Good bang for the buck floorstanding, or bookshelf speakers?

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Mackenzie
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Good bang for the buck floorstanding, or bookshelf speakers?

Post by Mackenzie »

I edited, because im not going to go the real cheap way out of this.. Floorstanding speakers are a possibility if the price is right, but bookshelf speakers are probably more likely. Any good things to look at? Links to buy would be nice aswell. I would just like to see what some of you are running.
Last edited by Mackenzie on Mon Dec 14, 2009 4:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Mackenzie »

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stipud
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Post by stipud »

Those look like shiiiiit... :lol:

Come on, you can do way better for way less money in a home as you can in a car. And I bet you spend as much, if not more time in front of the TV as you do driving?

Get some decent gear :D
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Post by Audiophiliac »

Those all will sound like a$$. Seriously. If you put an a$$ next to one of those and closed your eyes, you would not be able to tell the difference. :)

Just kidding...mostly.

The ONLY HTIB system I would buy and only if I was held at gunpoint would be this one:

http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/5020.asp

You can put together a NICE 5.1 system with a receiver and a sub and all 5 speakers for $1000 or a tad more.
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Post by Mackenzie »

First post edited. Read.
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Post by scottn29 »

parts express has the Tritrix on sale for the complete unit. It comes and a knock down so you have to assemble it but for the $200 price, you wont find anything anywhere that will perform as well. You will also have to finish them yourself as far as painting or veneering

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdet ... lash+Panel
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Post by Mackenzie »

scottn29 wrote:parts express has the Tritrix on sale for the complete unit. It comes and a knock down so you have to assemble it but for the $200 price, you wont find anything anywhere that will perform as well. You will also have to finish them yourself as far as painting or veneering

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdet ... lash+Panel
Thats a little pricey for what I want to accomplish, and im not opposed to bookshelf speakers, but would obviously rather have floorstanding. I should have said budget bang for the buck.. 8)
Last edited by Mackenzie on Mon Dec 14, 2009 5:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by stipud »

On a tight budget I would highly recommend the Paradigm Atoms. The midrange and treble is faaaantastic. They have some extremely good reviews as well.
http://www.paradigm.com/en/paradigm/fro ... 1.paradigm

I run the bigger brother Monitor 7's. They play flat to 40Hz in my house, where my sub takes over. The Monitor 9's would probably drop another 5-10Hz, so those are probably the "sweet spot". I compared the Monitor 7's to the 11's (8" drivers) in a studio but didn't find the upper midrange as detailed on the 11's, so I went with the cheaper smaller set instead. Then again the 11's could easily be run without a sub, so that would save you some money on the other hand as well.
http://www.paradigm.com/en/paradigm/fro ... 8.paradigm

I would have hand built towers, but I could never get the fit and finish as good as a fabricated set, and that would bug the crap out of me. If you don't care about appearances, or if you have a knack for woodwork, then DIY is absolutely the way to go. I have heard some great reviews about those Tritrix as well. Since the kit already comes with everything, you only have to do the fun part... assembly!

Another thing... screw surround sound, unless you're filthy rich. Putting your money into a good stereo amp and a good pair of towers will sound a million times better than the same money into a surround setup. Only when you can afford to buy the same caliber gear for the rest of your stereo would it be worth going all the way. Maybe one day I will buy a set of Atoms and a CC-290 to match my towers, but right now I am way too happy with what i've got.

Also, see if you have a good independent stereo shop locally. The one I went to in Calgary (Sound of Music) was awesome. They let me come in for two nights straight to audition all of their speakers in my price range, with my own music. I was playing death metal at full volume in their listening studios! :lol:
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Post by Mackenzie »

stipud wrote:On a tight budget I would highly recommend the Paradigm Atoms. The midrange and treble is faaaantastic. They have some extremely good reviews as well.
http://www.paradigm.com/en/paradigm/fro ... 1.paradigm

I run the bigger brother Monitor 7's. They play flat to 40Hz in my house, where my sub takes over. The Monitor 9's would probably drop another 5-10Hz, so those are probably the "sweet spot". I compared the Monitor 7's to the 11's (8" drivers) in a studio but didn't find the upper midrange as detailed on the 11's, so I went with the cheaper smaller set instead. Then again the 11's could easily be run without a sub, so that would save you some money on the other hand as well.
http://www.paradigm.com/en/paradigm/fro ... 8.paradigm

I would have hand built towers, but I could never get the fit and finish as good as a fabricated set, and that would bug the crap out of me. If you don't care about appearances, or if you have a knack for woodwork, then DIY is absolutely the way to go. I have heard some great reviews about those Tritrix as well. Since the kit already comes with everything, you only have to do the fun part... assembly!

