Need help choosing home theater speakers

Hide sidebar Show sidebar
Y

yonyz

Audioholic
new: JLB LSR305 (powered speakers)
Dali Zensor 1
Q Acoustics 2020i
And many others, but not everything that's in the US is available here.

used (passive speakers, will require a receiver):

paradigm monitor 3 v4
kef q1
B&W CM5 (rather expensive but I might be able to afford these after price negotiation)
Morel Solan V2 bookshelves and center
DM 601 S3/S2 + B&W CC6S2
B&W HTM7 center
epos epic 1
Monitor Audio Bronze BR2
Polk RTi-A1
canton gle 430
 
rojo

rojo

Audioholic Samurai
Heya @yonyz! With your new subwoofer, a set of passive speakers + a receiver might not be such a bad idea. Electronic bass management might be preferable to those Fmods you're using. How do you feel about another DIY project?

From your list, I'd vote JBL LSR305 for powered, or KEF Q series for passive. What sort of budget are you considering?

For others reading this thread, OP is in Israel. Here are a couple of pics of his room.
 
Last edited:
M

Mark of Cenla

Full Audioholic
I like the Polk RTi series. Peace and goodwill.
 
Y

yonyz

Audioholic
rojo said:
Heya @yonyz! With your new subwoofer, a set of passive speakers + a receiver might not be such a bad idea. Electronic bass management might be preferable to those Fmods you're using. How do you feel about another DIY project?

From your list, I'd vote JBL LSR305 for powered, or KEF Q series for passive. What sort of budget are you considering?

For others reading this thread, OP is in Israel.
Click to expand...
Oh hi. As I was opening the notification email, I thought it would be funny (read: nice) to see a reply from you here as well.

Budget is about $600 for the speakers. I'll get a cheapo amp for the time being, like a Lepai 2020a ($33), since I don't have surround or even a center speaker at the moment. But maybe I'll find a decent old receiver on used boards, we'll see.

So, to answer your question, I do not want to go DIY this time, for two reasons:

1. It's not economically justified due to the size of speakers. Subwoofers are heavy and costly to ship, but speakers are much lighter and smaller.
2. I have no decent speakers right now, and really don't want to paint something for a good few months. :D
I want to finally enjoy what I built. Right now I'm using a pair of el cheapo headphones, so the beast I have just finished building is collecting dust. :(

Have you heard of Z Reviews? He's a no-BS guy who reviews audio stuff on YouTube. Anyhow, he has this list on reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/4yd60f/guide_stereo_20_deskroom_setups_for_musicgaming/

I was looking at the Klipsch ones because I've read that this company makes good stuff for home theater, but the RP-150m are $1123 here in Israel, while only $420 in the US. HOWEVER, the JBL Studio 230, which are $400 in the US, are just $500 here, and Z Reviews calls them the big (and passive) brothers of the LSR305s. By the way, the LSR305s are sold here for $500. Funny, right? These prices make no sense. I think the Studio 230 are a steal, considering local prices. BTW, I could order the RP-150m from Amazon Italy for $600 (import charges included), but I don't know if they're worth the extra $100 and waiting time over the Studio 230.
 
rojo

rojo

Audioholic Samurai
yonyz said:
Oh hi. As I was opening the notification email, I thought it would be funny (read: nice) to see a reply from you here as well.

Budget is about $600 for the speakers. I'll get a cheapo amp for the time being, like a Lepai 2020a ($33), since I don't have surround or even a center speaker at the moment. But maybe I'll find a decent old receiver on used boards, we'll see.

So, to answer your question, I do not want to go DIY this time, for two reasons:

1. It's not economically justified due to the size of speakers. Subwoofers are heavy and costly to ship, but speakers are much lighter and smaller.
2. I have no decent speakers right now, and really don't want to paint something for a good few months. :D
I want to finally enjoy what I built. Right now I'm using a pair of el cheapo headphones, so the beast I have just finished building is collecting dust. :(

Have you heard of Z Reviews? He's a no-BS guy who reviews audio stuff on YouTube. Anyhow, he has this list on reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/4yd60f/guide_stereo_20_deskroom_setups_for_musicgaming/

I was looking at the Klipsch ones because I've read that this company makes good stuff for home theater, but the RP-150m are $1123 here in Israel, while only $420 in the US. HOWEVER, the JBL Studio 230, which are $400 in the US, are just $500 here, and Z Reviews calls them the big (and passive) brothers of the LSR305s. By the way, the LSR305s are sold here for $500. Funny, right? These prices make no sense. I think the Studio 230 are a steal, considering local prices. BTW, I could order the RP-150m from Amazon Italy for $600 (import charges included), but I don't know if they're worth the extra $100 and waiting time over the Studio 230.
Click to expand...

