Just got a Panasonic ST30, wow the default speakers are worse than I heard, HELP!

[Mkilbride]

So yeah, I mean, I've been using a 10+ year old CRT TV, and figured even Onboard speakers from a 2011 TV would be better than that, though not good by any means. However, they actually sound worse, and at times...robotic, like a cell phone ringtone when music plays...just...ek.

So I want to replace them, however, I'm looking at a budget of 200-250$...max. I want to get something acceptable, but not a 800$+ setup I know some of you get here. 200-250$ should be good. I was thinking of powered speakers, but not sure, thanks. Wanted to go for two bookshelf speakers, maybe two that are long...so I don't have to put them on a desk or anything.(This includes needing a receiver, to calculate that into the budget)

Something like the two shown in this picture, my father has an old Sony Stereo from like 1995 or so, with two nice Bookshelf speakers that come to about my stomach or so, and I thought two on each side like that would be nice, no need to mount or level them really.

*****

These look reasonable

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/800816108-USE/Sony_SS_F5000_SS_F5000_3_Way_Floor_Standing_Speaker.html

2 for 50$, then about 150-200$ for a Receiver. I don't really know about any of this stuff, but thanks.

 

[agarwalro]

The white speaker costs $300+ for the pair. Look up Axiom Audio M3.

To have a few reasonable options that budget needs to be upped to $500 minimum ($1000 with subwoofer since any bookshelf speaker setup mandates a sub for doing justice to low frequencies). IMO, save some more cash and use the time to audition different speakers from various brands.

 

[Mkilbride]

The white speaker costs $300+ for the pair. Look up Axiom Audio M3.

To have a few reasonable options that budget needs to be upped to $500 minimum ($1000 with subwoofer since any bookshelf speaker setup mandates a sub for doing justice to low frequencies). IMO, save some more cash and use the time to audition different speakers from various brands.

Wasn't saying those exact speakers, just ones that stood up like them.

However, yeah, not going to spend anywhere near 1000$. No sir. 250$ is my max. I don't think you guys are understanding here. I want something to replace the shitty speakers on the TV that will sound pretty decent by comparison...

I don't need a Ultra-High Definition Home Theater with 7.1 surround sound, 2 subs, and having friends coming over for 8 hour TV sessions and I can't get them to leave.

I do not have the money right now to buy a high-end audio system, but at the same time, the speakers on the TV are hard to bear.

Someone suggested this.

Amazon.com: Yamaha YAS-101BL Front Surround System, Piano Black: Electronics

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-SC-HTB10-2-1-Channel-System-Through/dp/B003TIHPC6/ref=pd_cp_e_4

Looking more at these Soundbars, they become tempting. They look to have pretty decent quality and be a temp fix until later on I can get a real system, maybe? I don't know, I'm not to picky. I was hoping to pick up a receiver for 160-200$ and 40-50$ speakers, then buy some wire & ship the ****.

 

[FirstReflection]

If all you want to do is get reasonable sound quality from a pair of speakers for around $200-$250, your idea of self-powered speakers is a good one. That way, you can simply connect them to the red & white analogue audio outputs on the back of your ST30 TV and still use the TV's remote to adjust the volume.

At $250 max, you're not really going to be able to get decent speakers plus a receiver to power them, so self-powered speakers is very likely your best bet for this particular situation. Hopefully, one day you'll come around to the idea of paying a good chunk of cash - about equal to the price of your ST30 TV - for a nice surround sound setup. I'm always a bit boggled that people are so willing to spend a good amount on the screen, but then don't want to pay anything for the sound. To me, the sound is at least half the experience, so I think it's perfectly reasonable to spend just as much if not more on the audio side of things.

But enough about that

You're unlikely to find any self-powered tower speakers that fit your price range - perhaps unlikely to find any self-powered tower speakers at all (I don't think I've ever seen any). So be prepared to add a pair of stands for these speakers to go on.

I'll offer up a couple of good choices for inexpensive, self-powered speakers:

1) Audioengine. The A2 model hits your $200 price point. They're small, but they sound great for their price and size. The A5 is larger and more expensive (about $300 most places), but offers deeper bass with its larger size and price tag.