Another thing... screw surround sound, unless you're filthy rich. Putting your money into a good stereo amp and a good pair of towers will sound a million times better than the same money into a surround setup. Only when you can afford to buy the same caliber gear for the rest of your stereo would it be worth going all the way. Maybe one day I will buy a set of Atoms and a CC-290 to match my towers, but right now I am way too happy with what i've got.

Also, see if you have a good independent stereo shop locally. The one I went to in Calgary (Sound of Music) was awesome. They let me come in for two nights straight to audition all of their speakers in my price range, with my own music. I was playing death metal at full volume in their listening studios! :lol:
Where are some good places to buy paradigm, and others?
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Post by Mackenzie »

We dont have any good local shops that I know of, we did at one point. Only places that I know of are best buy, and stuff like that unfortunately.
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Post by Bfowler »

DUDE

this is a sweet deal on some decent bookshelf speakers

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdet ... N=49602371

free shipping if you get more then 1 pair
my ex-girlfriend said "its car audio or me"
i've had tougher choices at a soda machine...
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Post by kg1961 »

i have used energy speakers made in canada and psb very clean and you can get great deal on them
i have spent allot of money on speaker just like car audio but i alway go back to them
just like pg
i just love thte way they sound
anyone that has heard my 7.1 set up on a 1200 budget would never beleave that all they cost
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most of my gear is gone :liar:
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Post by stipud »

Bfowler wrote:DUDE

this is a sweet deal on some decent bookshelf speakers
No kidding!!! I prefer the Dayton reference speakers, but that is a wicked deal. :shock:
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Post by Audiophiliac »

I can second Paradigm speakers. Man, the best bang for the buck is to buy them used. Look on Audiogon for some killer deals on used Paradigm Reference stuff. V.2 and newer are awesome! I ran 4 Studio 60 with the Studio CC center channel in my last 5.0 setup. I lived in an apartment and it still did pretty good without a sub. I just ran all 4 60s fullrange. :) If you could find a set of Studio 40 or 60 v.2 or v.3 for a good price, go for it. Audiogon listings almost always list original retail price so you have an idea of what kind of deal you are getting. Find some that are local, and go listen.

We sell PSB as well and although they sound similar in the midrange, I find the Paradigm tweeter a bit more detailed and smooth. And the Paradigm stuff looks better IMHO and has a more quality feel to it.

And on the 2 ch. vs. surround sound, its no contest for movies. You have to have surround sound if you want a cinema experience. Period. But I DO agree that if you are going to do it, do it right.

Do not cheap out on the whole thing because your budget is tight. Just buy it in stages. Get a nice receiver and some nice front speakers. Then add a center channel and a sub. Then add the rear speakers. Then you can add a separate amplifier if you want to. Then....then...then.....you get the idea. :)
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Post by HoseHead »

Go used.

I run 7.1 using gear I picked up locally from various sources, all private sales - all online - over a period of time as recommended by Audiophiliac.

Pioneer 7.1 VSX 8 Series AV Rcvr - $120.00
JVC Model SX4 - centre channel - Free
EPI Model 500 - front towers - $275.00
Bose 301 - surrounds - $175.00
Polk Model RTi150 - rear towers - $225.00
PSB Sub Series 500 - $250.00

So for under one large, you can have outstanding audio performance for your home. You will NOT be disappointed.

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Post by KUB3 »

Why buy surround sound for a start? Straight away the kit will be 1/3 as good as stereo hifi. Buy mint used, buy the minimum number of components, get maximum quality. I'd start with just the best two speakers you can afford. Build it in stages. Maybe add a sub later when everything else is finished.
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Post by stipud »

HoseHead wrote:I run 7.1 using gear I picked up locally from various sources, all private sales - all online - over a period of time as recommended by Audiophiliac.
Hmmm... lots of people would argue against your setup because you didn't match your components "timbre". The surround-o-philes generally run all the same type of speakers so that they don't sound different than one another, as the sound pans.

Then again it probably doesn't matter in practice because I have never heard a surround pan where you could (or would care to) make out such subtle differences between the speakers anyways. I only match speakers because I am OCD about matching.

