Need New Speakers

[Nakattk]

I am looking to replace my speakers. Recently the tweeters on my fronts melted. I will be buying the Yamaha A1000 receiver soon. Currently I have a 6.1 surround setup using HTiB Onkyo 130w speakers. 2 front channel with MTM, 1 center with MTM, 3 surrounds with TM, and one 10in 300w powered sub. I am not looking to break the bank, but I want the best quality and sound that I can get. I figure in the $200 each range should be good maybe a little more on the fronts and sub, and a little less on the surrounds. I mainly watch movies and play video games. Any suggestions?

 

[Adam]

If you're open to buying used, I have a suggestion. I've owned my NHT speakers for over 13 years and still love them - even more since I got a receiver with auto room calibration.

There's someone on eBay selling a set of NHTs. Below are the opening bid values, with no bids so far. Maybe the guy would entertain a "buy it now" price.

• NHT 2.5i towers, pair - $400 plus shipping (he says that he might be talked down)
• NHT 1.5 bookshelves, pair - $270 with shipping
• NHT Audio Center One - $230 with shipping

Assuming that they are in the condition that he claims, those are pretty good prices. My system consists of four 1.5s, that center channel, and a sub. When I auditioned a pair of 2.5s versus a pair of 1.5s with a sub, they sounded the same to me in the auditioning room.

There are two other sellers with a pair of 1.5s if that interests you. These come up for sale from time to time on eBay.

One note on the 2.5i set - the image of the rear ports looks odd. I don't know if I've ever seen those ports before, but I wouldn't expect to see the insulation or (in one speaker) an electrical wire. Something to ask about if you're interested in them.

 

[GranteedEV]

3x Left/Center/Right

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR2328P

2x Surrounds

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR2325P

3x Subwoofers

http://www.epiksubwoofers.com/legend.html

Since all of the above speakers are powered, I would get a cheaper receiver as long as it has decent preamp outs. Like this:

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARSR5004/Marantz-SR5004-90w-X-7ch-Home-Theater-Surround-Receiver/1.html

 

[Nakattk]

I think I would prefer to stay away from used if possible. I have never even used ebay I dont even have a paypal. I'm good with amazon or any other retailers. Thanks for the links and investigation though. I'm sure those are way to high new.

As for the jbl's I dont have a place to plug in all of thoses speakers where I would be able ot mount them + they seem a little strange to me. Thanks for the links though.

What about something like these? Would any of these be good options?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045NCB32/ref=s9_simh_gw_p23_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1KEW5E9N88AZWZ3JN4NK&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049FA1TM/ref=s9_simh_gw_p23_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1KEW5E9N88AZWZ3JN4NK&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-TSi200-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B0018QRO9A/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1312158107&sr=1-1

 

[zieglj01]

I would get 3 Boston E60's for the fronts
http://www.amazon.com/Boston-Acoustics-E60-Performance-Cherry/dp/B001H9O1CG
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Photos/Default.aspx?i=065E60C&tp=186
2 Boston Soundware's for surrounds
http://www.bostonacoustics.com/SoundWare-Refurbished-P518.aspx
Or, 2 of the Infinity Classia's for surrounds.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp;jsessionid=E4814E85D3A0C2DDAA2249712DF8B7E6.bbolsp-app04-52?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dynSessConf=-8100499905490277446&id=pcat17071&type=page&st=infinity+classia&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960

And look into the Epik Legend sub.

 

[zieglj01]

I will be buying the Yamaha A1000 receiver soon.

Do not over spend on a receiver - Make sure you check for
close out prices, or refurbish receivers.

 

[GranteedEV]

As for the jbl's I dont have a place to plug in all of thoses speakers where I would be able ot mount them + they seem a little strange to me. Thanks for the links though.

No (12 awg) extension cord?
-Mounting them, you could put them on a stand or get wall mounts.
-not sure what's strange about them, they're some of the finest measuring speakers under $1000

 

[ski2xblack]

I think I would prefer to stay away from used if possible. I have never even used ebay I dont even have a paypal. I'm good with amazon or any other retailers.

Used via eBay may be a roll of the dice. I've been burned, so I understand your reluctance.

If you live in a large metro area, give the local craigslist a try. If you find something intriguing, post it here for feedback.

 

[Nakattk]

-not sure what's strange about them, they're some of the finest measuring speakers under $1000

I just said that b/c I did not know that they had speakers that pluged into the wall like that, I tought that was only for the sub.

Do not over spend on a receiver - Make sure you check for
close out prices, or refurbish receivers.

I actually already bought the yamaha a1000 from Newegg for $630 shipped it will be here tomorrow. One thing good about living near Memphis no online sales tax and one day shipping for free from newegg. I was ok with the price for the amount of features you get and the build quality that it said it has.

I like the way the Infinity Classia's look but would that be too smal for fronts? Right now I have two woofers and a tweeter in each front speaker. Do you need that or are better speakers just as powerful in a smaller package?

 

[GranteedEV]

I just said that b/c I did not know that they had speakers that pluged into the wall like that, I tought that was only for the sub

Powered speakers are almost never a bad idea. Especially those that use different amps for the tweeter and woofer, like this JBL. There's never a question of "can my receiver drive these properly", the efficiency improves because there's no insertion loss, and thus the response can be more adequately shaped with electronics.

