I have ~$670 to spend on speakers.. help me choose (1 Viewer)

[JeremyR]

I tell you.. another brand that I liked that were unfortunately sold at Best Buy, were Athena Technologies. You can get a pair of very solid looking, aesthetically pleasing, and high-quality sounding floorstanders from them for $400 for the pair.
They also have some nice bookshelf speakers, and they're manufactured by a very reputable company, API who also manufactures Energy and Mirage brand speakers.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....4&type=product

 

[Michael Clayton]

Yeah, I had to give myself a reality check. The other shop has the Atoms for $200/pr, Titans for $220/pr, the Espirit floorstanders for $399/pr, Phantoms for $549/pr, and the CC-170 center for $200.

 

[MarkStash]

Michael:

Not sure you'd consider Infinity, but if you listen to them and like 'em, check out eBay. Harman has an eBay store and you can get a lot of bang for your buck. Typically, Entra 2 floors go for about $160/180 a pair, IL50s can be had for less than $400. Add a center for another $100 and you may have some money left over for surrounds. Good luck.

Mark

 

[Chuck Schilling]

Michael, if you're interested in buying used, I've got a whole set of NHT speakers (2x Super One, 2x SuperZero, 1x VS-1.2a (center) and 1x Super Sub). I just learned today that my contract at work is being terminated because of budget issues and I need a little extra cash more than I need this set - I'd be very happy to get you this set well within your budget. The speakers are in great shape and sound awesome. Check out the positivity for NHT here on this board and elsewhere.

 

[Michael Clayton]

Update: Visited another store today and auditioned a pair of Energy XL-250's... nice! They're going for $500/pair. These are the kind of floorstanding speakers that could get me by without a sub until I have money for a really good one. Enough range to satisfy without waking the neighbors.

What I'm thinking about doing is going with those alone, run them for a while and decide whether I want to drop the remaining $200 on a Velodyne CHT-8 sub or a pair of Energy XL-150s for the rear. Of course, in the meantime, I'll continue to search around and audition other brands. I'd never realized what an enjoyable experience audio shopping can be.


Sorry your contract went south, the job market is a bitch these days. I'll do some research on those NHTs (I hadn't checked into them much) and perhaps get back with ya.

 

[BobJ]

As others have said, the Titans are well worth the little extra cash they cost. Four Titans and the CC170 are a nice setup.

And I hear you about the salesman thing. I was helping my niece shop for a setup for her place and the saleman was as annoying as all get out. She has an Onkyo 601, so we wanted to hear the speakers using a similar receiver (the store sold Integra) and the salesman kept using a $4K flagship receiver.

We ended up walking out on the guy.

If you liked the B&Ws, try and have a listen to FocalJMLab's Chorus S line. Just don't hate me after you do.

 

[BryanZ]

Why not go with the HSU Ventriloquist and VTF-2 for $660 delivered? If nothing else you can move the Ventriloquist to bedroom duty after you move and keep the VTF-2 in your main system.

 

[SteveL]

got a set of Klipsch SB1's and SC .5 I'll sell you for $175.Now your front L & R and center is taken care of.
Steve L.

 

[Michael Clayton]

Update: Just auditioned a pair of Energy C-3s, and right now they're my favorite of the bunch. I'm gonna go back and do a side-by-side with those and the XL-250s, and also listen to the C-5s. I'm willing to expand my budget to get the C-5s if they have enough bass coverage for me to not have to get a sub right away.

I haven't forgotten about you either, Chuck, just checking all options.