My parents just bought a house that has four Bose speakers mounted. They are the 101 monitors. 4 ohms/60w
Can someone recommend a decent receiver to get them up and running? I know Bose isn't the best brand for speakers, but they don't need much sound, although maybe a 5 channel surround with an added a bass woofer?
Just looking for any suggestions so I could get these stupid things up and running for them. Things have gotten so complicated since I last messed with this stuff. lol
4 speakers in ONE room? OR 2-pairs of speakers, in 2 different rooms?
Are these pre-wired with all the pigtails ending up in ONE place intended for electronics?
IF stereo, you can only run ONE pair at a time, since they are 4ohm speakers. Most 'home theater' (HT) receivers won't like 'em at all, though some feature a backpanel switch for low impedance speakers.
A little more info and you can get better help. The 101 is a little plastic boxed outdoor speaker, right?
"My parents just bought a house that has four Bose speakers mounted. They are the 101 monitors. 4 ohms/60w
Can someone recommend a decent receiver to get them up and running? I know Bose isn't the best brand for speakers, but they don't need much sound, although maybe a 5 channel surround with an added a bass woofer?
Just looking for any suggestions so I could get these stupid things up and running for them. Things have gotten so complicated since I last messed with this stuff. lol
Thank you very much!"
Short answer first ...
If your budget for the amplifier is less than $300 and you don't want to wade through long explanations, contact Crutchfield; http://www.crutchfield.com/S-4KTgvqJalZZ/,http://www.crutchfield.com/S-4KTgvqJalZZ/
If your budget is up to $500 and you still don't want to wade through yada yada, contact Audio Advisor; http://www.audioadvisor.com/?gclid=CMqtrIWWotACFQ0yaQodSWwLlg,http://www.audioadvisor.com/?gclid=CMqtrIWWotACFQ0yaQodSWwLlg
Both retailers have customer assistance advisors available to assist with product selection.
The longer answer is ... well, longer.
First, you need to establish the available budget.
Then, consider the needs and wants for the system.
Simple background level music is very different, and far less expensive or complex, than a full blown 5.1 audio video system.
And, yes, you need to tell us how the speakers are located in the home and how you see your parents using the system.
If the speakers are in two different rooms, then it's reasonable to assume you will need some type of on/off switching and volume control over individual pairs.
If the speakers are all in one room though, you could conceivably wire each pair in series and make the connection to one set of speaker outputs. Wiring two four Ohm loads in series will effectively raise the overall impedance load on the amp to a safer eight Ohms nominal. This connection would, however, mean all four speakers are constantly in use and there will be no volume level compensation between pairs; ://www.bustedgear.com/faq_Speaker_wiring.htm
If your speakers are all in one room, and the system will be used for movies and television, then you may want to add a center channel speaker and a small subwoofer. Speaker switching would be done at the receiver though AVR's will typically only default to either two speaker stereo or multi-speaker fake surround. Fake surround will limit the seating options in the room to remain in one location, basically centered between all speakers, for optimum performance.
However, if you are confused about today's audio systems, consider how well your parents will or will not understand the complexities of today's receivers and remote controls.
One misstep with the remote and the system won't display video images or, possibly, the sound will be quite bad due to missing channels.
How capable are your parents when it comes to remote controls and modern electronics? Integrating multiple remotes to have one whole system controller is another item you might want to consider. The issue here is cost and just how simple the remote can be.
Leo posted, "IF stereo, you can only run ONE pair at a time, since they are 4ohm speakers. Most 'home theater' (HT) receivers won't like 'em at all, though some feature a backpanel switch for low impedance speakers."
That's not exactly true IMO.
IF the system is run in stereo (two speakers/one pair only), then most stereo amplifiers will accommodate four Ohm speakers if the volume levels are not excessive.
The same is true for most AVR's as long as your parents don't turn into headbangers.
In either case, the receiver/amplifier will require good ventilation so it can't be shoved behind a closed door in a small cabinet. Many times "parents" aren't into seeing the equipment laid out in plain sight. You'll need to determine just where your parents see this system going in their new house.
If your parents do not require an AVR for movies and television, then you might want to consider an integrated amplifier rather than a receiver. An integrated amp lacks a radio tuner while maintaining the amplification channels of a stereo receiver and will be of generally higher quality than an AVR.
Integrated amplifiers are "stereo" amplifiers, two channels only. I know of no integrated amps designed for audio/video use with an integrated surround speaker system.
How useful would a radio be for your parents? If they don't listen to local channels, or have other sources for their radio listening, then I'd recommend you consider the integrated over the receiver.
Audio Advisor would be able to recommend an integrated amplifier. For less than $400 you could buy any of their basic integrateds. The functions on these amps are fairly straight forward with easy to understand remotes. Consider NAD or Cambridge Audio to be equally good choices.
How many inputs will the system require? Make sure you have enough inputs for all the sources your parents might want to include.
Lower cost receivers/integrated amplifiers do not, as a rule, have switching for two pairs of speakers.
If your parents desire independent control over each pair of speakers, they can add a small switch box. Crutchfield could advise on that too. Speaker switch boxes can be either simple A/B-on/off switches or can also include volume controls for speakers separated by space between rooms. Be careful when selecting switch boxes with volume controls. They can be useful when they are understood and used properly. However, too many locations where you can adjust volume levels may become confusing.
There are a group of wireless speakers available at reasonable cost which might prove useful for extending the reach of the system when hardwiring is less desirable. These speakers could extend the system well into other rooms in the home; http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?st=wireless+speakers&_dyncharset=UTF-8&id=pcat17071&type=page&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=&sp=&qp=&list=n&af=true&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960&keys=keys
For $499, the Onkyo A-9050 integrated amplifier has two pairs of speaker outputs with front panel switching though no independent volume control over each set.
The Onkyo stereo TX-8020 receiver retails for less than $200 with switching for two pairs of speakers; http://www.onkyousa.com/Products/model.php?m=TX-8020&class=Receiver&source=prodClass,http://www.onkyousa.com/Products/model.php?m=TX-8020&class=Receiver&source=prodC lass
These are all fairly simple to understand and simple to operate units which should suit basic needs for decent music with your existing speakers.
Determine a budget then determine needs and wants. Go from there.
Thank you for the replies. I'm sorry it's taken so long for my response. My parents are stepping on the gas now because they have a big Christmas party planned. lol
Let me answer some questions and hopefully make this clear. They have two sets of Bose 101 speakers (The little plastic outdoor models), that's four 4ohm speakers. Two go outside and two in the garage and all wires with tinned ends come out into the living room.
BTW If it makes things significantly easier due to the ohms, they wouldn't mind just keeping the one outside pair and foregoing the pair in the garage.
They aren't interested in watching movies, but would like to use the smart tv as a music source, along with a cd player and they would also like a radio, so I guess we're talking a receiver.
Obviously, they don't need a top tier product. I guess up to $500 or so.
Thanks a lot, guys. I really appreciate your help.