JBL E30 or Wharfedale Diamond 8.1

[Crime Girls]

I just bought a Yamaha HTR5730 and will be using it for music 100% of the time (Jazz, Classical, Rock). Up until now I've only had boomboxes and bad computer speakers so anything will probably sound good to me. I can get JBL E30's or Wharfedale Diamond 8.1's for less than $150 a pair, any thoughts? (I'm starting out with 2 speakers but, at some point, I would like to move up to SACD and DVD-A). Thanks for any input. (And I will be buying them without listening to them because I can't spare the day's drive to a city where there are actual stereo dealers)

 

[kay]

I've heard the Diamond 8.4 and 8.2's, they sound clean and hit very low notes for their size, but they are not very sensitive speakers so will ask a lot of your amp. What are the specs on the JBL E30?

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

8 ohm for home

The Wharfedale diamond is a 6 ohm speaker. Your receiver won't do well with those bookshelves. Stick to 8 ohm and spl levels over 91db if possible. Why have you narrowed your choice down to these two? Are you in the states? What is the most you can budget for?

 

[Crime Girls]

The Wharfedale Diamonds are 6 ohms but my receiver is also 6 ohms (Something like .1% THD at 100W, .06% at 50W) so I figured that would be ok. As for my budget- If the speakers cost $150 I will have exceeded the budget for the system by $150 total not including speaker stands and cable. I live in rural Maine and just had a baby. There is no way I can take a day to go to Portland or Bangor to actually look or listen to what I'm buying. Thanks!

 

[Shinerman]

Take a look at these. $5 over your budget and you probaly won't find a better speaker in this price range. At $155 they are a steal. These speakers are being discontinued so the prices are way down. Athena make great budget minded speakers that perform well above their price point.

IMHO, I would take these over JBL and Wharfedale any day.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=5335693&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03043&id=1051806301325

Shinerman

 

[Takeereasy]

This is my suggestion to your dilema. In order to get domething half decent for this price you will have to buy used. Look for paradigm titans preferably or atoms on Ebay and Audiogon. I'd also suggest PSB alpha b's like this set ebay alpha b's,

here's some more auctions to watch.
paradigm's

titans

titans

atoms


edit here is a pair of buy it now titans for $120 + $25 shipping. Great deal IMO buy it now ebay


I think that any of these speakers will much better suit your needs than the two you mentioned.

Please don't go the JBL route. I did and I know better. JBL makes some very decent products, but their Northridge series of products is a failure IMO. What Buckeye is trying to tell you is that that your receiver and those warfdales are a bad mix. The speakers want more watts that that receiver can deal out, despite what the box says. .1% is a ton of distortion, and the figures for the amp are distorted in other ways to make them more appealing. This does not make it a bad receiver, you just need to use more efficient speakers.

As for speaker cable get it from home depot or a cheap online vendor. Look up retailers for sound king speaker wire. Just get a decent gage of 14 or lower and you're off. Should be no more than $.30 a foot. Stands, again go used, their stands, I mean who cares.

Good luck, I know you'll enjoy your purchases no matter what you decide, and my suggestions are just that, suggestions.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Amazing, isn't it

The Wharfedale Diamonds are 6 ohms but my receiver is also 6 ohms (Something like .1% THD at 100W, .06% at 50W) so I figured that would be ok. As for my budget- If the speakers cost $150 I will have exceeded the budget for the system by $150 total not including speaker stands and cable. I live in rural Maine and just had a baby. There is no way I can take a day to go to Portland or Bangor to actually look or listen to what I'm buying. Thanks!

.1% thd at 100 watts; .06% at 50 watts. 6 ohms. Everyone on this site should study and burn this into their heads. This is what you get when you buy manufacturers' entry level equipment, be it speakers or a receiver. When a manufacturer rates their higher end receiver at 120 watts at .05% thd at 8 ohms, there is no need to bs the customer and rate it at 195 watts at .1 thd and 6 ohms. They realize they aren't dealing with a 19 year old buying with his lawn mowing cash. It's amazing what these companies will do to push products. I bet you're wondering what the true output of that receiver is at 8 ohms. When in doubt, physically pick up the receiver. If it's lighter than your toaster oven, spend a little more on the one weighing what the microwave does.

Purchase the Athena's mentioned above. Otherwise, do shop ebay, and check for those all important stats of high sensitivity (91db+) and 8 ohms. The Athena's are heads and tails better than the JBL's and Diamonds mentioned above. You can also consider ordering online the BIC DV62SI's. I own an older pair, and they really match up to these Athena's. You can find them at yahoo.com shopping, shopzilla.com, or any search engine. They are well within your budget.

www.bicamerica.com/BOOKSHELFS.htm

 

[Leprkon]

Take a look at these. $5 over your budget and you probaly won't find a better speaker in this price range. At $155 they are a steal. These speakers are being discontinued so the prices are way down. Athena make great budget minded speakers that perform well above their price point.
Shinerman

so when you put them in the shopping cart and they are $ 89 a pair instead of $ 155, it's like taking candy from a baby ?

 

[thepezident]

What about Polk speakers? I am really happy with my R15's. I got them @ outpost.com for $50. NOW that's a steal in my book!!

 

[av-man]

Buckeyefan1 is right. When you buy entry level equipment expect entry level performance. There is nothing wrong with Wharfedale speakers, I carry the line, but the Diamond 8 and Zaldeck line are targeting the "Off the shelf" customer. If buying this brand I recomend spending the money and going with the Diamond 9 series. It is basically the same as the EVO line but the cabinets are venear instead of hardwood. They are also very power hungry.