If the JBL Studio 230's are on the menu, those should be at the top of your list I think. They measure pretty well.

I doubt the Klipsch would sound $100 better. Re: Studio 230's vs. LSR305's, I vote for the 230's. If you'll eventually be adding a center and surrounds, then passive speakers would probably be better than active. Active would eventually require you to get a receiver with pre-amp outs, and receivers with that feature are generally more expensive. Besides, with the LSR305's you would also need a balanced / unbalanced converter.

The only reservation I have is that they appear to have a bit of a lively top end. Others have characterized them as bright as well. In a small room with linoleum floors, you might prefer something a little more recessed, maybe with a little more emphasis on the mids (like the KEF Q series). It's hard to know for certain.

Are the KEF Q100 or Q300 available in your price range?
 
Last edited:
Y

yonyz

Audioholic
rojo said:
If the JBL Studio 230's are on the menu, those should be at the top of your list I think. They measure pretty well.

I doubt the Klipsch would sound $100 better. Re: Studio 230's vs. LSR305's, I vote for the 230's. If you'll eventually be adding a center and surrounds, then passive speakers would probably be better than active. Active would eventually require you to get a receiver with pre-amp outs, and receivers with that feature are generally more expensive. Besides, with the LSR305's you would also need a balanced / unbalanced converter.

The only reservation I have is that they appear to have a bit of a lively top end. Others have characterized them as bright as well. In a small room with linoleum floors, you might prefer something a little more recessed, maybe with a little more emphasis on the mids (like the KEF Q series). It's hard to know for certain.

Are the KEF Q100 or Q300 available in your price range?
Click to expand...
No, they're $930 and $1150, respectively. But I could buy from amazon.it (amazon italy). 400 euros on amazon.it means about $550 to my doorstep.

Edit: They're not on amazon italy, but buying the Q100 from Amazon Germany would make them $650, while the Studio 230 are $465 and available for local pick up with local warranty... I dig the look of the KEF speakers, though.

Edit 2: Also, what do you think of a used pair of Dynaudio Audience 40?
 
Last edited:
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
yonyz said:
Edit: They're not on amazon italy, but buying the Q100 from Amazon Germany would make them $650, while the Studio 230 are $465 and available for local pick up with local warranty... I dig the look of the KEF speakers, though.
Click to expand...
I would keep the Studio 230 on a short list.

As far as so-called expert reviews, there is no expert for your ears. And there is
always a personality character involved when doing a lot of reviews.
 
rojo

rojo

Audioholic Samurai
yonyz said:
No, they're $930 and $1150, respectively. But I could buy from amazon.it (amazon italy). 400 euros on amazon.it means about $550 to my doorstep.

Edit: They're not on amazon italy, but buying the Q100 from Amazon Germany would make them $650, while the Studio 230 are $465 and available for local pick up with local warranty... I dig the look of the KEF speakers, though.

Edit 2: Also, what do you think of a used pair of Dynaudio Audience 40?
Click to expand...
The Dynaudio Audience 40 measured well also, but they've got some age on them. Hard to know how healthy the crossover components are, whether the surrounds are still in good shape, and so on. The Studio 230 is still the front runner in my opinion. If you buy them and don't enjoy how they sound, could you return them for a refund? Or would you have to resell them for a loss on the used market? Will the local source allow you to hear them before you buy them?
 
Y

yonyz

Audioholic
A
rojo said:
The Dynaudio Audience 40 measured well also, but they've got some age on them. Hard to know how healthy the crossover components are, whether the surrounds are still in good shape, and so on. The Studio 230 is still the front runner in my opinion. If you buy them and don't enjoy how they sound, could you return them for a refund? Or would you have to resell them for a loss on the used market? Will the local source allow you to hear them before you buy them?
Click to expand...
Well in Israel you can't return stuff unless it's broken or not opened at all. The stores that have the Studio 230 are not audio or music stores, they're actually electronics stores so there's a tiny chance that I'll be able to hear them, but if they're as good as the LSR305 then I'm sure I'll be happy with them.

Also, just out of curiosity, did you have a diy kit in mind for this budget?
 
rojo

rojo

Audioholic Samurai
yonyz said:
Well in Israel you can't return stuff unless it's broken or not opened at all. The stores that have the Studio 230 are not audio or music stores, they're actually electronics stores so there's a tiny chance that I'll be able to hear them, but if they're as good as the LSR305 then I'm sure I'll be happy with them.

