Which amplifier?

So I've been wanting a high quality sound system for a while now and I'm finally ready to take the plunge into audio bliss.

This won't be a ridiculously expensive sound setup but it still will be a lot of money. So with this in mind here's what I have planned out so far!


I'm only really going off reviews, can't find these speakers in any shops so I'm having to put up with a few frequency response graphs and the reviews.

Main Speakers
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1's
Or
Tannoy Mercury V1

Amplifier
Pioneer A-209R

Possible sub?


I'm not sure if I need a sub or not but 45Hz still seems slightly high, with a sub hitting 20Hz I think that would just sound amazing. I have a feeling that if I want to use a sub I'm going to need a different amp though?

So, my main question is, should I go for a different amp? If I want to use a sub will I need an amp with more outputs? Or will that one actually suffice?
If there is a different amp that I can use that's cheaper it needs to have bass/treble control, bass travels ridiculously easily through the house that I'm in so I need to be able to adjust the bass.

Thanks in advance!

What will this system primarily be used for? Will it be nearfield? Budget? What about musical tastes? If its primarily for music, you may not need a sub. Besides, a sub that goes down to 20Hz will cost you a decent amount of coin. While Tannoys are generally awesome speakers, I feel the Wharfdale 9.1s come out on top against the Tannoy Mercuries. The best Tannoys are the dual-concentrics, but I feel those are out of your budget. I wouldnt worry much about frequency response charts as long as the speakers are made by a reputable manufacturer. Most speakers are tested in super-treated rooms, and thus will deviate from the published response graph once placed into your own listening environment. A frequency response graph will show the dips and spikes across the frequency range. If your speaker is rated at 90dB 1W/m, that will be the base line on the graph...some areas in the response can dip or spike by as much as 6dB, but usually most manufacturers try and keep it within 3dB. A spike in the lower registers will bne perceived as more bass, whereas a dip will be less bass, and so on and so forth.

Sir Barton said:

What will this system primarily be used for? Will it be nearfield? Budget? What about musical tastes? If its primarily for music, you may not need a sub. Besides, a sub that goes down to 20Hz will cost you a decent amount of coin. While Tannoys are generally awesome speakers, I feel the Wharfdale 9.1s come out on top against the Tannoy Mercuries. The best Tannoys are the dual-concentrics, but I feel those are out of your budget. I wouldnt worry much about frequency response charts as long as the speakers are made by a reputable manufacturer. Most speakers are tested in super-treated rooms, and thus will deviate from the published response graph once placed into your own listening environment.

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Nearfield (<3m)

For music and movies

Musical tastes: Classical, drum and bass (hence why considering sub), rock, ska and jazz. Pretty much a wide range of everything really


My budget is kinda up in the air but obviously if I can save money then I wouldn't have anything against it! Preferably I want to keep the whole system under £250 for amp + speakers so the other Tannoys are unfortunately out of budget.

You did your research well...the parts you listed should play well together. See if you can find any of the components second hand. Im not sure how the used market is in England, but stateside the Wharfdales come up on a regular basis.

Will the Wharfdales cope with the deep basses of drum and bass music? I like to have a clear and a fairly loud bass after all
Is an amp really a waste of money considering I'll be getting the 9.1's?

Thanks for all the help!

No, the amp looks to be a nice unit. Get the amp and speakers first, then if the bass isnt to your liking, you can add a sub afterward. Better to do it that way instead of taking the chance in paying return shipping in the event you dont need it.

Alright I'll do that, can that amp support the sub being plugged into it? Never setup a system with a sub, I'm assuming it's the same as any other kind of speaker?

Also my current speakers seem to have a minimum frequency of about 45 and I've found them woefully unsatisfying when it comes to bass. They're pretty generic with not much going for them, might that be due to the fact that they're just low quality?

tinymouse2 said:

Alright I'll do that, can that amp support the sub being plugged into it? Never setup a system with a sub, I'm assuming it's the same as any other kind of speaker?

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It doesnt appear the Pioneer A-209R has a subwoofer output. No worries, buy a sub with speaker-level inputs. This way, youll run the amp to the sub via the speaker outputs, then run the speaker outputs on the sub to the speakers.

Also my current speakers seem to have a minimum frequency of about 45 and I've found them woefully unsatisfying when it comes to bass. They're pretty generic with not much going for them, might that be due to the fact that they're just low quality?

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Its most definitely the quality. My 8" Fostex drivers in modest bass reflex cabinets dip down to 40Hz, and you can feel the bass in your chest. I listen to alot of psychedelic eletronica, alot of it having grinding bass lines and such. I havent felt the need for a subwoofer yet.

Ah, will that not cause any kind of interference?

It wont cause you any. Whats happening is the sub will use all frequencies below a certain point...in your case, probably 50 to 80Hz depending on your tastes, and the rest will go to the speakers. All the speaker-level inputs do is pass on the signal to the speakers, the sub amp doesnt touch the signal.

If you want to use a sub that doesn't have line level inputs, you can plug the sub into one of the tape/phono/line out rca outputs. I have my sub connected like this since my amp is quite old and it works great. Only thing is the sub volume doesn't change so you'll want to set your amp and sub at a good (maximum) level and use your source as the volume knob to adjust down from the maximum to your normal listening level.

OK so scrapping the sub idea, just going to go with high quality bookshelf speakers!
What's the next step up from the 9.1's? They're going for £100 but I'm willing to stretch that budget to about £160 if it'll give me anything over the 9.1's.

Sticking with that amp unless I need to chose a different one!