Post Your Best Budget Speaker Finds Here

[afterlife2]

I've been enjoying my JBL 530s for the past month+ of use. But, came across a pair of Paradigm Premier 200B speakers last week for $225. They were being sold by a guy who was clearing out the place of an audiophile who had 30 pair of speakers in his apartment. Given, the crowded field of $1,000 a pair speakers, I don't think I would have paid much attention towards these speakers, but at $225 a pair? They have me impressed for the price, but will swap back to the JBL 530s again to see which I prefer more. #LoveBargains

View attachment 34364

Did you ever swap out?

 

[wje2]

Did you ever swap out?

Yes, then sold the Paradigm 200B because they had too much of a "relaxed" sound. Now, using the Elac Debut Reference, in the aged oak/white finish. Found them as an "open box" item for $426.00.

 

[afterlife2]

Yes, then sold the Paradigm 200B because they had too much of a "relaxed" sound. Now, using the Elac Debut Reference, in the aged oak/white finish. Found them as an "open box" item for $426.00.

Where are the 530?

 

[John Parks]

Anyone get anything lately?

Well, I could not leave well enough alone and found an awesome deal on... I'll let you know when they arrive Monday!

 

[John Parks]

So these arrived at work today... Each box weighs a hefty 43 pounds!

 

[afterlife2]

So these arrived at work today... Each box weighs a hefty 43 pounds!View attachment 35531

Cool what color?

 

[John Parks]

Cool what color?

Um, black?

 

[afterlife2]

Um, black?View attachment 35550

I doubt it. You like diverse colors. Hmmm...

 

[John Parks]

Okay - fine. I do and these are the only color I would have considered - white! So why do they belong in this thread? Well, they are not more than a few months old and I got them for roughly 40% of retail (60% off). They are in absolutely perfect condition and the fine gentleman that sold them to me claims they only had "20 hours" on them and "were not even broken in" (take that for the grain of salt that it is).

So, after a few songs I can say... uh, wow. These are totally amazing. When I had to sell my KEFs, I was sad, but knew I would be able to replace them. For my budget at that moment, I got the Focals and those are very... nice. That's not a negative comment - they really are. But that is how I would describe them to anyone: nice. Nice, airy (very airy) treble, nice mids and, hey, the bass is pretty nice as well. They earn my hearty recommendation for a really "nice", safe speaker that is not going to do anything wrong. If you are yawning, I don't blame you - I'm not really into "nice". Like I said four (now eight) songs in and the Elacs are not "nice". They are incisive, detailed, and even brutal. The Focals "present" the recording, the Elacs grab your freakin' ears and make you look into it. Sweet... Imma just have to do a real review of these. In the mean-time:

 

[afterlife2]

Glad you like them. When are the Focals going for sale?

 

[slipperybidness]

Okay - fine. I do and these are the only color I would have considered - white! So why do they belong in this thread? Well, they are not more than a few months old and I got them for roughly 40% of retail (60% off). They are in absolutely perfect condition and the fine gentleman that sold them to me claims they only had "20 hours" on them and "were not even broken in" (take that for the grain of salt that it is).

So, after a few songs I can say... uh, wow. These are totally amazing. When I had to sell my KEFs, I was sad, but knew I would be able to replace them. For my budget at that moment, I got the Focals and those are very... nice. That's not a negative comment - they really are. But that is how I would describe them to anyone: nice. Nice, airy (very airy) treble, nice mids and, hey, the bass is pretty nice as well. They earn my hearty recommendation for a really "nice", safe speaker that is not going to do anything wrong. If you are yawning, I don't blame you - I'm not really into "nice". Like I said four (now eight) songs in and the Elacs are not "nice". They are incisive, detailed, and even brutal. The Focals "present" the recording, the Elacs grab your freakin' ears and make you look into it. Sweet... Imma just have to do a real review of these. In the mean-time:
View attachment 35554View attachment 35555

So. Many. Questions! LOL

Is that artificial turf behind the TV???

Why does that light need a cage?

Nice "deer head", LOL!

 

[John Parks]

Glad you like them. When are the Focals going for sale?

View attachment 35562

So. Many. Questions! LOL

Is that artificial turf behind the TV???

Why does that light need a cage?

Nice "deer head", LOL!

