I have a JBL 2.1 soundbar/sub combo that recently shit itself where the sub won't pair with the soundbar. It's only 13 months old, no warranty and no help from customer support. Googling solutions is so far fruitless. I think I paid around $200 for it and clearly bottom rung stuff gets you bottom rung performance and longevity.
So I am looking at stepping up a bit.
These speakers look nice and have good reviews. I was thinking a pair of these and a decent receiver and center channel would be a better setup.
So without breaking the bank, what's a decent receiver to go with these? Or what's a good setup that will sound nice? It doesn't have to be audiophile quality - my hearing is damaged enough so it really doesn't matter on the superfine edges of the spectrum. Also 3.1 is good enough for me. I don't like having to set up rear channels they never look good.
I liked the soundbar I had when it worked. I just don't want to buy a new one every year. Catching up on the entire Marvel Comics Universe is killing me with no subwoofer.
Those are good speakers at a very fair price but, truth be told, you don't need towers if your goal is to replace a soundbar.
Crutchfield lets you keep a pair of stand mount speakers for 60 days and only charges a flat $10/box flat return shipping fee.
There are many great options available but this one offers excellent value from a company that has been making speakers for decades.
$180/pair for the stand mount speakers:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_336CR42BK/Wharfedale-Crystal-4-2-Blackwood.html?tp=186
$65/pair for stands unless you will be placing them on a bookshelf, (stands are preferred with at least a foot of space behind and to the side).
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_051BF31B/Sanus-BF31B-Speaker-Stands.html
$150 for the center speaker with the preferred raised tweeter design for a 2 way center.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_336CR4CBK/Wharfedale-Crystal-4-C-Blackwood.html
$279 for a quality receiver, (my sister in law has one), that is super easy to setup and unlike more expensive receiver, doesn't lead you down a rabbit hole of layer upon layer of confusing menus which often lead people astray.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_033AVS540B/Denon-AVR-S540BT.html
If you don't mind buying factory renewed, (which often means just cleaning and reboxing a returned unit), you can save a decent amount.
https://www.amazon.com/Denon-Receiv...ocphy=9032097&hvtargid=pla-553948888704&psc=1
1 year warranty on factory renewed and in my experience if a receiver doesn't break down in the first year, (only happened once to me), it will last at least 15 years.
http://assets.denon.com/DocumentMas...32.507221335.1577988315-1409244747.1577988315
Now for perhaps the most important speaker, (other than the center), which is the subwoofer.
This is an absolute steal at $190 at the moment based on AVS Forum member feedback but don't wait; free returns if not happy.
https://www.jbl.com/studio-5-series/SUB+550P.html
If you are willing to spend $500 you can do better on the sub.
So about $900 all in assuming you buy all new and with easy returns from all vendors.
It should be a significant improvement over what you have now.
If that is too much money there are other options.
If you don't mind renewed here is a cheaper system; though the excellent speakers are brand new take note that they are from a very well known company that has recently closed its doors so no warranty service though if speakers work, they work and last for decades.
Also, A4L's return policy is not good so you'll have to take a leap of faith that these are good choices, (google reviews of course). They will honor free handling of defective units though.
Speaker pair: $135 as it is buy one get the second for 1/2 price.
https://www.accessories4less.com/ma...way-bookshelf-speaker-gloss-black-each/1.html
$180 for the center UNLESS you can use one of the bookshelves I listed above vertically as a center channel.
https://www.accessories4less.com/ma...25c-2-way-center-channel-speaker-black/1.html
The $190 refurb receiver I linked from Amazon plus this little sub that actually reaches 28hz as advertised.
My main sub has an msrp of $4500 but I have two of these in my secondary room and they work just fine. I bought one new from Amazon and one refurb from these guys and it works just fine. $99, (JBL is better though, but much much larger).
https://www.accessories4less.com/ma...100-watt-powered-subwoofer-black/1.html#!more
So that's about $700 with the speaker stands from the first setup.