Budget friendly speaker suggestions

[Rhntr1245]

A year ago I bought a Sony STR DH190 receiver and a pair of their SSCS5 speakers. I have complained about the system almost from day one. I wired the speakers with
16 gauge cooper. At some point I even rewired them after I tinned the tips, to try and improve sound quality. Moving them had a slight improvement.
I thought it was possibly the receiver until I recently pulled out an old Journey cd—Evolution—and listened to it. I made it 3/4 of the way thru before the ear fatigue became too overwhelming—my ears were on the cusp of literal pain. (I’m an apartment dweller. I cannot go old school and really crank up the volume.) I tried to use the Hi-Fi setting, adjusted the bass, and treble but got nowhere. Granted the receiver leaves a bit to be desired in its sound adjustments but I’ve had some good sound with just increasing the treble or bass a tad.
I finally concluded that the speakers aren’t working for me. I need a pair that’ll let me listen to music and have it sound right (The Indigo Girls and Tina Turner are missing sounds or they’re hiding tiny in the background) without ear fatigue and slight ear pain.
The wrench in the works is my pocketbook. I am disabled and going on 9yrs as a virtual shut-in. I’m on disability/fixed income. I had saved for the system. And thought I had thoroughly researched it.
It was meant to bring a little more into my world. Get me back into doing something I once enjoyed—listening to music. (I had given away a kicking Pioneer system I had left over from yesteryear.)
I can’t afford a pair of $500 speakers. But I don’t want some cheap as s*** set either. Realistically are there affordable speakers out there that can provide the full range of sound from The Indigo Girls, Aretha, Tina Turner, U2 and my original vinyl Springsteen, Who, Hendrix—too just name a few. And least I forget EARLY Journey.
Any suggestions other than turning the whole system into paperweights?
If you’ve read my whole posting, I applaud your fortitude. Thank you for reading and sharing suggestions.

 

[mono-bloc]

I think you should be looking at the performance of the Sony amp. Any speakers can only perform on the signal there given. And really without being rude the Sony 190 is a bottom of the barrel model with performance to match I think your expecting a lot. Would it be possible to beg, borrow or loan another receiver, to really test the speakers out. That being said, it might be better if you look for a 2nd hand, used, demo'd receiver to replace the Sony, You can then sell the 190 on the used market and there-by re'coop some of the costs involved.

 

[lovinthehd]

I'm with the OP and suspect the speakers more than the amp, amps don't have a lot to do with sound quality generally, especially in comparison to variances in speakers and even peoples' tastes in speakers, unless the amp is just plain defective or maybe a tube amp with odd qualities. The Sony speakers have their issues it seems looking at some measurements. Although I'd probably try the speakers in different positions/rooms to start to see how that might effect the experience, assuming there's some options in that regard and I'd generally just stick to two-ways at that price point.

What is the budget? Where are you? Could someone help you source something on craigslist or moving the gear around for experimentation?

 

[Kleinst]

I just found a whole set of Infinity Reference speakers for cheap used. They didn't cost a lot new when on sale but the bang for the buck is very good. You might be able to find some of those for a very reasonable price. Something to look out for perhaps .

 

[lovinthehd]

Be sure to enter the free giveaway here too.... https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/conversations/dvd-a.53068/#convMessage-86974

 

[BMXTRIX]

I will throw this out just for consideration:

Way back when I got into this hell of a hobby the first time, I bought a Kenwood home theater in a box kit. Proper A/V receiver and separate speakers and subwoofer. It was horrible, but worked for my first system. Pretty much early Internet days.

I ended up working for a good retailer in the area, and I picked up a new top of the line Yamaha receiver (RX-Z1) and a bunch of closeout Def-Tech speakers. It was like $4K worth of speakers for $1,000 or so. Nice deal.

The speakers came in first.

What the heck? I thought. I'll just hook them up and see how they sound until the new Yamaha receiver shows up and completely changes everything.

That was NOT the case! In fact, the Kenwood receiver did the new speakers next level justice. To the point where I found very little difference at normal listening volumes with the old Kenwood vs. the high end Yamaha. It just wasn't a night and day difference with the receivers. It was ALL about the speakers. The jump in quality when going from one set of speakers to another was truly a night and day experience.

I would strongly recommend trying a few different pairs of speakers if you can. In your home. See which set brings the music to life for you, then keep that set.

