"Reasonable" 2.1 Setup

[AnUnusedUsername]

I'm looking to put together a 2.0 or 2.1 setup to replace the built-in speakers on my TV. "loudness" isn't something I'm concerned with (I have neighbors), but I figure even a simple speaker setup is far better quality than the built-in ones. Budget is up to $250, but I don't really plan on spending that much unless it's actually worth it.

I've heard that for a 2.0 or 2.1 system it really doesn't matter what you buy since none of them are particularly good, is this true? The boxed sets I've seen range between $30 and $200, so I would imagine there's a difference, but my question is if it's meaningful.

Lastly, am I correct to think speakers sold individually are aimed at larger setups than I have planned? My budget could pay for a set of floor standing speakers but I don't know how I'd hook them up or if they'd make sense as a setup by themselves. I don't see myself buying a receiver. Everything runs into my TV, so I'll probably be routing wires from the TV directly to the speakers.

 

[batuchka]

Best you elaborate more on your listening position, room size, etc and personally i would consider used stuff as $200ish there could nab u something decent for home/living room use ^^

 

[AnUnusedUsername]

The room is about 10x20 (weird apartment layout), with the TV in the center of the long wall. I'll be moving this time next year though, so I'd rather not buy a setup based too heavily on the current dimensions (and don't want to build a 5.1 setup for the same reason). Listening position is ~8 feet from the TV, on a couch on the opposite wall. Use will be primarily gaming, maybe a movie once in a while. I have plenty of floor space, but no more than maybe six inches on each side of the TV stand.

That covers intended use, budget, and location, anything else I need to specify? I'm not a big fan of Logitech (it's a long story), otherwise I don't care about brand so much as value/quality. I'll consider a boxed set or individual components, but I don't want to mess with 5.1 and don't know much about putting together a setup myself. I'm not averse to buying used or refurbished, but I'm not really sure what exactly to look for, audio is definitely not my specialty.

 

[batuchka]

Well given size of room and listening position the good news is you need not blow lots of money on powerful and very beefy amps - i would say for a simple/beginner set up go with either a slightly beefier T-amp (TK2050 based) or stereo receiver and somewhat efficient floor standers and you'd have good SQ for your $$/intended purposes ^^ Entry level 2 chn amps like the Sherwood RX-4105 and Audiosource AMP-100 are decent starter amps for the $$ Perhaps sweet deals/sales are very near given we are moving towards the holiday season?

 

[AnUnusedUsername]

I guess that leaves me with just waiting until I find a particularly good deal, which is fine by me, at least I sort-of know what to look for now. It seems like floorstanding speakers start around $100 each and a cheap amp is around the same price, so I'll probably spend some time looking for/waiting on a good deal rather than go over my budget.