Worth the upgrading Bose 201's?

[rkrkrk]

hi guys, i'm new and inexperienced. i have Bose 201 speakers that i run from my 100W Sony amp and currently thinking of getting something a little better. I don't want to go high end and spend $1000 on speakers but there are local ads for used speakers that i might consider buying:

Polk Audio Monitor 10
Celestion Ditton 44
Yamaha NS-30X
PARADIGM 9SEMKII

They are sold around 200-300$

Please tell me if that's worth the upgrade (sound quality-wise). I play music only in CD quality off my computer with X-Fi sound card hooked up to the amp. Thanks.

 

[j_garcia]

Worth it? Yes, absolutely. The 201s aren't awful speakers, but for $300, there are a LOT of better speakers out there. Take a look at some of the $200-$300 threads in this forum for a ton of info that has already been covered many times. I think you will easily be able to end up with a great system.

 

[rkrkrk]

what would you recommend - Polk Monitor 5 or 10. There's a guy selling 5 at $150 and 10 at $300. Is there much difference? Thanks.

 

[sholling]

Why not a pair of Behringer B2030P studio monitors ($110/pr) and a small subwoofer? The Behringers are great (if homely) bang for the buck speakers but need the help of a subwoofer.

 

[rkrkrk]

because they are twice cheaper than my Bose speakers, how can they be better?

Do you think those Polk Monitor 5/10 will do the magic?

 

[j_garcia]

because they are twice cheaper than my Bose speakers, how can they be better?

Do you think those Polk Monitor 5/10 will do the magic?

They are designed for use in recording studios. There's no question in my mind that they are better than the 201s. Don't use price as a judge when it comes to speakers Bose is unfortunately known for overpricing their speakers compared to their performance.

 

[sholling]

because they are twice cheaper than my Bose speakers, how can they be better?

Because with Bose you're paying for marketing hype and with the Behringers you're paying for sound quality. But feel free to spend more.

 

[rkrkrk]

sorry i didnt mean to sound like a ****. thanks a lot, i'll look into those options.

Can you tell me about those Polk Monitor speakers that are sold in my city on one of the local forums? Would they be better deal than Behringers and are they better than Bose ones i have? Sorry for so many questions but your responses mean a lot to me, thanx in advance.

 

[rkrkrk]

also: I use Sony STR-DE197 as my amp. would i connect the SW to the amp or would it have to be connected to my sound card (x-fi)? sorry for the amateur questions.

 

[j_garcia]

You would connect the sub to the receiver and let the receiver handle the crossover between it and the speakers, presuming it has a crossover. Is that a stereo or surround receiver? Most stereo recevers do not have a built in crossover.

Do the Polk Monitor 5s look like this? http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48883 If so, yes, I would say those are an upgrade.

 

[rkrkrk]

http://us.store.creative.com/Sound-Blaster-XFi-Surround-5.1/M/B0017QQQAE.htm

that's the device. my worries is for the output of that x-fi card and input on that dayton SW.

 

[TLS Guy]

sorry i didnt mean to sound like a ****. thanks a lot, i'll look into those options.

Can you tell me about those Polk Monitor speakers that are sold in my city on one of the local forums? Would they be better deal than Behringers and are they better than Bose ones i have? Sorry for so many questions but your responses mean a lot to me, thanx in advance.

Get the Celestion Dittons. They are head and shoulders above everything else on your short list.

 

[j_garcia]

Get the Celestion Dittons. They are head and shoulders above everything else on your short list.

I know Celestion, but I've never heard of the Dittons. Before my time ? Based on what I saw of various models, they would be a good choice

 

[rkrkrk]

Get the Celestion Dittons. They are head and shoulders above everything else on your short list.

unfortunately, that post was removed. ((((

i guess nothing else is worth chasing from that list.

there are couple of options on monitors:
whaferdale Link-800 for $400
Roland DS-50 for $500

are they GOOD? and will i need a SW with them?

 

[TLS Guy]

unfortunately, that post was removed. ((((

i guess nothing else is worth chasing from that list.

there are couple of options on monitors:
whaferdale Link-800 for $400
Roland DS-50 for $500

are they GOOD? and will i need a SW with them?

The Wharedales, are powered speakers and you need a preamp to drive them. They have have a 60 watt amp in each speaker, and are designed to work with a powered sub.

I have never heard them, but they seem to be a speaker aimed at industrial application.

The Roland's you need to avoid.

Unless you are lucky I would up your budget and by quite a bit.

 

[rkrkrk]

Why not a pair of Behringer B2030P studio monitors ($110/pr) and a small subwoofer? The Behringers are great (if homely) bang for the buck speakers but need the help of a subwoofer.

thanx a lot for all the info. only question i have is: will i be able to hook up that dayton SW to my SB X-Fi Surround:

 

[sholling]

thanx a lot for all the info. only question i have is: will i be able to hook up that dayton SW to my SB X-Fi Surround:

It looks like you have a combined center/subwoofer port so all you would need is an $8 adapter from Radio Shack or monoprice. One side will carry the subwoofer signal and the other side the center channel signal. Then connect the sub to the adapter via a good subwoofer cable - just don't confuse good with expensive. You'll quickly figure out if you're connected to the wrong side of the adapter. You'll need to control the volume of the speakers and sub with the SB not the amp so that you can keep the levels from the sub and speakers in balance.

Edit: Optionally you can run the speaker wires through the subwoofer and let its crossover split out the bass signal. That would be simpler. Then you can use the volume on the Sony.

 

[rkrkrk]

I wanted to ask if there are other subwoofers i can find for the same price and what should i be looking at when choosing one? it seems much easier to find one in toronto without ordering and paying for the shipping (costs $70 from u.s. stores). Behringer B2030P monitors must be sold somewhere in toronto i assume))

 

[rkrkrk]

thanx guys. i bought old Polk Monitor 5 ... LOOOOOVVEEE THEEEMM!!

 

[j_garcia]

Congrats