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Insignia 6.5" *coaxial* bookshelf.......50 bucks a pair (1 Viewer)

scott>c

Second Unit
Joined
Jun 15, 2004
Messages
285
I had them booming with my monster amp and was going over the watts max rating. They seemed to hold their own quite well with the power and sounded fine. I`m still testing though as I`m deciding on whether or not to keep em. So far its making it very hard for me to send em back.
 

LanceJ

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Joined
Oct 26, 2002
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3,168
Check this out!:

Sony SS-K30ED Bookshelf Speakers

Look familiar!? :eek: And only $60 per pair!

I thought CC had finally sold out of these last year, but I guess they found some in the back of their warehouse or something.

These speakers are not typical Sony speakers, which is probably why they didn't sell well. These include some quite sophisticated hardware - I've heard them myself (the dual 6.5" model actually) and despite the metal dome tweeter they have a very smooth character to them that IMO is great for jazz & classical (they were a bit too laid back for me, but that's just nitpicking). Even at their previous/much higher normal price they were excellent values. And deja vu :) : on some audiophile forums these are highly regarded budget speakers.
 

Seth=L

Screenwriter
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Jul 17, 2006
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Seth L
The Sony ED series speakers are an exclusive Circuit City deal. I guess they had some more that never sold. Sony speakers are traditional cheaply manufactured and don't sound to good so initially the problem with this series was the price. I think people were confused by the higher price thinking it was just a gimmick. Truth is they had an ex-polk audio designer come up with ED's. This is the first time I have seen a mid-fi speaker come from Sony. The cabinet design of Sony's is a bit more solid than the Insignia NS-B2111's and so are the cross-overs. I personally owned a pair of the ED's, the model below this one that is currently available at Circuit City. They had a pretty good sound, more bass than necessary and a low power handling, though they were small so it is to be expected to have a lower power handling.

Seth=L
 

DaveHo

Supporting Actor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Messages
605
I'll have to add my $0.02 here. I picked up a pair of the Insignia's over the weekend. I was looking to replace the Paradigm Studio 20's in my bedroom 2 channel system. They are being moved to the main theater to be used as matching rears in a 7.1 system. So my impressions. Are they competition for the Studio 20's? No, but they sound way better then they have a right to for $50. Certainly good enough to lull my wife & I to sleep at night. They image really well, & have respectable bass extension. They do have a fairly significant amount of box coloration at higher volumes, but for my use it's liveable.

There are a number of tweaks for these to be found on the net.

http://www.gr-research.com/insignia.htm

I can't justify spending almost a $100 for the upgraded xover components, but I might give the water putty fix a try to help with the box resonance.

All in all I'm pretty impressed, though it seems pretty silly to be driving these with a $700 NAD integrated like I am.

-Dave
 

Chet_F

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 1, 2002
Messages
776
I picked up a set but one of the tweeters was dead out of the box. They're going back. I'll report back on the second pair.
 

scott>c

Second Unit
Joined
Jun 15, 2004
Messages
285
Yup they sure do sound good for 40 bucks. Wanna bring em back as I have too many speakers but I just cant get myself to do it. I bought 3 pairs and sold 3 to a friend who replaced some older Infinitys. He absolutely loves them and thanked me numerous times. He says his wife loves the look w/o grills and thinks they sound fantastic.
 

LanceJ

Senior HTF Member
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Oct 26, 2002
Messages
3,168
Does anybody else think Best Buy might be using these as a "portal" to a better audio system for people who think their iPod is the only source of music with quality sound? And that also think good sound has to cost a lot (think of the speaker company that starts with a "B")?
 

Seth=L

Screenwriter
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Jul 17, 2006
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Seth L
You mean that bull pucky speaker company that starts with the letter "B".

We should really start calling it that. So advocates of the speaker company that starts with the letter "B" won't really know what we are Hatin' On.:laugh:

Seth=L
 

Chet_F

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 1, 2002
Messages
776
Well, I got a second pair and I am highly impressed. These have a great soundstage when placed correctly. They also get better with use. I have not heard a speaker that even comes close to this for less than $50. For those of you who don't want to even consider these, great, more for me. For those with an open mind, you won't be disappointed. Do yourself a favor and pick up a pair to demo as the Best Buy audio stations are a joke.
 

Adam Stoltz

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
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Real Name
Adam Stoltz
I recently went out to BB and listened to them and was surprised on the bass extension. The cabinets a pretty decent size...for $50 bucks or on sale for less, I think they are tough to beat for a bedroom, den or heck even a garage setup. I may look into a pair for the bedroom :)
 

scott>c

Second Unit
Joined
Jun 15, 2004
Messages
285
I agree with both of u. For those on a budget these r real over performers!!! Sound very good and u don`t have to break the bank!!!
 

Chuck Bogie

Second Unit
Joined
Jan 14, 2003
Messages
397
Yeah, the things ain't bad... I may dump some goo in the box, but that's about all they're getting. I think that three pairs of these puppies would go a LONG way toward a home theater setup...

My father has a pair of Sony _transmission lines_ that are pretty darn nice. I've found a little info on 'em, but not much. He bought 'em on a closeout. He mostly listens to opera and classical stuff. I think every so often, some of the bigger guys do "hobby" systems...
 

LanceJ

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2002
Messages
3,168
While doing a search for something else, I found these new (according to a couple online retailers) Pyle speakers.

Pyle PHS88

They're a 2-way system with an 8" woofer and a dome tweeter, usually priced from 70-90 bucks a pair. This size and configuration is one of my favorites for a speaker: bass goes low enough to enable most music to basically sound "all there" but the woofer is still (just!) small enough to enable it to accurately reproduce the important midrange frequencies. And for owners of 5.1 HT and 2.1 music systems, an 8" system crossed over at the typical 80Hz point can easily reproduce the bass notes it is given, without straining like so many low-priced 6"/5"/or smaller woofers can end up doing (this is especially important with music: male voices, certain guitars and other instruments can end up sounding thin and unconvincing).

A manufacturer's spec sheet may say its 5" woofer can reach 80Hz, but it doesn't indicate how well it performs at that frequency (i.e. a Nissan Sentra may be able to reach 100mph but a 350Z is much more stable at that same speed).

And at least in the photos, I think they look pretty nice & fortunately they don't share that sterile "hi-tech" design so many speaker companies are fond of nowadays which makes them difficult to blend into the typical living room. I know Pyle isn't known for awesome sound but there's been many times in the past where speakers from budget-minded manufacturers have ended up sounding quite good. They also sell a version with a 6.5" woofer.

Of course, these could actually end up sounding like cow poo, but when searching for good sound at a low price, the journey is half the fun.
 

Jimi C

Screenwriter
Joined
Feb 22, 2004
Messages
1,212
I finally picked up a pair of these to use with my xbox 360 setup. Im very impressed, especially for $40 for the pair. Best part is they look great. I need some taller stands though.

 

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