I have a vintage stereo setup I inherited from my parents that consists of a pair of Bose 201 Series II speakers hooked up to an old Akai receiver. They're from about 1986, if memory serves. I recently added a JVC sub to the setup (which has no obvious model on it - its 120w, 10" if memory serves).
I've decided I'd like to move to a surround setup, since my primary use of the speakers are for computer gaming and DVDs. Obviously I'll need a new receiver, but I'm not as sure what to do with the speakers. I've been doing a little investigating, and it sounds like the Boses *could* be okay as rear channel speakers. I am a little unsure of my desire to hang on to the speakers after reading everyone's opinion on Bose, particularly one place where I read that the "direct reflecting" technology reduces the directionality of the stereo - which for gaming sounds less than ideal, since I rely on sound to hear where things are.
I've considered acquiring another pair of the Bose 201s off ebay and going with a 4.1 setup, though I'm not sure how wise buying used old speakers of that age is. I've also considered purpose built systems like the Klipsch ProMedia 5.1, though I'd prefer to maintain my investment in some of my current equipment.
So basically I'm looking for a recommendation on what to do with the old Bose speakers, what a good receiver would be that plays nice with computer surround sound cards (a Creative Audigy2 ZS in my case), and some good speakers for the front/center channels. My budget is about $300-400, I'd like to reuse as much as I can, and I'm in an apartment, so massive power isn't a necessity.
Thanks for any and all opinions
I've decided I'd like to move to a surround setup, since my primary use of the speakers are for computer gaming and DVDs. Obviously I'll need a new receiver, but I'm not as sure what to do with the speakers. I've been doing a little investigating, and it sounds like the Boses *could* be okay as rear channel speakers. I am a little unsure of my desire to hang on to the speakers after reading everyone's opinion on Bose, particularly one place where I read that the "direct reflecting" technology reduces the directionality of the stereo - which for gaming sounds less than ideal, since I rely on sound to hear where things are.
I've considered acquiring another pair of the Bose 201s off ebay and going with a 4.1 setup, though I'm not sure how wise buying used old speakers of that age is. I've also considered purpose built systems like the Klipsch ProMedia 5.1, though I'd prefer to maintain my investment in some of my current equipment.
So basically I'm looking for a recommendation on what to do with the old Bose speakers, what a good receiver would be that plays nice with computer surround sound cards (a Creative Audigy2 ZS in my case), and some good speakers for the front/center channels. My budget is about $300-400, I'd like to reuse as much as I can, and I'm in an apartment, so massive power isn't a necessity.
Thanks for any and all opinions
