Bookshelf Speakers for TV under 12k

MadAxe786

Broken In
Want to buy audio setup for living room

Budget: 20k

Usage: Mainly for watching movies
Listening to music

Requirements: Clear vocals, adequate bass (not overpowering)
Great overall sound quality

TV does not have HDMI eArc port, would upgrade it in the future.

TV is wall mounted so tower speakers may not be a good idea?

Do not like the exposed wiring of the surround speakers running along the ceiling. So might not go for 5.1

Found This wireless 5.1 at 24k but not enough reviews to judge it.

So the only option that remains is soundbar with active subwoofer.

Is there much of a difference in sound quality in 2.1, 2.1.2 and 5.1 at this budget?

How much is the loss in sound quality if the subwoofer is wireless?

Also if there are some exceptionally good products slightly above this range, would increase my budget.

Please recommend specific models and do suggest your ideas for the setup.
 

Nerevarine

Incarnate
I dont have any knowledge of how good sound quality is for higher end speakers but i can help in technicalities like ports, DACs, etc.. Sorry
 

Zangetsu

I am the master of my Fate.
There is a lot of difference in sound quality if the number of speakers are more so a 5.1 channel will sound better than 2.1 channel. not in terms of quality but also in listening experience and for watching movies 5.1 is the minimum standard set for HT setup.

Are you going for normal setup such as Dolby Digital or Atmos setup ?
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
First of all, a good expensive speaker system needs wired connection(hdmi or optical audio out). Second, a speaker system focused on music(2.0 audio) will always be different from a speaker system focusing on movie(5.1 or surround sound). If your TV has s/pdif or optical audio output then just get Logitech Z906(no hdmi input so keep in mind future upgrades).
 

RumbaMon19

Feel Pain.
Want to buy audio setup for living room

Budget: 20k

Usage: Mainly for watching movies
Listening to music

Requirements: Clear vocals, adequate bass (not overpowering)
Great overall sound quality

TV does not have HDMI eArc port, would upgrade it in the future.

TV is wall mounted so tower speakers may not be a good idea?

Do not like the exposed wiring of the surround speakers running along the ceiling. So might not go for 5.1

Found This wireless 5.1 at 24k but not enough reviews to judge it.

So the only option that remains is soundbar with active subwoofer.

Is there much of a difference in sound quality in 2.1, 2.1.2 and 5.1 at this budget?

How much is the loss in sound quality if the subwoofer is wireless?

Also if there are some exceptionally good products slightly above this range, would increase my budget.

Please recommend specific models and do suggest your ideas for the setup.

You can go for a soundbar setup. It will try to produce pseudo-surround experience without much hassle of wires.

I am personally eyeing on this one below

*www.reliancedigital.in/sony-ht-s20...aB8FsWLr-w2c8WkT7notHRjQmkk3oksBoCp5EQAvD_BwE

But because your budget allows, you should go for this tower+soundbar setup below.

*www.amazon.in/dp/B073RLK59B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_VGE9ZRCEEQ74WYG2SQPK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1


If your TV has s/pdif or optical audio output then just get Logitech Z906

Why are Logitech audio systems so scarce in India? I actually had this one on mind but the wires put up by a true 5.1 system is too much so i didn't go for it. And now when I have the proper wall space, it is not available anywhere. It has been oos for a long time now.
 
OP
M

MadAxe786

Broken In
Are you going for normal setup such as Dolby Digital or Atmos setup ?
Can't find a decent Atmos setup under 20k
If your TV has s/pdif or optical audio output then just get Logitech Z906(no hdmi input so keep in mind future upgrades).
They are over my budget by a lot.
But because your budget allows, you should go for this tower+soundbar setup below.
Would have gone for it if not for the wires.

Guys how about bookshelf speakers?
Can they solve the purpose of music as well as movies?
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
Why are Logitech audio systems so scarce in India? I actually had this one on mind but the wires put up by a true 5.1 system is too much so i didn't go for it. And now when I have the proper wall space, it is not available anywhere. It has been oos for a long time now.
Actually one piece was available yesterday on amazon when I posted. As usual Indian market is geared more towards "vfm" & good audio components is always a "niche" category. This is the reason why I think Swans are packing up their business in India. These are probably the last few Swans original new units left in India for selling I think.
*hifinage.com/collections/swans-hivi

@MadAxe786

*www.amazon.in/SWANS-D1080-MKII-Bluetooth-Bookshelf-5-25-inch/product-reviews/B07C4SNZCS/

@shreeux has swans speakers I think.
 