But yeah, clearly the way to start is with a good set of stereo towers, then working your way up bit by bit. Rome wasn't built in a day... :lol:


And Audiophiliac, I am JEALOUS... those Studio 60s were soooo nice, but I couldn't justify paying over double what the Monitor 7's cost me.
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Post by bogart »

personally, I don't run my rears in my surround system when I am just listening to music....I let my towers stand alone.....polk monitor 70's and an amp300....sometimes I will allow the subs....two 10's run through another amp300 run with but surrounds seem to throw the music off and I did run monitor 50's in 7.1 for a while and while frigging bad ass with movies it was not impressive with the surrounds running acoustically...

I grew up in a house with altec ,voice of the theater, oddessy series towers...uh...if you can call them towers and grew to love the traditional two way sound in home systems so this may play a roll in my opinion....

I would start with the front apex drivers and center....then go from there...the pre packaged surround systems are not all they are cracked up to be unless you are looking to spend real real money and go b and o or something

paradign atoms are nice.....I am personally a polk fan if I am running newer gear....I know you are the crafty sort....why not build a set of old legendary drivers....altec 811 horns and diaphrams and all over...and they just re released the 515 low systems...for 2600....but the old ev or altec subs can be found fairly cheap considering....
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Post by Mackenzie »

Im not concerned about surround sound at the momement, just trying to get my speakers up front right now. Where are some places go get some of these things online? I have no stereo shops local except bb, hhgreg, ect. Provide some links where you can actually purchase if possible. I dont have the luxury of going to my local reputable hifi sotre, because it does not exsist.
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Post by joyride »

I would also check out AV123.com. They have the ELT monitors for $169, and they are a decent set. Build quality and finish is excellent for that price.
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Post by Mackenzie »

joyride wrote:I would also check out AV123.com. They have the ELT monitors for $169, and they are a decent set. Build quality and finish is excellent for that price.
Those elts looks great.. The price is right too. Ofcourse the 169 price isnt every day price. :x By the time I end up buying them, which will be after christmas has passed and all, they will be gone. Thats a disappointment...
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Post by Mackenzie »

joyride wrote:I would also check out AV123.com. They have the ELT monitors for $169, and they are a decent set. Build quality and finish is excellent for that price.
I may have to pull some strings, and pull some money out and grab those, although with christmas, its a mess :lol:

Do those sound as good as they look?
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Post by Audiophiliac »

Stipud, yeah I loved the Studio 60s!!! I wish I would never have sold them. I actually bought the first pair brand new from the store I now work at. I worked at Ultimate Electronics at the time and listened to everything we had...the high end Bostons, Def Tech., Klipsch, Infinity, etc....and was never satisfied. So I went ahead and paid nearly retail for the Studio 60 in Rosenut. That is not the best part.

The second pair came from a co-worker who had run into some financial problems. He was selling off some gear, and one day just kind of joking, I said I would give him $400 for them. He was silent for a minute....then he said "ok". I wrote him a check on the spot and took them home. :) $400 for a $1200 pair of speakers. Not too bad. That is not the best part either.

When I sold my system, I got what I paid for the Studio CC on ebay. I took a bit of a hit on the new pair I had. But I got over $600 for the pair I got from my coworker for $400!! LOL!! On the whole deal, including selling my Denon AVR-3802 which I bought on accomodation at Ultimate, I came within maybe $250 of breaking even. Not a bad rental for a few years of kick ass sound. :)

So used is the way to go for sure. Check out audiogon.com. You have to create an account to buy and sell, but it is free and some great deals go through there all the time. Another brand to look at is ERA. The stuff is solid and sounds amazing. Looks gorgeous too. Their little D4 and D5 bookshelves are insanely good for the money. Used Paradigm Atoms, Mini-Monitors, etc go pretty cheap there. The Monitor V.3 and V.4 series are some VERY good bang for the buck. I was always partial to the Mini-Monitor. Retailed for $349 I think. Very neutral and dynamic little speakers that will play LOUD without falling apart.

So many great speakers under $1000 used. Even under $500 you can get smokin' sound. But the hard part is being able to listen before you buy. Nice thing about used gear is if you turn it around fairly quickly, you can almost do it without a loss. Maybe shipping. So it can work out to buy something and then re-sell it if it just does not work out for you.

I am getting ready to put together a decent 5.1 system for my living room. I will have some threads in the near future about what I end up with.
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Post by Thumper88 »

I love my ELTs....sound great to me. I only have the towers and center hooked up right now, so can't comment on the monitors. (bought the 5.0 set)
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Post by joyride »

Actually, the ELT's are the only ones I havent heard from them. But I would trust them after hearing every other line. Hell, I have an X-LS right now and it sounds great even though it is supposedly a lower line than the ELT. If I didnt have to buy a wedding ring, I'd be all over that 5.0 deal.
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