A new amp, with more power and better DACs, may be something to do in the future, but start out with a set of speakers which makes you smile.

 

[CajunLB]

A year ago I bought a Sony STR DH190 receiver and a pair of their SSCS5 speakers. I have complained about the system almost from day one. I wired the speakers with
16 gauge cooper. At some point I even rewired them after I tinned the tips, to try and improve sound quality. Moving them had a slight improvement.
I thought it was possibly the receiver until I recently pulled out an old Journey cd—Evolution—and listened to it. I made it 3/4 of the way thru before the ear fatigue became too overwhelming—my ears were on the cusp of literal pain. (I’m an apartment dweller. I cannot go old school and really crank up the volume.) I tried to use the Hi-Fi setting, adjusted the bass, and treble but got nowhere. Granted the receiver leaves a bit to be desired in its sound adjustments but I’ve had some good sound with just increasing the treble or bass a tad.
I finally concluded that the speakers aren’t working for me. I need a pair that’ll let me listen to music and have it sound right (The Indigo Girls and Tina Turner are missing sounds or they’re hiding tiny in the background) without ear fatigue and slight ear pain.
The wrench in the works is my pocketbook. I am disabled and going on 9yrs as a virtual shut-in. I’m on disability/fixed income. I had saved for the system. And thought I had thoroughly researched it.
It was meant to bring a little more into my world. Get me back into doing something I once enjoyed—listening to music. (I had given away a kicking Pioneer system I had left over from yesteryear.)
I can’t afford a pair of $500 speakers. But I don’t want some cheap as s*** set either. Realistically are there affordable speakers out there that can provide the full range of sound from The Indigo Girls, Aretha, Tina Turner, U2 and my original vinyl Springsteen, Who, Hendrix—too just name a few. And least I forget EARLY Journey.
Any suggestions other than turning the whole system into paperweights?
If you’ve read my whole posting, I applaud your fortitude. Thank you for reading and sharing suggestions.

If you can wait until the next sale I think you might like the JBL Studio 570 or 530. I have not heard any owners say anything about causing ear pa from being bright.

 

[Pogre]

Yup. Speakers. Swapping in a new amp won't change anything. I'm suspecting a setup or placement issue. That's one of the most overlooked parts of this hobby. Those Sony speakers are budget but not terrible by most accounts. The best system in the world can sound like crap with poor placement alone. Some pics of your room and setup might be helpful.

 

[McC]

Erin did a review of the Sony speakers:

https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/sony_sscs5/

I too suspect the speakers. The JBL 530 can be had for about $250 on sale and isn't a bad speaker at all. Of course, there are many others that are quite affordable and very decent speakers.

 

[Pogre]

If you can wait until the next sale I think you might like the JBL Studio 570 or 530. I have not heard any owners say anything about causing ear pa from being bright.

Erin did a review of the Sony speakers:

https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/sony_sscs5/

I too suspect the speakers. The JBL 530 can be had for about $250 on sale and isn't a bad speaker at all. Of course, there are many others that are quite affordable and very decent speakers.

Yup. The JBL 5 series are great speakers and go 50% off quite often. The 570s are half off right now but pushing the limits of your budget at $400/pr...

Keep an eye on their site tho and it won't be long before those 530s go on sale again. Those are nice. VERY nice at half price or even less.

 

[afterlife2]

We'll just in time... Get these and on sale:

Studio 570 | Professional-quality150-watt Floorstanding Speaker

JBL Studio 570 floorstanding loudspeaker delivers robust sound at a professional level and can work with multiple power amplifiers and fit any home decor.

www.jbl.com

 

[3db]