Cool Buddy

Wise Old Owl
I'm also looking for something similar. My budget is 20-25k and I'm looking for 2.1 setup. What I see is that availability is really bad currently.

Browsing through various forums, I came across many models which people have procured in the past but are now either not available or have gone up a lot in price. Though I have finalised what I want to buy, I'm unable to find it at a reasonable price online. I have decided to wait for a bit and then look at a few stores. I am also hoping to be able to audition a few speakers before finalising.

Though this is all from the reading I've done, I have the following points to mention here:
  • If you're looking for a hassle free setup with decent sound, then wireless is fine. But if you're an enthusiast and would like to upgrade your setup in future, going for wireless is not a good idea. Speakers are not truly wireless anyway. In a wired setup, speakers will need speaker cables. In a wireless setup, each speaker will need a separate power cable. They need one cable each anyway. Just that you can pull it from anywhere. And this half-hearted convenience comes at the price of sound quality, it's not the same as wired speakers.
  • If you're set on a soundbar with wireless sub, then you can go for Polk Signa S2. It's really good for its price.
  • However, again, since you'll anyway have wires running separately to the soundbar and the subwoofer, you might as well get a wired setup like Edifier S350DB or Swans M50W. These will give better audio quality with a little more flexibility as compared to a soundbar.
I am personally looking for Edifier R1855DB (availability is an issue, but have zeroed in on this for now). Reasons:
  • I want multiple inputs and bluetooth. It has 2 RCA, Optical, coaxial and bluetooth
  • It has a wireless remote, which is an absolute must for me
  • It has a sub out, leaving me with the option to add a subwoofer later
  • It has very good reviews (well, the reviews are of 1850DB, 1855DB is the successor, so I'm hoping it's at least the same)
Sub out is mostly provided only by Edifier. I couldn't find any other model of active bookshelf speakers with sub out. However, there are many subwoofers which provide RCA out. So even if you buy regular bookshelf speakers, you can connect your primary input to the sub, and then the bookshelf speakers to the sub. This, though, will make the input options on the bookshelf useless. The sub will also not be controllable using the wireless remote. So that's a bummer. I would personally rather take the AV receiver/integrated amp route instead. But those are really expensive and I don't have the budget right now.

So to summarise, you have the following options:
  1. Wireless soundbar like Polk Signa S2
  2. Wired 2.1 speakers like Edifier S350DB, M-Audio AV32.1, or Swans M50W
  3. Wired bookshelf speakers with sub out (like Edifier 1855DB)
  4. Wired bookshelf speakers with RCA in and add a sub later (you might need a DAC for this in case your TV doesn't have RCA/3.5mm output).
 

TheSloth

The Slowest One
Cool Buddy has already shared names of decent bookshelf speakers. Any reason you are not considering those?
I am myself using Edifier R1700BT bought for 10.5K and before this I was using Logitech Z623. I don't miss the over powering bass from Z623 at all. Not saying that it has BIG bass but it has enough. The sound in songs and movies is good. So am hoping higher end models will be even better than this.
 
OP
M

MadAxe786

Broken In
Cool Buddy has already shared names of decent bookshelf speakers. Any reason you are not considering those?
I am considering Edifier R1855DB as well but it doesn't have enough reviews to take an informed decision unlike the R1850DB, which is a very acclaimed speaker.
 

TheSloth

The Slowest One
I am considering Edifier R1855DB as well but it doesn't have enough reviews to take an informed decision unlike the R1850DB, which is a very acclaimed speaker.
*www.wifimedia.eu/en/blogs/wifimedia-nieuws/new-the-active-edifier-r1855db-2-way-speakers/
Recently, Edifier replaced the popular Edifier R1850DB with the R1855DB. This renewed active 2-way speaker still has the same high-quality features as its predecessor, but now comes with an improved remote control.
 
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