Building HTPC Cheap

[StuW]

I went down the budget route with a Raspberry-Pi running Raspbmc (XBMC port). I use an old disused laptop in a storage room with a 3tb external drive for obtaining and storing stuff to watch. The laptop runs Sickbeard for TV and Couchpotato for movies. I've yet to find a file that the raspberry can't play so not bad for less than £30 (not including the server obviously).

[Angrboda]

When I replaced my old speakers with a pair of Polk Monitor40's, I noticed that they were a little more power hungry than the ones that I had replaced. Given that I've got a bottom of the line Onkyo A/V receiver, it only puts out 70 watts per channel, and the top end of the amp is right even with the top end of my usual listening volume range. So I've been hoping to get a little bit more powerful amp, probably something around 140 watts per channel. I've been looking for a while, but A/V receivers in that range run $400-600, and I just can't afford that. So it hit me. All I need is the amp; I can get a plain-jane integrated amp and leave the Onkyo to handle the A/V tasks. So I looked on eBay, and it would take some shopping, but I figured an integrated amp of the right quality and power would run $100-150. So, I decided to dig in and start looking for an amp. So what did I buy tonight? Why a pair of speakers, of course! I hadn't planned on it, but I've been underwhelmed with the Polks from the day I bought them. They're not bad speakers by any stretch, and I only paid $140 for the pair, but all the same, I've been itching for something better for a long time.

There's a speaker designer from TAD (Technical Audio Devices Labs) who Pioneer hired to design their economy line, and by all accounts of the reviews, he hit it out of the ballpark with the floor standing model, the SP-FS52 They're a bargain speaker, but all the reviews claim they sound considerably better than their bargain price. The only caveat being a bit too much brilliance. They were on sale earlier this year for super cheap, but I didn't see those prices. They apparently had been selling for $80 each at Amazon earlier this week, off their normal $125 market price (Best Buy had them on sale, too, and Amazon was price-matching). Well, I didn't get them at $80, so by the time I got to them, they were going for $87.50 each. Knowing how those things go, I figured I'd better grab them before they go back up in price. Wouldn't you know it, while the pair were in my shopping cart as I was researching online, Amazon sold out and so orders after mine were being fulfilled from another dealer for $127 each. So I saved $75 on the pair. (I think Best Buy still has them, but I pay sales tax if I buy from them.) Anyway, estimated delivery is mid-September, but I'm very eager.




And to update the goings on with my bedroom htpc. I bought a cheap mini case, but got screwed on the rebate. So that cost $25. I'm putting an old ECS board that's a hybrid core 2 duo / AGP system into it for a main board; it sounds like trouble, but I ran the board for a year or so without any problems, so it should be okay. I picked up a Lite-on blu-ray reader for $25. And I settled on a pair of "Cyber Acoustics" 3602a speakers. I was strongly considering a pair of mini monitors, just because I'm so picky about sound, but these were $100 cheaper and are "good enough." They're about what you'd expect from $42 computer speakers, they're big on the low-end and weak in the middle, but between a master volume on the speakers, subwoofer volume control, and the bass and treble control on the tv, they can be tuned so they don't sound completely dreadful. Not flat by any means, but good enough for the small sound field of the bedroom. I don't have a clue what kind of sound hardware to put in the htpc. All my sound cards are ancient PCI designs that likely won't have necessary drivers available. We'll see. If need be, I'll pick up a newer PCI card.