Tim Holyoke

Do "good" speakers still last a long time?

I've never really bought any standalone speakers, just a little 3 piece bookshelf system, hehe. But my Dad has a pair of pioneer speakers that are at least 20 years old, and they still sound better than most speakers I've heard. I know nothing about speakers, I'm just curious if today's good floor speakers will last a long time if not abused. Thanks.

Tony Genovese

Yes they will.

Tim Holyoke

So if I'm on a limited budget, it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to invest in a decent set of speakers and a receiver? How integral is a sub for starters? Thank you.

DanaA

Yes, definitely put a priority on getting nice speakers right off the bat. Remember, there are speakers that stand out as far as value in each price category. The need for a sub will be heavily influenced by the speakers you end up with. There are also great deals to be had in specific price ranges with subs.

Jesse Sharrow

I am of the opinion that every set of speakers needs a good sub. But speakers like bookshelves and small towers will need a sub more than large towers or something with subs built in. A seperate sub is always better in some aspects. A seperate sub you can place in the optimal part of the room. Towers with subs built in can only stay in one area.

Tim Holyoke

OK, thanks for the help guys. I read a while back about DIY speakers that could be made fairly inexpensively and that were of really good quality if done correctly. Could you recommend me something?

Like Dana said, certain speakers stand out as good value in each price category. Say I'm looking for something that doesn't need to sound good at really high volume, but is just a good all-around quality speaker. They will be used for watching a few movies, but mostly TV, sports, and video games. I don't need to feel like I'm getting the absolute best, just something that would sound good at normal volumes and be all-around good. I don't really want to set a price range at this point because I don't know how much what I want costs. Thanks a lot for any help and suggestions.

Alex Prosak

DanaA

Ascend and Axiom would also make excellent choices, as would the ELT system which I'll link Here .

Here's a link for Ascend.

Here's a link for Axiom.

Online speaker companies can offer outstanding value for the dollar. All three companies sell complete 5.1 speaker systems or individual pairs, should you decide in that direction.

Mitch_J

DIY speakers can be found at WWW.PartsExpress.com