofer. A professional subwoofer (designed for live music or clubs) will be much more efficient (louder for given power). Typically, they will have a bigger cabinet and larger driver (15-18"), don't go quite as "deep" as home subwoofers, and they aren't as "pretty". You can find pro subs in your price range, but I'm not sure if you'll find a powered professional sub in your price range. Musicians Friend

Of course, if you buy online you won't be able to listen first.

You might have trouble driving 4 speakers with a stereo receiver. You'll need to check the receiver specs and the speaker impedance. ("Ohms" might be marked on the back of the receiver.)

When you put speakers in parallel, you lower the impedance... Most stereo recievers can handle two pair of 8 ohm speakers (a 4 ohm load on each channel), but two pair of 4 ohm speakers (2 ohms) will burn-out some receivers/amplifiers. (Lower impedance means you are "pulling" more current, more power, out of the amp/receiver.)

With mismatched speakers, one pair of speakers is going to be louder than the other. But, this shouldn't be a problem for a "party" application.

Another consideration - I assume you want to use the two extra speakers as rear speakers? Depending on the size of your room, sometimes it's better not to surround everybody in loud sound... You can end-up with everyone standing outside, or in another room where they can converse!

A home theater receiver is going to "expect" a front-center speaker also. But, with Dolby Pro Logic II, you can get some nice "soundfield" surround-effects from stereo music. (And, 5.1 channel digital audio from a musical or concert DVD can be amazing!)