What 5.1 Speakers/Sub for < $500?

[Viking Cue]

The 5 speakers will be shelf mounted and the sub will be on the floor. I will be building the shelves so I can customize the speaker placement. My budget for the next several years for this 5.1 is < $500, so I will be buying these speakers/sub at the same time. I am wanting 5 speakers and sub for home theater that play good and loud, and the louder the better.

The 5 BIC speakers and Parts Express sub look like the best choice for buying new. But I really would like to buy used or discounted so I can get a better sub.

Are there any other speakers/sub I should consider? Thank you all for helping me with this.

 

[jinjuku]

The 5 speakers will be shelf mounted and the sub will be on the floor. I will be building the shelves so I can customize the speaker placement. My budget for the next several years for this 5.1 is < $500, so I will be buying these speakers/sub at the same time. I am wanting 5 speakers and sub for home theater that play good and loud, and the louder the better.

The 5 BIC speakers and Parts Express sub look like the best choice for buying new. But I really would like to buy used or discounted so I can get a better sub.

Are there any other speakers/sub I should consider? Thank you all for helping me with this.

When you are talking about going used vs. $100 for a pair of speakers new, or $100 for a center channel new, you aren't going to get that much cheaper given your criteria. Most likely not worth the savings vs warranty coverage and the knowledge that you are getting something new. Plus as the other poster pointed out, alot of the new stuff includes shipping. Figure about 10-15% of the cost goes into shipping and you have a better idea of what you are paying per unit and whether or not it makes sense to chase the used stuff.

I am definitely interested to see if there is an even cheaper quality solution out there. IMO though this $500 horse is about rode out as it is going to get. At least it will get you started. I would be concerned about driver compression at louder SPL with speakers of this size.

 

[Viking Cue]

When you are talking about going used vs. $100 for a pair of speakers new, or $100 for a center channel new, you aren't going to get that much cheaper given your criteria. Most likely not worth the savings vs warranty coverage and the knowledge that you are getting something new. Plus as the other poster pointed out, alot of the new stuff includes shipping. Figure about 10-15% of the cost goes into shipping and you have a better idea of what you are paying per unit and whether or not it makes sense to chase the used stuff.

I am definitely interested to see if there is an even cheaper quality solution out there. IMO though this $500 horse is about rode out as it is going to get. At least it will get you started. I would be concerned about driver compression at louder SPL with speakers of this size.

I agree that if buying new the BIC speakers and Parts Express sub do seem to be the best suggestion for < $500.

However I am now more convinced that buying used speakers could give me a better sounding 5.1 system. One way I could do this is to buy the BIC speakers used or their approximate equal used and then buy a better new sub with the savings. And another way to do this is to buy 5 used speakers in the ~ $350 range that are better than the BICs and then still buy the Parts Express sub.

So what 5 shelf mountable home theater speakers can be bought used for $250 - $350 that sound as good or better than the BICs when played loud?

Thank you everyone.

Viking Cue

 

[zumbo]

I agree that if buying new the BIC speakers and Parts Express sub do seem to be the best suggestion for < $500.

However I am now more convinced that buying used speakers could give me a better sounding 5.1 system. One way I could do this is to buy the BIC speakers used or their approximate equal used and then buy a better new sub with the savings. And another way to do this is to buy 5 used speakers in the ~ $350 range that are better than the BICs and then still buy the Parts Express sub.

So what 5 shelf mountable home theater speakers can be bought used for $250 - $350 that sound as good or better than the BICs when played loud?

Thank you everyone.

Viking Cue

As stated above, and by myself, the added cost of shipping will eat-up the savings on used/remanufactured speakers. The only option you may want to entertain is to check locally for scratch/dent/demo/discontinued/floor models.

 

[jinjuku]

I agree that if buying new the BIC speakers and Parts Express sub do seem to be the best suggestion for < $500.

However I am now more convinced that buying used speakers could give me a better sounding 5.1 system. One way I could do this is to buy the BIC speakers used or their approximate equal used and then buy a better new sub with the savings. And another way to do this is to buy 5 used speakers in the ~ $350 range that are better than the BICs and then still buy the Parts Express sub.

I don't think you got the gist of what I was getting at:

You are at such a low price point already, that even going used, (unless you get INCREDIBLY lucky) are at a point of diminishing returns trying to go used. You are already at the 'cut to bone' point with your budget. There is no meat left no matter which way you try and work it. If your budget was $1000 or $1500 then it might be another matter. Plus you are now taking the chance on 2nd hand stuff. I don't know if I would take the chance on saving $20 on what would normally be a $100 purchase new. $20 buys an awful lot of piece of mind at that low a price point.

