Total Noob / Left/right on a budget?

[Schupo]

Hey all,

I'm brand new here. I've been seriously into music my entire life, both performing and listening. I've never had any reasonable stereo system in my life - the stock stereo in my 2002 Honda Accord is by far the best way I've got to listen to music, and I realize that's ridiculous.

Recently, I picked up some used stereo equipment off of craigslist - namely, a Sony TA-AX380 head and a pair of Jensen Champion 880s. Now, I realize that neither of these pieces would be great by your standards, but it sounded pretty good for my tastes - until my roommate destroyed the speakers. Now, I'm on the hunt for a new pair of speakers. The axiom M3s are looking pretty nice so far, and fit inside of my budget. I'm not looking to spend more than 300 dollars on speakers. I realize that comparatively, this is a trivial amount of money to be working with, but I'm a poor college student.

I'm going to be using these speakers almost exclusively for music, in a room about 12'x20'. Does anyone have any recommendations?

 

[Seth=L]

Those would be a great speaker, a big step up from Jensen Champion series speakers. I've had Champion series, it was nothing special (but it's where I started too). That receiver will do for now, but I wouldn't be surprised if you hear a lot of noise from it. Those Axioms are going to reveal a lot of things you probably haven't heard before, both in your music and likely audible hiss.

Edit: I did a little googling and found that the Sony integrated amplifier you have might be a pretty decent piece. It's old, but that's not always a bad thing. In Sony's case it's often a good thing.

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum!

Is your roommate chipping in for the new speakers? Seems fair, given that he/she destroyed the ones that you had.

Have you checked craigslist for other used speakers? Another member here found a pair of NHT 2.5i's for about $350. Stellar deal, IMO. You can always ask members here if they think something is a good deal - we won't always know, but there are a number of knowledgeable people here. Seth is, IMO, one of the masters of finding good deals on used equipment.

 

[Schupo]

Let's say my budget was extended to 500 dollars. What would you recommend I do?

 

[fredk]

1. Add a sub to those M3s
A $200 sub won't play killer low, but it will give you good extension for music: say down to 30Hz.

2. Step up to the Axiom M22. That will give you incredibly clean detailed sound.

3. See what you can get for $500 in the used market.

#1 would be my first choice.

 

[CraigV]

Have you checked craigslist for other used speakers?

It may take a little time & auditioning on your part, but this is a great way to go. Depending on the size of the town you’re in, there may be more or less offerings, but it can’t hurt to see what’s out there.

 

[sholling]

1. Add a sub to those M3s
A $200 sub won't play killer low, but it will give you good extension for music: say down to 30Hz.

2. Step up to the Axiom M22. That will give you incredibly clean detailed sound.

3. See what you can get for $500 in the used market.

#1 would be my first choice.

We've all been in your situation.

I like option #1. Keeping in mind that as a poor college student then the odds are that you live in an apartment and won't want a sub that's going to tick of neighbors. That means rear ported is out if you have someone behind that wall, and down firing isn't a good idea if you live above somebody. That limits you to just a couple of sub-$250 subwoofer choices.

Option #4 is a pair of inexpensive full towers. They will usually go a lot lower than bookshelf speakers but won't have the room shaking thump of a good subwoofer. They also often take less power to drive loud than a bookshelf speaker.

 

[forkbeard]

In the used market...

...a quick scan of EBAY finds a pair of PSB 3LRs available for $200. If they aren't damaged, a great value, I expect. 6 ohms nominal, efficient, -3db down to the mid-fifties. I've heard and liked the 1Bs and 2Bs from the same series.

I also saw a pair of Paradigm Studio 20s. Never heard them. But I've heard and liked the 40s alot. Too much when brand new for my budget at the time. So I 'settled' for Axiom Mi22s. I love them too.

 

[Schupo]

How would you guys recommend going about searching craigslist and ebay? A search for "speakers" came up with mostly car parts. I'm not sure of the terminology I should be using - should I search for specific speakers, or is there a good search method which would return speakers which are of the quality/type I'm looking for? I don't mind buying used, and if I could get better speakers for the same amount or less, I'd love to buy used.

How do those PSB 3LRs compare against the Axiom M3s?