Very nice sound from Audioengine and easy to hook up to your ST30's analogue red/white outputs. You just run a standard stereo red/white audio cable from the back of the TV to one of the speakers (which has the amp inside and a volume dial of its own), and then you run a single (provided) cable from that speaker to the other speaker and that's it!

2) Behringer. Rather large and ugly as can be, Behringer's self-powered speakers are meant for recording studios, so pretty much none of the money went into looks. But what was saved on looks DID go into sound quality, so if that matters more than size and looks, these could be a good choice. For your budget, the B1030a or B2030a are going to be the models to look at.

Honestly, I think the Audioengine speakers are pretty much what you're looking for. Again, don't expect any pants-flapping bass from those little guys. But you'll get some pretty darn nice sound quality and very easy hook up to your TV from them

Grab some nice speaker stands with the Audioengine A2 and you'll still be under budget and have MUCH better sound than what's built into your ST30.

Hope that helps!

And Merry Christmas!

 

[Mkilbride]

Hmm.

I've thought of something that would allow for future upgrades and would like to get your input on it.

Amazon.com: Pioneer VSX-521-K 5.1 Home Theater Receiver, Glossy Black: Electronics

Brand new in factory sealed package + Free upgrade to expedited shipping. Do not ship to APO/FPO/PO box address and NJ, CA, TN, HI, AK.

169$ + 16$ shipping(expedited though)

Dayton Audio B652 6-1/2" 2-Way Bookshelf Speaker Pair 300-652

Amazon.com: RCA AH1650SN 50 Ft. 16-Gauge Speaker Wire: Electronics

Amazon.com: Mediabridge - Toslink Cable - Optical Digital Audio Cable - 10ft: Electronics

This is all I would need, right?

With the speakers comes to about 256$. Shipping included. Based on Amazons guesses, could arrive anywhere from January 5-10th.

Thoughts?

Also, at a later date, I could add this on:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-635

 

[agarwalro]

Struggling with delayed gratification . I kid, I kid .

If you're looking at 5.1 AVRs with future additions in mind, might as well get a 7.1 AVR.

 

[Mkilbride]

Struggling with delayed gratification . I kid, I kid .

If you're looking at 5.1 AVRs with future additions in mind, might as well get a 7.1 AVR.

Huh?

I don't want to really break my budget, and I can't find any 7.1's with such a sweet deal.

Sony STRDH520 7.1

Hmm, I found this

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-STRDH520-Channel-Receiver-Black/dp/B004NHCGJO/ref=sr_1_4?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1324882966&sr=1-4

Free Shipping, VS the 16$ shipping. So it would be 186 VS 199, what do you think?

*Nevermind, Amazon "Usually ships within 1-2 months" eff that.

http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=220061115&sellerid=14729380

Found this here. Thoughts? It bumps my budget up 10$, but do you think it would be worth it?

 

[FirstReflection]

Yeah, it's very tough to say whether you'd ever get around to actually expanding your sound system with that receiver or whether you'd wind up doing what so many of us have done, which is throwing out what you buy now and starting fresh with a whole new setup A lot of us started with the same sort of intention of buying a few, very cheap items now and upgrading and expanding in stages. Some people stuck with that plan. And others (like me) just wind up buying a full system at each upgrade stage it seems

So whether it will turn out to be the better value in the long run is going to depend on you. I can say for the Audioengine speakers that they're the sort of thing you'll pretty much always find a good use for somewhere in your house

If you really want to keep the cost to a minimum, get yourself over to monoprice.com! $10 for an optical cable? Craziness. Try $2.58 for a 10 foot length Yup, that's Monoprice

Monoprice has speakers too - cheap ones. That are surprisingly "not awful" Heck, you could swing an entire 5.1 speaker set from Monoprice, although that package is showing as out of stock at the moment. They've got a pair of bookshelf speakers for $28 though - so there's an option. Supposedly, their $84 12" subwoofer also ain't half bad. I haven't heard it for myself, so I can't comment directly. But at that price?! It's amazing any sound comes out of it at all, really

For a receiver, I really can't get specific. I tend to like Onkyo in the low price ranges, but I can't point you specifically to a great deal at the moment.