Hey - thanks for asking! That's a groovy shag rug behind the TV; The caged lights are Ikea handheld lanterns that I thought looked neat mounted; The "deer head" represents man's juxtaposition of being forced to exist in urban areas whilst suppressing the instinct to hunt... Nah, I saw it and thought it looked cool.

 

[afterlife2]

Ah bachelorhood! Those will sell fast. I await your assessment on the Elac. People seem to love those on YouTube. Looking forward to more pics on your thread. PS Those blue stands are cool looking.

 

[Hench4Life]

Awesome and huge congrats!

I almost sprang for the A-61's and the stands since they're so inexpensive at MD. I'd have gone white as well. I've heard more than a few people say the R3's can't hold a candle. My only hesitation on these was Andrew designing both these - and surprisingly the floor standers - to be used with a sub. It wasn't an issue when I thought I'd be in my townhouse, but life comes at you fast. I reevaluated after moving, but these stayed high on my short list.

These things are built like freaking tanks, that aluminum baffle is stunning. I also love the tweeter grill, very cool design. I assume you've got a sub? If not, I'll be interested to hear if the roll-off at 50Hz is an issue. IIRC, these things need at least 200 hours to start to relax? Keep us posted on any changes. If you decide to opt for the sexy, sexy stands, I think MD still has them for half price. I have no idea why they rolled these out to such fanfare and then unceremoniously dropped them not a year later. Too expensive? Too big? (they are beasts).

Speaking of Elac, the main reason I was here is I just saw that Elac's offering 30% off on their budget-ish speakers right now (4/10 thru 5/11). I'd imagine if Elac is offering the discount direct, then other resellers will follow suit. I might grab a bunch for a surround system assuming I find a receiver with enough current.

 

[John Parks]

Awesome and huge congrats!

I almost sprang for the A-61's and the stands since they're so inexpensive at MD. I'd have gone white as well. I've heard more than a few people say the R3's can't hold a candle. My only hesitation on these was Andrew designing both these - and surprisingly the floor standers - to be used with a sub. It wasn't an issue when I thought I'd be in my townhouse, but life comes at you fast. I reevaluated after moving, but these stayed high on my short list.

These things are built like freaking tanks, that aluminum baffle is stunning. I also love the tweeter grill, very cool design. I assume you've got a sub? If not, I'll be interested to hear if the roll-off at 50Hz is an issue. IIRC, these things need at least 200 hours to start to relax? Keep us posted on any changes. If you decide to opt for the sexy, sexy stands, I think MD still has them for half price. I have no idea why they rolled these out to such fanfare and then unceremoniously dropped them not a year later. Too expensive? Too big? (they are beasts).

Speaking of Elac, the main reason I was here is I just saw that Elac's offering 30% off on their budget-ish speakers right now (4/10 thru 5/11). I'd imagine if Elac is offering the discount direct, then other resellers will follow suit. I might grab a bunch for a surround system assuming I find a receiver with enough current.

Hey Hench! Thanks for the response. Yes, I have a sub and, unfortunately, last night I got my first noise complaint. I was big time into demoing music sans sub and the volume was getting progressively higher (man these things play BIG!) and I decided to incorporate the Hsu 15"er and it was heavenly! Around 9:30 came a rapping at my door and the apartment liaison/security guard was there, saying someone complained that they were trying to sleep and please turn down the bass. This surprised me because I helped design these apartments and addressing noise was a big deal (this was unusual from a client standpoint because most acoustic proposals get nixed once the budget comes back). Our complex is in an old office building with 4" minimum concrete floors and 1" air gaps between all the walls, but I guess all noise transmission can't be covered (especially low notes). I'll try to be more respectful in the future.

I could not find any available matching stands and decided to go with the stools because (1) they were blue - working with the decor and all that (2) they were cheap and (3) aftermarket stands don't appeal to me all that much (Solidsteel tripod ones excluded, but $$$). I'll evaluate how much the stools may be a detriment...

Now, AS-61 vs R3 - that is an interesting one and I'll have to get back to you on that, but I do know, based on my experience, they are very different animals, even with similar approaches (coincident drivers). Jack Oclee-Brown is very much a button down, tweed jacket kind of guy (from what I have seen) and Andrew Jones seems more rock 'n roll and it shows in their respective speakers.