 

[forkbeard]

Axiom M3s vs PSB 3LRs

Well I haven't heard either. So what can I say? Except I've listened to other speakers by the same manufacturers and from the same series. I like those brands - for a poor-man's system that's better than anyone else's you know.

Spec-wise, they're similar. Similar extension and sensitivity. Now the PSB is a three-driver 2.5 way design I'm pretty sure. The M3 is a two-driver, two-way. So the 3LR is more comparable to the Axiom M22, in terms of design and price-point. But it's the sound you're buying, not the design.

Also, both are ported designs, but the PSB has it's blowhole in front, Axiom in the rear. That could make a difference depending on your placement. If they have to go right up against the wall, the 3LR is a better bet.

 

[Rickster71]

As soon as you said you were on a budget, I thought of these:
http://www.thespeakercompany.com/Category.aspx?CategoryId=27

 

[3db]

Let's say my budget was extended to 500 dollars. What would you recommend I do?

Audition some PSB Image B25s or go used..

I would audition as many speakers in your price budget would allow with material your really familiar with. ... What I would do is to take a pad of paper with you, write down the make and model of each speaker you audition and what you liked and disliked about the speakers you were auditioning. Was the bass tight and deep or was it boomy and loose sounding? Were the mids life like or were they hollow or just too pronounced? Was the treble irritating and harsh or were they dark and not revealing or were they smooththat made you want to listen for more? How was the imaging?


I would go to speciality stores first and start auditioning speakers first
instead of going to the internet first. Once your likes are determined, you can
mention them here and fellow members can make internet brand recommendations based on your likes/dislikes. The specality stores are better setup acousticaly then the big box stores which will make auditioning a little easier. It will give you an idea of what you like in a speaker.

One thing to keep note off. When auditioning speakers, make sure the volume
levels are matched between the diiferent speaker pairs because the louder
speaker pair will always sound better. Listen to levels that you think you
would listen to most of the time because thats how you are going to be using
them most of the time.

 

[ski2xblack]

Would you consider DIY?

I may get flamed for suggesting something off the beaten path, but there are quite a few diy kits available. If you're willing to build them yourself you may find you get much more bang for your buck.

Here's a great 'college' speaker kit, for example:

http://www.pispeakers.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/3/products_id/108

 

[Schupo]

I'd love to go check out speakers, but unfortunately I don't know of any specialty stores anywhere near me. The only thing I can think of is Best Buy, and I don't trust Best Buy at all.

 

[ozmedia]

I wouldn't look for new

I'd love to go check out speakers, but unfortunately I don't know of any specialty stores anywhere near me. The only thing I can think of is Best Buy, and I don't trust Best Buy at all.

If it was me, and it has been, I wouldn't even bother looking for new speakers on such a budget. BestBuy & Putrid Shop sell junk, at retail prices, to suckers.

You can get WAY better product at a much more reasonable cost from Craigslist, local swap meets, the newspaper (used to be a source of news, information and advertisements in the old days) etc. Ask an elderly person and they may remember where to find one.

Find used, better bang for the buck 99.999% of the time.

Though I don't live in your area, here's an example fo the deals that are available if you look around for used audio (also look for alocal vintage audio shop, they are popping up everywhere these days. NOTE: I found searching for speakers but selecting from 'electronics' in Craigslist is best, the car speakers usually list under 'auto parts'.

"Energy 5.1E speakers, great sound, good condition. $120.00" (Canadian) Though they are entry level retail products, they are also a decent deal this way and not from the retailer.

PR. CLASSIC WHARFEDALE MACH 5 FLOOR SPREAKERS - $125
Again nothing special but they'll sound good and are inexpensive, a good value for money.

There are Paradigm 5's, BOSE 401's for under $60! (Yeah I know, "no hi's no lows, must be Bose") BUT AGAIN, THEY ARE CHEAP!

For someone who wants decent sound, on a slim budget, it only makes sense to get something old and well crafted. You'll STILL get better sound than most new speakers in a similar price range (and have enough left over for a case of beer).

Happy hunting!

 

[ju10503]

How would you guys recommend going about searching craigslist and ebay?

craigslist
speakers -car -tv
(the minus signs eliminate those terms)

ebay
browse electronics, find your category, then save aearch if you have a login
i prefer local, so use the left panel on ebay to specify distance to your home, so you can see stuff in person