$600 Budget. Whats the best pair of Front Tower Speakers?

[bandphan]

Audio Advisor has these for 299 each....

 

[Matt34]

x-statik Open Baffle Loudspeaker

http://av123.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=266&category_id=21&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=37

I think these just incured a price increase.


I ordered them a couple days ago along with the new center channel (X-voice) and will have them shipped when I get home. Hopefully they are as good as the initial reviews make them out to be. Though I haven't been disappointed in any way with their products so far.

 

[Pyrrho]

Going to buy whatever pair along with a Yamaha RX-V663 within the next year. What would go great with the yammy for $600 before tax/shipping

You should consider the center channel speaker at the same time as the front speakers, so that you will have voice matching across the front. Also, if you are going to use a subwoofer, there is no need for front speakers that can do deep bass, so you might be better off getting a higher quality bookshelf speaker that does, say, 80Hz on up better than what you will be able to get from a more full range speaker of the same price.

As for what you should get, you can buy whatever speakers you want with the Yamaha, provided that they are not a low impedance or of very low efficiency. You need to listen to as many speakers as you can stand to listen to, and as many types as you can (horn, dome, ribbon, etc.) in your price range.

 

[ChunkyDark]

Tweeter has some awesome close out deals if you happen to live near one. Out of curiosity I was perusing their online closeout stock and found some JBL l890 for 100 each.

I thought about trying to talk the wife into a 3 hour road trip, decided against it.

 

[3db]

If your upping the budget to 1K, look at the PSBs T65s. PSB Image series speakers are a really a best bang for your buck speaker. You should audition as many speakers as you can before puchasing. It will eliminate any regrets later down the road.

 

[gliz]

OK guys the guy said that his budget was 600 bucks not 800 or 700 he said 600, so here is my 2 cents

these will bring you in under budget
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ATLS500


if you do up your budget it is hard to go wrong with polks, by what sounds good to you. it will be easier to adution polks too. dont worry about imoressing anybody, buy what makes you go "yea, that is what i'm talking about".

 

[InTheIndustry]

OK guys the guy said that his budget was 600 bucks not 800 or 700 he said 600, so here is my 2 cents

these will bring you in under budget
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ATLS500


if you do up your budget it is hard to go wrong with polks, by what sounds good to you. it will be easier to adution polks too. dont worry about imoressing anybody, buy what makes you go "yea, that is what i'm talking about".

So you choose a speaker 50% under his proposed budget? Why not find him something better than his budget that he can find a good deal on?

It's perfectly reasonable that the OP could save 25% on an $800 pair of speakers making them.... <drum roll please> $600.

 

[InTheIndustry]

way to hijack my thread guys =[

how do yall rate the Polk RTi12's? I have the R50's and they are pretty nice. Never heard the RTi12's and would consider buying those bad boys.

Sorry to have "hijacked" your thread.

Sounds like you've got your mind made up on Polk Audio.

Enjoy.

 

[gliz]

So you choose a speaker 50% under his proposed budget? Why not find him something better than his budget that he can find a good deal on?

It's perfectly reasonable that the OP could save 25% on an $800 pair of speakers making them.... <drum roll please> $600.

yes I did and I stand by it too, those sold last year for $350 a each, just thought it was a good deal, it was my 2 cents. If he comes in under budget maybe he can get a center too. whats wrong with that?

 

[InTheIndustry]

yes I did and I stand by it too, those sold last year for $350 a each, just thought it was a good deal, it was my 2 cents. If he comes in under budget maybe he can get a center too. whats wrong with that?

Valid point(s), Gliz. I didn't mean for my post to come across as an attack, either. I should take a moment to explain in detail why I disagreed.

Addressing why these are sooooo cheap...

My biggest issue with Athena is that long term support from the brand is going to be sketchy at best. They're blowing them out because the brand is no longer around (Klipsch killed it after acquiring API).

Athena was meant to be a "big box shop" brand. Something made cheaply so that BB (to be specific) could show it had a high MSRP and then discount it deeply to show "value". What API essentially did for Athena models was take Energy models & manufacture them cheaper. Essentially meaning lower quality cabinets & no finish options. I pulled up the June 07' Athena & Energy price sheets and it's hilarious to scroll down to see nearly identical pieces. Why Athena got killed was that Klipsch was going to have to sell Athena models @ Energy prices to dealers because BB dumped the line. It makes no sense for them to do that because it was close to the same thing as Energy, but not as nice.

Please pull up this link:

http://www.athenaspeakers.com/v2/product.php?ident=LS-500+Floorstanding+Speaker

& this one for aside by side comparison:

http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/products/product-page.php?id=291

See any similarities? I see LOTS! MSRP is the same on my price sheet as is dealer, same tweeter & woofer materials, layout, etc.. But after looking at the spec sheet the Energy weighs 10lbs more per pair, has different sensitivity, etc.

Now, why is all of that important? Because the OP wants to start their system with a really nice pair of towers. I just don't think these fit the bill.

I almost recommended the Energy C-500 but, having owned & listened to all three, decided that either of the Jamo C 60 towers are nicer looking, better built, & (to my ears) have a much smoother, more accurate sound to them.

I did not mention the Jamo C 605 earlier, which MSRP's @ $600 because I went for the top of the OP's budget. This can be had at a good deal as well and it, in my opinion, is a better speaker in every way than the Energy/Athena C-500/LS-500B.

Jamo C 605: http://jamo.com/Default.aspx?ID=6302&M=Shop&PID=18208&ProductID=17933

Again, I apologize for coming across as aggressive in my response to your earlier post. You certainly have a valid point in terms of value, though. Those Athena's are priced below dealer cost.