 

[Hench4Life]

Hey Hench! Thanks for the response. Yes, I have a sub and, unfortunately, last night I got my first noise complaint. I was big time into demoing music sans sub and the volume was getting progressively higher (man these things play BIG!) and I decided to incorporate the Hsu 15"er and it was heavenly! Around 9:30 came a rapping at my door and the apartment liaison/security guard was there, saying someone complained that they were trying to sleep and please turn down the bass. This surprised me because I helped design these apartments and addressing noise was a big deal (this was unusual from a client standpoint because most acoustic proposals get nixed once the budget comes back). Our complex is in an old office building with 4" minimum concrete floors and 1" air gaps between all the walls, but I guess all noise transmission can't be covered (especially low notes). I'll try to be more respectful in the future.

I could not find any available matching stands and decided to go with the stools because (1) they were blue - working with the decor and all that (2) they were cheap and (3) aftermarket stands don't appeal to me all that much (Solidsteel tripod ones excluded, but $$$). I'll evaluate how much the stools may be a detriment...

Now, AS-61 vs R3 - that is an interesting one and I'll have to get back to you on that, but I do know, based on my experience, they are very different animals, even with similar approaches (coincident drivers). Jack Oclee-Brown is very much a button down, tweed jacket kind of guy (from what I have seen) and Andrew Jones seems more rock 'n roll and it shows in their respective speakers.

Sorry about the noise! So hard to find good neighbors. Hard to believe I was looking at standmounts just back in December. I figured I was going to get something that could play nice quietly, until the neighbor got a subwoofer for Christmas. I was ready to move the Thiel's in!

I've heard that these are practically indistinguishable from the floor standers, other than the latter might get a bit louder. If you've got subs then there's no issue other than neighbors!

I just checked, and it looks like Music Direct sold out of the stands - I guess it has been about 6 months! Regular price is a pretty steep (if even available anywhere), the blue stools should work as long as the height is ok! That's one of the issues I was running up against - decent third party stands. Some have gotten kind of shoddy as well. But, floor standers solve that issue!

Yes, KEF can certainly be perceived as a bit more staid, and I certainly wouldn't ever expect to see them demonstrating their speakers with Infected Mushroom or Rammstein like Andrew! I think Andrew was the sort of kick in the pants Elac needed. I think the Adante was sort of a middle finger to KEF in some ways - the design is fascinating. Especially the internal woofer/passive radiator setup.

I'm a huge KEF fan (so close to getting R7's) I have no doubt these are not nearly as polite but still endowed with that Jones flavor. With the right matching is probably stunning. I'd be interested if these have some of the same inherent problems of the KEF regarding dispersion and placement (not like that's unique). I can't tell you what a relief it is to see somebody that doesn't push their speakers right up against the wall too! I have to bite my lip when I see $15k speakers 4" away from the back wall and 6" away from the turntable!

Anyway, really look forward to hearing how these pan out for you, really exciting.

 

[Pogre]

Not sure about "budget", but I did find these Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2s on Craigslist in excellent condition for $850 less than retail!

I just brought them home a couple of hours ago and falling in love already.

 

[Hench4Life]

Not sure about "budget", but I did find these Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2s on Craigslist in excellent condition for $950 less than retail!

I just brought them home a couple of hours ago and falling in love already.

Awesome! These guys were on my shortlist when I thought I was downsizing. Love that RAAL tweeter.

So, $950 less than the $1500 retail? That's a pretty hefty discount, I'd call it budget at that price. Quite the score, enjoy!

 

[Pogre]

Awesome! These guys were on my shortlist when I thought I was downsizing. Love that RAAL tweeter.

So, $950 less than the $1500 retail? That's a pretty hefty discount, I'd call it budget at that price. Quite the score, enjoy!

It was $850 less than retail. I paid $650 for them. For some reason I kept thinking he sold them for $1,598. I edited my post and fixed it.

Still, I'm pretty tickled for what I got!

 

[Hench4Life]

It was $850 less than retail. I paid $650 for them. For some reason I kept thinking he sold them for $1,598. I edited my post and fixed it.

Still, I'm pretty tickled for what I got!

Still silly cheap.

Speakers as long as they're cosmetically decent are one of the things I'm happy to get used. Nicely broken in and ready to go!