A year ago I bought a Sony STR DH190 receiver and a pair of their SSCS5 speakers. I have complained about the system almost from day one. I wired the speakers with
16 gauge cooper. At some point I even rewired them after I tinned the tips, to try and improve sound quality. Moving them had a slight improvement.
I thought it was possibly the receiver until I recently pulled out an old Journey cd—Evolution—and listened to it. I made it 3/4 of the way thru before the ear fatigue became too overwhelming—my ears were on the cusp of literal pain. (I’m an apartment dweller. I cannot go old school and really crank up the volume.) I tried to use the Hi-Fi setting, adjusted the bass, and treble but got nowhere. Granted the receiver leaves a bit to be desired in its sound adjustments but I’ve had some good sound with just increasing the treble or bass a tad.
I finally concluded that the speakers aren’t working for me. I need a pair that’ll let me listen to music and have it sound right (The Indigo Girls and Tina Turner are missing sounds or they’re hiding tiny in the background) without ear fatigue and slight ear pain.
The wrench in the works is my pocketbook. I am disabled and going on 9yrs as a virtual shut-in. I’m on disability/fixed income. I had saved for the system. And thought I had thoroughly researched it.
It was meant to bring a little more into my world. Get me back into doing something I once enjoyed—listening to music. (I had given away a kicking Pioneer system I had left over from yesteryear.)
I can’t afford a pair of $500 speakers. But I don’t want some cheap as s*** set either. Realistically are there affordable speakers out there that can provide the full range of sound from The Indigo Girls, Aretha, Tina Turner, U2 and my original vinyl Springsteen, Who, Hendrix—too just name a few. And least I forget EARLY Journey.
Any suggestions other than turning the whole system into paperweights?
If you’ve read my whole posting, I applaud your fortitude. Thank you for reading and sharing suggestions.

Where are you located? How's the used market in your neck of the woods. All my speakers and subs in my 2nd and 3rd system were bought used. All PSB and all revealling without sounding bright and harsh.

 

[Pogre]

Where are you located? How's the used market in your neck of the woods. All my speakers and subs in my 2nd and 3rd system were bought used. All PSB and all revealling without sounding bright and harsh.

Yup. I have an entire thread dedicated to Craigslist finds. The used market can be a great resource for speakers. They last forever if well taken care of.

 

[Pogre]

We'll just in time... Get these and on sale:

Studio 570 | Professional-quality150-watt Floorstanding Speaker

JBL Studio 570 floorstanding loudspeaker delivers robust sound at a professional level and can work with multiple power amplifiers and fit any home decor.

www.jbl.com

Those are an awesome deal right now but I think outside op's budget still.

 

[shadyJ]

If you are not doing some head-banging, these Dayton MK442T speakers are solid budget speakers. When my father asked me what budget speakers to get, I told him to get those, and he has been very happy with them.

 

[Pogre]

If you are not doing some head-banging, these Dayton MK442T speakers are solid budget speakers. When my father asked me what budget speakers to get, I told him to get those, and he has been very happy with them.

Those are interesting with the TL design. I've always wanted to get a pair of TL speakers in my room to see how they respond compared to my regular ported speakers.

 

[MalVeauX]

Hi,

Good speakers and a well treated room make the biggest impact secondary to simply good source media to begin with. The amp and dac and stuff involved have the least effect overall, but matter of course. At the budget level, I would put everything towards the speakers. Your stereo receiver is plenty good for almost anything in a fairly small room like in an apartment, so you should be fine there.

Overall maybe you might benefit best from and equalizer or DSP of some kind, not sure what your receiver is capable of there, but a simple equalizer may help a ton to tame the treble to avoid fatigue perhaps. I'm guessing you're turning it up to hear the mids and bass more and the treble just stings (again, just a guess, not trying to imply anything). So perhaps you would like the results better if you could just tame the treble. You could try to do this with room treatment, to an extent, but ultimately a little equalizer could be a good thing to try for this if this is more like what you're experiencing.

Otherwise, there are excellent budget speakers that are not bright out there. Just need to know your max budget and where you can buy from.

Very best,

 

[Teetertotter?]

For mid size room to smaller, JBL Stage A 130 has great reviews, and I have too. I use mainly for DD movies and some MP3. One reviewer has said the 130's are slightly better than the older JBL 530's.

 

[TLS Guy]

For mid size room to smaller, JBL Stage A 130 has great reviews, and I have too. I use mainly for DD movies and some MP3. One reviewer has said the 130's are slightly better than the older JBL 530's.

I think this guy has lost interest. I sent him a PM with an offer for a nice pair of bookshelf speakers for free, that have a ruler flat mid-band response on and off axis. I never got a reply.

 

[Teetertotter?]

I think this guy has lost interest. I sent him a PM with an offer for a nice pair of bookshelf speakers for free, that have a ruler flat mid-band response on and off axis. I never got a reply.
[/QU
Do you mean you never received a reply from the OP @Rhntr1245