This is my final straw! TELL ME what speakers you would buy with this budget

[ErinH]

Truthfully, I can't take it anymore. 3 weeks of indecisiveness is making me want to not even bother (but we all know that's not possible).



You're looking for something for a basic 2.1 setup to go in a 20x12x9 living room with hardwood floors. Mainly to be used for TV/dvd/cd's, but no home theater. You are pretty much sure you're either getting a bic h-100 or (2) 10" daytons (they're cheap). So, no worries with sub.

You have $300 to buy towers with and not a penny more, so that includes shipping.

What do you buy?




(yes, "you" is me)

 

[gus6464]

Can you only buy online?

 

[ErinH]

Yes. I would prefer to actually.... there are no local shops other than BB, CC, etc.

 

[corysmith01]

With that budget, I'd buy the x-sls while they're still on sale to alot for shipping. Once they're no longer on sale, they'll be outside of that budget ($319/pr + shipping). At that price, you'd be hard-pressed to find better both in terms of performance and build quality.

 

[gus6464]

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?search=omni+350&i=653OMN350

2x of those would be exactly $300 with free shipping. But before you buy I would first head out to a BB that has a magnolia so you can hear the mirage omnipolar sound. Some people like it while others don't.

 

[ErinH]

I was going to buy them but they're $50 out of my range with the $85 shipping. I even PM'd mark on the forums about seeing if he could work something out but I haven't heard back so I'm moving on.

So, looks like those are out.

 

[corysmith01]

Huh? Unless I've really gotten bad at math over the years, with a price of $239 plus $85 in shipping, that comes to $324, which, granted, is $4 over budget. But not $50. Did I miss something?

 

[ErinH]

Huh? Unless I've really gotten bad at math over the years, with a price of $239 plus $85 in shipping, that comes to $324, which, granted, is $4 over budget. But not $50. Did I miss something?

I was looking at the ones with grills, sorry. They're about $25 over budget... The $50 came from my typo. I meant to say $300 budget. My bad.

I actually went so far as to pull out the credit card. I was under the assumption that they offered free shipping. I was sadly mistaken.

 

[corysmith01]

Ahh, I see. So $300 it is. Okay...back to the drawing board.

 

[ErinH]

I gotta be honest. I started off looking at the Aperion bookshelf speakers and thought that when I get the extra $ I could upgrade to towers...but if I do that then I'll just have to replace them later when they get moved to my HT room.

The agony... lol.

 

[pzaur]

I own a set of the 533-Ts and love them. Aperion does have a "trade up" policy. I would still audition them because of the shipping being "free" both ways.

You also may want to check out Saturday Audio. They've got he Monitor Audio Bronze B2 for $279/pair and Bronze B1 for $199/pair. I'm not sure what shipping would be. The range looks very respectable for their size. Monitor gets recommended regularly as a brand to check out.

Click on "Deals" in the left column.

I've never heard these speakers before. So, take my advice with that in mind.

-pat

 

[yettitheman]

Pawn shops? Talk to a guy named Seth=L, tell him I sent you

If you could save up a bit more money...the B&W 686's sound good when they are positioned correctly, and have quite a bit of bass for small speakers (see not requiring a subwoofer perhaps). However, the bass is slightly boomy and overextended compared to the 685's which feel more natural and make less of an initial impact. I've personally listened to the 686's and they are good speakers, especially for their very small size. You could always make them surround speakers if you ever upgraded But, I've also listened to the 685's and although a put-off at first, (first the speakers were wired out of phase and the bass wasn't as pronounced as the 686's) they are more true to the music and fill the room with sound better than the 686's.

I would also recommend the Paradigm Studio 20's. I've seen them used for around $400, and they are defiantly quite good performers. However, it's been about a year since I've listened to them, and construction/drivers change, but they still might be the same. I would assume and hope so

The ERA D4 is even smaller than the B&W 686, but puts out a surprisingly good, clean sound that fills the room. The only problem is that it does not have much low end at all. And I think they are $600 as well.

Staying in budget:
Speakers that I've heard of, but not heard:

Axiom M2
http://www.axiomaudio.com/m2i_main.html

SVS SBS-01
http://www.svsound.com/products-spks-sbs01.cfm





I don't recommend Bose or White Van Speakers.
Example:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/ele/498523350.html
http://www.bose.com

 

[Seth=L]

To the OP, you will find better sound if you look at used speakers.

 

[Seth=L]

Pawn shops? Talk to a guy named Seth=L, tell him I sent you

If you could save up a bit more money...the B&W 686's sound good when they are positioned correctly, and have quite a bit of bass for small speakers (see not requiring a subwoofer perhaps). However, the bass is slightly boomy and overextended compared to the 685's which feel more natural and make less of an initial impact. I've personally listened to the 686's and they are good speakers, especially for their very small size. You could always make them surround speakers if you ever upgraded But, I've also listened to the 685's and although a put-off at first, (first the speakers were wired out of phase and the bass wasn't as pronounced as the 686's) they are more true to the music and fill the room with sound better than the 686's.

I would also recommend the Paradigm Studio 20's. I've seen them used for around $400, and they are defiantly quite good performers. However, it's been about a year since I've listened to them, and construction/drivers change, but they still might be the same. I would assume and hope so

The ERA D4 is even smaller than the B&W 686, but puts out a surprisingly good, clean sound that fills the room. The only problem is that it does not have much low end at all. And I think they are $600 as well.

Staying in budget:
Speakers that I've heard of, but not heard:

Axiom M2
http://www.axiomaudio.com/m2i_main.html

SVS SBS-01
http://www.svsound.com/products-spks-sbs01.cfm





I don't recommend Bose or White Van Speakers.
Example:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/ele/498523350.html
http://www.bose.com

The OP has clearly expressed the budget cannot be stretched beyond $300.

 

[Jacksmyname]

Vann's also has the Mirage Omni 350 @ $300 for a pair, with free shipping.
I'm a big fan of Mirage. Have a pair of the Omnisat v2 floorstanders in a secondary system that are terrific. Just installed 4 of their Omnican 6 in-ceilings for surrounds for my main system that has a pair of 18 year old Mirage floorstanders and a Mirage S12 sub. VERY pleased here with the Mirage products.

 

[ErinH]

To the OP, you will find better sound if you look at used speakers.

I've looked in the classifieds both here and on avsforums with no luck. Nearly everything is $400+.

 

[ErinH]

Thanks to everyone else for suggestions. Keep 'em coming please.

I'll continue to do my "research" today.

 

[mazersteven]

Thanks to everyone else for suggestions. Keep 'em coming please.

I'll continue to do my "research" today.

Find a way to get the extra cash, and stop goofing around. I mean how much are we really talking about here for all this aggravation?

 

[Davemcc]

Find a way to get the extra cash, and stop goofing around. I mean how much are we really talking about here for all this aggravation?

I hear ya. But this has got to be a tough hobby for somebody that can't come up with $24 over budget for something like the x-sls.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

We could all chip in a buck to help out but then what will we do when he wants an amp?

Come-on; you can save 24 bucks by skipping the Star-Bucks coffee for one week....