Some of the finest speakers in the world, like the Focal SM11, Seaton Catalyst, Legend Tikandi, and Linkwitz Orion, are powered / active.

I like the way the Infinity Classia's look but would that be too smal for fronts?

Infinity Classia C336

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/542899516/infinity-classia-c336bk?s_c=site_search

A 3-way speaker with three 6.5 inch CMMD woofers, crossed 4th order at 500hz

I suspect this can handle good power. Those drivers are known to be very good midbasses. I would however still run it as small, crossed over to a good 12" or 15" subwoofer.

 

[zieglj01]

I actually already bought the yamaha a1000 from Newegg for $630 shipped it will be here tomorrow. One thing good about living near Memphis no online sales tax and one day shipping for free from newegg. I was ok with the price for the amount of features you get and the build quality that it said it has.

I like the way the Infinity Classia's look but would that be too smal for fronts? Right now I have two woofers and a tweeter in each front speaker. Do you need that or are better speakers just as powerful in a smaller package?

Good job on the receiver

The Classia will be fine as fronts, they are not meek. I use to own
the Beta 10, and used them as fronts. Do not let the size fool you.

The Classia

Speaker Use - Bookshelf

Speaker type, 2-way

Sensitivity - 88dB

Impedance - 8 ohms nominal

Required Amplifier Power, 10-125W

Maximum Power Handling - 250W

Peak Power handling - 250W

Frequency Response, 55Hz - 40kHz

 

[Nakattk]

What about these? Any good?

http://www.emptek.com/e5bi.php

or these

NHT SuperZero 2.0 Mini-Monitors I think these would be good to replace my rear channel speakers, but they seem too small for fronts

 

[bikdav]

My Thought

What about these? Any good?

http://www.emptek.com/e5bi.php

or these

NHT SuperZero 2.0 Mini-Monitors I think these would be good to replace my rear channel speakers, but they seem too small for fronts

I've never seen nor heard the Emptek speakers. But, I've heard a few different versions of the NHT SuperZero Mini-Monitors. They are seriously good. I don't think that they'll be too small. In fact, 5 or more of these [how many channels are you planning to run?] and a decent subwoofer could result in a system that might put some bigger ones to shame.

 

[Nakattk]

ATM I have a 6.1 system. So I would probably keep it the same or I might get rid of the middle back speaker so I could biamp the fronts. Then I was thinking of the epik legend for a sub. Not sure on that one yet I just saw them in a link so I need to do more research.

 

[GranteedEV]

What about these? Any good?

http://www.emptek.com/e5bi.php

I use these as surrounds. Tonally, they're nearly identical to my e55tis. However they've got a vented 5.25" woofer handling the midbass and so they won't match the output of a true tower speaker, or even a bookshelf with an 8" midbass like the LS2328. If you're okay with compressed dynamics then they should work, and I suspect they could still be an upgrade over what you have, but if you want clean, powerful dynamics I would set my sights higher. Displacement is the name of the game, and a 5.25" woofer just can't do a ton of it.

ATM I have a 6.1 system. So I would probably keep it the same or I might get rid of the middle back speaker so I could biamp the fronts. Then I was thinking of the epik legend for a sub. Not sure on that one yet I just saw them in a link so I need to do more research.

Passive bi-amping is a waste of time and effort.

 

[zieglj01]

What about these? Any good?
NHT SuperZero 2.0 Mini-Monitors I think these would be good to replace my rear channel speakers, but they seem too small for fronts

They can do a decent job as surrounds - if they are close to the wall.
They sound nice.
I prefer that the front channel speakers be able to play, below 80 hz
so they can crossover better with a subwoofer.

 

[zieglj01]

ATM I have a 6.1 system. So I would probably keep it the same or I might get rid of the middle back speaker so I could biamp the fronts.

I also, consider passive bi-amping a waste of time - I have never really
heard a difference.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I can't believe the Infinity P163 went from $85 a few days ago up to $139!

Crutchfield is now $140 each.

That's what happens when I recommend them to everyone. Now the demands are up.

I would wait for the price to go back down to $85ea and buy 5 of them + 1 BIC PL200 subwoofer.

 

[Bizarro_Stormy]

They're still $85 at Harman for non-refurb...

http://www.harmanaudio.com/search_browse/default.asp?brand=INF&status=C&market=HOM

I've wanted a Primus L-C-R since the series was first introduced, but have had a hard time parting with my 1993 Infinity SM-155s / SM Video Center.

Anyone know if the 363 would sound better than a braced, rockwooled SM-155?

 

[Nakattk]

I know you normally get what you par for, but these seem to have alot of good reviews. Anyone know anything about them? If they are good they have a nice price point.

http://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-Venturi-DV64-Speaker/dp/B00011KLOI/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1312339770&sr=1-6
http://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-DV62si-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B00006JPDI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1312339770&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/BIC-AMERICA-DV-52CLRB-Channel-DV52CLRB/dp/B00009WBYJ/ref=sr_1_19?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1312339770&sr=1-19