So what 5 shelf mountable home theater speakers can be bought used for $250 - $350 that sound as good or better than the BICs when played loud?

How would anyone know the answer to that question? It depends on what you can find used out there. Then toss on shipping. You most likely aren't going to find a $5000 10 yr old 5.0 setup going for $350. You most likely aren't going to find a $2500 5yr old 5.0 setup going for $350. What you MAY find is a $900 5yr old 5.0 setup going for $350. But is it going to sound better than the BIC. Well that is: 1. a crap shoot, and 2. a matter of opinion.

You have asked for peoples opinion, as a group we can only lead the horse to water. Consensus seems to indicate the BIC/PE Sub-120 setup for your budget. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

[Viking Cue]

As stated above, and by myself, the added cost of shipping will eat-up the savings on used/remanufactured speakers. The only option you may want to entertain is to check locally for scratch/dent/demo/discontinued/floor models.

I can see the savings of buying used would not be useful if the speakers were bought for maybe 20% less than retail (retail minus the cost of shipping).

However what I had in mind was buying used speakers for 40% to 60% off retail. That would save me plenty and allow me to buy the BICs used or their equivalent used and a better sub, or buy speakers better than the BICs used with the Parts Express sub.

I prefer shopping online since that gives me a better selection, but I am open to buying locally (Las Vegas) since that could allow me to buy even better speakers or a better sub.

There are so many speakers to choose from I really could use your Audioholics expertise. So what 5 home theater speakers could be bought used for ~ $350 or less that sound better than the BICs when played loud?

Thank you everyone for your help.

Viking Cue

 

[jinjuku]

Las Vegas?!

Dear god man! you are in pawn shop heaven. Why didn't you say so?

Man with the foreclosure rate on homes out there plus gambleholics, you should be swimming in top tier gear for pennies on the $.

Either way, let us know how it turns out.

 

[Viking Cue]

Las Vegas?!

Dear god man! you are in pawn shop heaven. Why didn't you say so?

Man with the foreclosure rate on homes out there plus gambleholics, you should be swimming in top tier gear for pennies on the $.

Either way, let us know how it turns out.

Great! So I should be able to buy used speakers for even more than 60% off retail. But I really have no idea what used speakers to look for other than 5 that retail new for at least $100 per speaker.

I really would appreciate any additional guidance.

Thank you all for your help.

Viking Cue

 

[Davemcc]

How about this. Get off the computer and step out into the street. Tell us what speakers YOU have found used for the price you want and we will tell you if they are any good.

 

[Johnd]

How about this. Get off the computer and step out into the street.

Ouch. Dave has spoken with some authority.

It may be well-placed Viking Cue.

 

[jinjuku]

I third that: Get out there and start pounding the pavement. Take a pad and paper and write down what you are finding. Post any finds here that you think worthy, or just google them.

A list of brands to consider when pawn shopping it:
KEF
Wharfedale (sp?)
PSB
Paradigm
Mirage
Klipsch
Boston Acoustic
Totem
RBH
Legacy
Polk
Athena
BIC
Pinnacle (are the still in business?)
Usher

Internet Direct brands:
Axiom
Aperion
SVS
HSU
Ascend Acoustics
Swan
AV123

Brands to avoid (correct me if I am mistaken):
Fluance
SDAT
Pioneer
Sony
Yamaha
Advent

If anyone can help flesh out this list, please do.

 

[jinjuku]

Ok, you owe me a pool lesson if you play by indication of your handle/nick.

Check out this Craigslisting

Un-f'ing believable deal. I hope it is still available. ****, they are even Ed Frias modified. Pray that the lister still has them.

 

[rnatalli]

Here are a few options that come to mind:

Speakers:
Boston Acoustics CR57's and CRC from Onecall
Mordaunt-Short Premiere 5.1 System from Tsto
Mission Cinema m70 from Tsto
HSU Ventriloquist VT-12 from HSU direct

Subwoofer:
B-stock HSU Sub
av123 x-sub
Bic Sub
Dayton Sub

If you want something that will play loud, I'd probably go with BA's and a Dayton 12" Sub. I compared the CR57's to my Mordaunt's and I had them up so loud that glass could crack. They were clean all the way up and although not as detailed (pretty close) as the Mordaunts, they did not buckle under heavy load. All the options above will keep you around $500. I think DMC Electronics also has deals on PSB packages worth checking out.

 

[fmw]

I think the iron triangle of business is at play here: you can have it: Done Right/Done Quick/Done Cheap. Pick two.

I choose done right and done cheap.