Also, just out of curiosity, did you have a diy kit in mind for this budget?
Click to expand...
Not specifically. I was just thinking you could probably build left, right, and center for the cost of a pair of commercially-produced bookshelf speakers. There are several possible candidates on DIY Sound Group.
You could contact Erich and ask if he can ship to Israel, and maybe ask what he recommends.
 
Y

yonyz

Audioholic
rojo said:
Not specifically. I was just thinking you could probably build left, right, and center for the cost of a pair of commercially-produced bookshelf speakers. There are several possible candidates on DIY Sound Group.
You could contact Erich and ask if he can ship to Israel, and maybe ask what he recommends.
Click to expand...
Do you think the Fusion-6 Vibe can beat the JBL Studio 230s?
I sent Erich a message.

By the way, I drove to the only two stores in the country who have the Studio 230 and both didn't have them in stock. One of them did have a single Studio 230 speaker on display, but I don't think it was connected to anything. They look nice though.

Another store has the JBL LSR305, those are tiny compared with the Studio 230. I didn't bother listening to them though... Not sure why. o_O
 
Last edited:
rojo

rojo

Audioholic Samurai
yonyz said:
Do you think the Fusion-6 Vibe can beat the JBL Studio 230s?
I sent Erich a message.

By the way, I drove to the only two stores in the country who have the Studio 230 and both didn't have them in stock. One of them did have a single Studio 230 speaker on display, but I don't think it was connected to anything. They look nice though.

Another store has the JBL LSR305, those are tiny compared with the Studio 230. I didn't bother listening to them though... Not sure why. o_O
Click to expand...
I think the Fusion-6 would have a flatter response on its top end and higher sensitivity, but less low end extension. Since you've got a lovely subwoofer already, the low end extension should not be needed.
 
Y

yonyz

Audioholic
rojo said:
I think the Fusion-6 would have a flatter response on its top end and higher sensitivity, but less low end extension. Since you've got a lovely subwoofer already, the low end extension should not be needed.
Click to expand...
Sounds promising. Let's see if Erich can ship these at all. If I end up doing this, I'm done with brush painting. I'm gonna spray and be done with it. Also, good thing these kits come with screws as these T nuts were a pain in the ass with the subwoofer.
 
afterlife2

afterlife2

Audioholic Warlord
I have a Nxg Pro 4.1 Satellite Speaker as fronts/center and back for my home theater and they can go loud for HT. I would have recommended them, but they are discontinued here. If you can find them there you're in for a treat. :)
 
rojo

rojo

Audioholic Samurai
yonyz said:
Sounds promising. Let's see if Erich can ship these at all. If I end up doing this, I'm done with brush painting. I'm gonna spray and be done with it. Also, good thing these kits come with screws as these T nuts were a pain in the ass with the subwoofer.
Click to expand...
Not a thing wrong with that. Hey, I also happened to remember, if you don't own a soldering iron or don't feel like assembling the crossovers, Erich can probably recommend a couple of people who would assemble the crossovers for you on machined PCB boards for a reasonable price.
 
Y

yonyz

Audioholic
rojo said:
Not a thing wrong with that. Hey, I also happened to remember, if you don't own a soldering iron or don't feel like assembling the crossovers, Erich can probably recommend a couple of people who would assemble the crossovers for you on machined PCB boards for a reasonable price.
Click to expand...
Assembling a crossover sounds like fun, but the JBL Studio 230s are actually reasonably priced over here ($465), for a change, so I have no good excuse to go DIY this time.

Erich replied that I'll need to use a shipping forwarder, and I know that speaker components (with flat packs) are heavy so shipping would be expensive, and of course there's import duties. Plus, DIY speakers are probably very hard to sell to someone who's not familiar with particular designs.

Also, I just want to be able to use my sub already, watch a movie or whatever with it.

Edit: OK it might be cheaper than I thought. That center speaker is only $138, vs $350 for the JBL. Ugh... Well Erich hasn't told me the shipping weight for this set (2 front speakers + 1 center speaker), so I don't know. A center will allow me to lay on the bed without everything sounding too skewed. I'll await his reply...
 
Last edited:
Y

yonyz

Audioholic
I should receive the JBL 230s this week. :)

Now I can't decide between these receivers, not sure which has the better calibration system:
Yamaha RX-V675
Denon AVR-1713
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

newsletter

  • RBHsound.com
  • BlueJeansCable.com
  • SVS Sound Subwoofers
  • Experience the Martin Logan Montis

Sitemap

Sitemap

Site Information

Site Information

HTML

audio forum
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Twitter
  • instagram
  • rss
Top