To the OP: This was not an attempt to derail your thread. I was attempting to address why another forum member's idea for your new speakers might be good or bad.

 

[gliz]

I kinda new that I am thinging about getting a set to upgade from my arvp600's but I would not beed support for them if something wet wring with them, I could fix them myself. anyway thanks we can help this fella out somehow the jams are$60 holy cow listen to this fella dude!! jamo has a great rep

 

[zony]

Listen to these amazing speakers first.

Going to buy whatever pair along with a Yamaha RX-V663 within the next year. What would go great with the yammy for $600 before tax/shipping

It should be easy to find these speakers in any shop and listen to them before trying more expensive ones:

Yamaha NS555 Three-Way, Four-Driver Speaker System $250 each at J&r

Sony SSF-5000 an amazing 109.98 per pair!


Audition the above and then compare to Jamo speakers ..

Better to spend months before purchasing speaker than to buy something you dont like.

 

[Mw`]

As a Swan Diva owner I'd have to give them a nod. Check the Swan thread on AVS, a recent poster has a used pair of 5.1s for $475...great deal.

 

[smurphy522]

look at this thread RE: the Polks and issues with them

oh mazersteven i knew that the rti12's are WAY better than the r50's. i was stating that i have the r50's and love them which is why im considering getting the rti12's and making the r50's my rear surrounds.

my question was how are the rti12's in general. im planning on getting them unless someone tells me they arent very good.

Shicks18,
Take a look over this thread regarding the issues a member has with the Polks. there is a lot of detail and he appears to be a very discernable listener. However in general the question you are asking is almost as open as "What color should I paint my bedroom?" Everyone has opinions about everything: loudspeakers are certainly no exception. Read this too. I highly suggest you audition different brands at the same places and bring your own CD's. That way you can truly A/B them and you will be familiar with the music. Start out at Best Buy (prefereably one with a Magnolia in it) and Circuit City. Now I am not in any way suggesting that you limit your selections to those retailers; they just happen to be about everywhere so they are easy pickens. Listen to over your budget speakers as well; to see what you may be missing. It may spark you to wait a while and/or increase the budget. same can be said about under you budget. Good luck and fill us in whith your choice and why.

Reputable names that come to mind are: Ascend, Axiom, Infinity, JBL, Polk, Definitive Tech., RBH, Paradigm, AV123, Canton, Kef, NHT, Klipsch, Energy, Vandersteen, Mirage, EMP (RBH sister co. - offered from this site), MB Quart, PSB, Mordaunt Short, Aperion. The list goes on and on but those are some of the heavy hitters; many of which offer speakers in the price range you are looking.

Don't rule out a bookshelf style speaker. However for most applications a subwoofer is required to fill in the low end. A subwoofer is still required for a floorstander too (or at least any in your price range, sorry). Look over some of the reviews this site and others have done with speakers or the brands you are looking at too.

The better informed you are the more you will get for your money!

 

[mazersteven]

OK guys the guy said that his budget was 600 bucks not 800 or 700 he said 600, so here is my 2 cents

these will bring you in under budget
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ATLS500

The OP also stated "The Best Pair".

If I ever ask for a recommendation. Please keep your $.2 to yourself with recommendations like that.

 

[RickDe]

Spend the extra money ($700 in blk) and buy the X-statik speakers before the price increase. Check the AV123 classified section. Someone has a pair of new in the box X-Statik's in a MOHO finish. Danny Richie helped design these speakers (GR Research)

 

[bandphan]

oh mazersteven i knew that the rti12's are WAY better than the r50's. i was stating that i have the r50's and love them which is why im considering getting the rti12's and making the r50's my rear surrounds.

my question was how are the rti12's in general. im planning on getting them unless someone tells me they arent very good.

ok shicks, what was the final descion?

 

[speakerman39]

Going to buy whatever pair along with a Yamaha RX-V663 within the next year. What would go great with the yammy for $600 before tax/shipping

Okay, after reading this entire thread one thing stands out that nobody here mentioned. As a Polk RTi and Yammie 663 owner myself, I can say w/o a doubt that the 663 will NOT be able to power the RTi12's very well. The reason, the RTi speakers are known to be very power hungry. I own the 663 and have it powering my RTi6's, CSi3, and my FXiA4's. It seems to do well, BUT my room is very small and fully enclosed. I would think the op would be fine with say something like the RTi8's, but the 12's are an entirely different story altogether. I do agree, however, that the RTi speakers hardly ever get the respect they deserve. Keep in mind, what matters most Shicks is what YOU like NOT what others think. We are here to give you some general insights and it is up to YOU to discern what works best for YOU. Furthermore, audition as many speakers as you can and sooner or later YOU will find the one that will suite both YOUR needs and YOUR budget. Good luck and happy hunting.

Cheers,

Phil

 

[fredk]

Good catch Phil! Other aspects that can drastically affect sound like the room or other equipment not properly matched are overlooked too often. The 663 seems like a killer AV for a lot of situations, but maybe not this one.

Fred

 

[speakerman39]

Good catch Phil! Other aspects that can drastically affect sound like the room or other equipment not properly matched are overlooked too often. The 663 seems like a killer AV for a lot of situations, but maybe not this one.

Fred

Very much agreed here Fred. Might I add also the size and shape of the room as well as placement. Personally, I always look for balance. Have also learned that I prefer a more agressive speaker. Must have something to do with my car audio days when I owned a Honda CRX.........LOL!!!!!