Regardless, you're looking at some really bare minimum stuff if you're trying to get a receiver and a pair of speakers for $200. Better than your TV's built in speakers? Yeah, pretty much anything is better than those. But it's still pretty bad. The Audioengine A2 on the other hand - they sound pretty nice. Although one concern with them is going to be how clean the signal coming out of your TV's analogue outputs is going to be. The A2 will amplify any noise that's coming through those red/white plugs, and a lot of TVs tend to be pretty lousy with hiss and static, so that could very well be a problem. The optical digital output will be clean, so you might be right to go with a separate receiver and some really cheap speakers. Tough to say. But at this budget, it's easy to move on in the future and never feel as though you spent too much in the present

 

[Mkilbride]

Hmm..I don't like hiss & static at all, my ears are very sensitive, I wake up at the sound of a pin drop, literally.

So would you say this:

Buy.com - Sony STR-DH520 7.1 Channel 3D High Definition A/V Receiver

195$

+ the 40$ Daytrons

For only $2.18 each when QTY 50+ purchased - 10ft Optical Toslink 5.0mm OD Audio Cable | Toslink to Toslink - 5.0mm OD

+ 2.58$(+2.22$ shipping+

+ the 7.75$ speaker wire.

So.

246$ for the WHOLE bundle! Unless my math sucks.

Fudge, I can't wait anymore, reading reviews bout the Receiver, how can I not?

Please respond & tell me it's a good idea, so I can hurry up and order, I'll have to wait like two weeks, and I don't want to wait to much longer.

 

[FirstReflection]

I have to say, I'd much sooner go with a Pioneer receiver than a Sony unit. Don't worry about 7.1. Most people's rooms are not large enough to properly set up surround back speakers (you need at least a good 5 feet behind your seat for them to be of any use at all, and they're not really "necessary" for a good surround effect until you have about 10 feet behind your seat.

Sony's receivers suck. They really do. Their "ES" line of upscale receivers aren't too bad (although they can't compete on price at all with the likes of Denon or Onkyo). But the regular Sony brand receivers are just really bad.

Go ahead on the Pioneer. The Dayton speakers - I've no idea. I've never heard them. I wouldn't expect anything for that price anyway, but they're certainly bound to be better than the TV's built in speakers. So there's that much at least.

Monoprice for your cables and speaker wire. Might want to look at speaker stands too if you don't have something to put the bookshelf speakers on.

It won't be great, but it'll be better than your TV speakers and within your intended budget, so it looks like a plan to me!

 

[Mkilbride]

So the Pioneer Receiver it is then. Speaker wire is actually cheaper on Amazon, for the same Gauge & amount...so...going to get it via Amazon.

Will get the Optical Audio Cable from Monoprice though. 4$ VS 10$ is 6$ saving, so yeah. Bring it to exactly 250$.

The 652's have been recommended to me by alot of people.

Dayton Audio B652 Bookshelf Speakers Review Unplggd Blogger Tryouts | Apartment Therapy Unplggd

A $25 speaker an audiophile can love | The Audiophiliac - CNET News

Oh **** yeah, Newegg has that same receiver with a 80$ off code, 3 day shipping, comes to 150$!

I CANNOT PASS THAT UP!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117398

 

[FirstReflection]

Sounds good! Looks like you should be all set

 

[Mkilbride]

Sounds good! Looks like you should be all set

Yes, thanks for the help

Good news is I can get everything except the speakers on Newegg, for a wholesome 173$. 3 Day shipping, too!

Amazon will do the speakers, but it will take them abit to get them out here. Unless I pay about 10$ to get them here the same day as Newegg gets the other stuff...or wait like 2 weeks for free...

To tempting, will do the normal thing as well, get it all at once and be happy.

Thanks for everything guys.

 

[agarwalro]

Also, (if you're handy with a soldering iron) for a cost effective option the DTA-2 keeps things simple.