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Inexpensive Center Speaker

#1
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1/29/08 at 10:10am
  • Joined: January 2008
  • Post Count: 16
I have a freind who's looking to buy a very cheap 5.1 system. He already owns a very nice sub that he has been using with a pair of very crappy computer speakers, crossovering the bass. While I think this is a very silly thing to do, he really likes powerful bass. At any rate, he is looking to pay $300 for a 5.1 system using the sub he already has. This is going in a bedroom, mostly to play X-box and watch movies. Since he knows I know more about this sort of thing than he does, I am doing the research for him. I realize at that price range a HTIB is probably the most efficient thing to do. However, most HTIBs I have seen suck, include a subwoofer powered from the "receiver", and don't have 6xRCA analog audio inputs. Therefore I'm trying to make a component system for him. I have found decent prices on receivers and speakers at the local Circuit City except the cheapest center speaker they sell is $90! Where can I find a center speaker in the $30-50 range? For this setup I'm not looking for high quality, it just can't sound horrible. To him this system is competing agianst a $30 computer speakers (albeit hooked up to a $250 sub).

Again, the questions is:
Where can I find a $30-50 center speaker, or should I just buy another pair of bookshelf speakers and just use one?
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#2
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1/29/08 at 1:37pm
  • Joined: February 2007
  • Location: Calgary
  • Post Count: 264

Re: Inexpensive Center Speaker

So, you're looking to get a really cheap center channel speaker to use with two crappy computer speakers for the left and right channels? You're going to run into two problems with that:

1) Your center channel will not match the type of sound that the computer speakers produce, so there will not be even sound as the audio pans from one side to the other

2) It will sound like crap.

You say that his budget would be $300 for a 5.1 system but he already has the sub, so really he's looking for a 5.0 system for $300, right? You can get a set of speakers that would sound awesome in his room for that price if you were to buy Athena speakers from AudioAdvisor.
You could get the LS-C50 center channel for $49 , and the LS-50 bookshelf speakers for $55 a pair, for a total of $160 for 5 speakers, or you could upgrade to the LS100 series bookshelves for the fronts for $100 per pair and the LSC-100 center channel for $100. You could get two pairs of LS-100s and the LSC-100 for $300, or you could have LS-50s for the rears and save $50.

I have the LS-100 speakers and they are awesome, especially considering their low price. I can't vouch for the sound of the 50s, since I've never heard or seen them, but guessing from the sound of the 100s, they would sound awesome in a bedroom.

Between the LS-50 and LS-100 series of speakers, you should be able to get a good combination that will blow away what your friend has right now.

You have not mentioned a receiver yet. Does he have anything to power this system yet?
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#3
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1/29/08 at 10:01pm
  • Joined: January 2008
  • Post Count: 16

Re: Inexpensive Center Speaker

I didn't mention the four bookshelf speakers and reciever becuase I found good deals on them. I wouldn't use those computer speakers for all the tea in Britain. Horrid things. Crappy even as computer audio goes.

For a receiver I'm thinking an Onkyo TX-SR304 for $160. It has 6x RCA analog inputs, DTS-EX & DD-ES, and 65 watts. Basically, it has plenty. With your speaker suggestions that would come to $320 plus tax for the receiver and shipping for the speakers, which is right where I am shooting for. Thanks, I appreciate it.
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#4
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1/30/08 at 9:16am
  • Joined: February 2007
  • Location: Calgary
  • Post Count: 264

Re: Inexpensive Center Speaker

No problem. Let us know what the final result is and what your friend thinks of the upgrade once he's using it.
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