$500 budget and new speakers needed (1 Viewer)

[Josh_Q_T]

Hi everyone. I got $500 bucks and am moving into a new pad. The room is small-medium sized and I'm looking to get rid of my old and bulky speakers and get a new setup. I need something more compact. I don't want big bookshelfs. I don't want the BOSE (but i like those sizes or something close to those sizes).

Any suggestions or ideas?

 

[JeremyFr]

http://www.hookedontronics.com/show_...s.jsp?cid=1116

These are great speakers and would fit your bill perfectly. all in all no bigger than the Bose speakers but 1000 times better sound.

 

[Josh_Q_T]

BTW, I forgot to mention that I have a Sony Sub already. The SA-WM40. I'm also running on an old receiver, the Sony STR-DE845.

 

[JeremyFr]

http://www.hookedontronics.com/show_...ls.jsp?cid=771

Then check these out the upgraded version with no sub and cheaper.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

Add to your audition list the JBL NSP1-II's (MSRP $549)...



... available for $310.95 @ Consumer Direct Warehouse. The HT Package includes wall omni-mount hardware brackets and tools.

This HT set will blend in nicely with your Sony SA-WM40 with no audible hole, ... since it's one of the only small speakers (w/4" woofer) that has usable lower frequency reaching 89 Hz -2.7 dB (Sound&Vision Jan. 2001 Objective Benchmark by Tom Nousaine)

For more JBL NSP1, N- & S-Series Speaker INFO & Reviews w/links, see my web page Why you should add JBL N & S Series to your audition list!.

NOTE: Because my website is 'FREE', hosted by GeoCities, if too many HT enthusiasts visit, GeoCities will shut it down for an hour or so because it exceeded the specified 'freebie' Data Transfer Rate. Sorry about that, just bookmark it and visit my site an hour later or when everyone has gone to bed!

Phil

 

[Mark Dickerson]

Josh:

One Call (www.onecall.com) is closing out the NHT SuperZeros for $87.38 each. Get five for a really good HT setup to go with your sub. The SuperZeros are almost legendary in the audiophile community for being very accurate and worth listening to. I highly recommend them.

 

[Victor Chan]

I would agree with Mark about the NHT SuperZeros at onecall.com. They are reknown for their accuracy and remarkable sound reproduction in a small cabinet. At the price that onecall is offering them for, I don't think you can really do better for under $500.

The fact that they are acoustic suspension (i.e., no port) also gives you more placement options. While all speakers typically sound better if placed a few feet away from any walls or boundaries, ported speakers are much more sensitive to placement near walls. SuperZeros, being acoustic suspension, will sound better than a ported design if wall mounted, enclosed in an entertainment center, etc.

 

[Peter_A_M]

Hi Josh,

I'd look at the SCH K05B50s.

http://www.speakerpage.com/K05B50.htm

I prefer them to the Axiom Audio M3ti above 100 Hz. Visually, they're relatively unobtrusive, they blend well with my subwoofer, and, best of all, they only cost $80 a speaker.

Hope this helps,
Peter

 

[Nathan Hamstra]

Also check out the nsp1 (not the II's). Others would know better, but I really don't think that there is any audible difference between the two.

Also, the old nsp1 is available for 230 shipped, new-in-box right now, or 220 + shipping from shopping.yahoo.com.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

Excellent point Nathan! Here's the link to the Internet Store that you mention ... $220.01 + S/H @ Sale Stores and it's a 5-Star Yahoo rated merchant.

As a recommendation, ... it would be wise to calculate the "Total Costs" (NSP1 + S/H) from the next four or five higher JBL NSP1 priced 5-Star rated Intranet Webstores, because, ... when you factor in their S/H costs with the NSP1 cost, at times, ... it can be less overall due to the Intranet Webstore lower S/H costs.

Another area for potential better deals is @ eBay auctions (search JBL NSp1).

One eBay merchant, with a 97.3% positive feedback rating (from 45375 entries) has a "BUY NOW" deal @ $209.95 + $27.95 Shipping Cost for the JBL NSP1.

Not bad, for $237.90, you get a speaker that garnered the following subjective comments ...

• Amazon.com Editorial Review by Wayne Garcia JBL NSP1 Speaker Package ...

, not a home theater.

Later Sound&Vision verified why the JBL NSP1 garnered so much positive accolades when they published Tom Nousaine Objective Speaker Benchmark (JAN. 2001 issue) ...

JBL NSP1 Frequency Response
N-24 front left/right.... 89 Hz to 18.9 kHz ±2.7 dB
N-Center................... 89 Hz to 20 kHz ±5.5 dB
N-24 surround........... 89 Hz to 18.4 kHz ±3.2 dB

The advantage to Objective Benchmarking is you can't fool the Calibrated Microphone and Computer Software. The speaker's SPL characteristics @ the standard established S&V angles can be used to compare speakers SPL output characteristics between different MFG's.

Phil

 

[AaronJB]

I heartily recommend the Wharfdale WH-2 Bipole surrounds, which are available for $99 (a pair) at Bestbuy.com or Amazon.com. Got them today and am thrilled with the sound and build quality. Anyone looking for affordable bipole surround speakers should check them out.

 

[CurtisSC]

Josh,

What kind of a setup are you looking for? 2 channel....5.1?

curtis

 

[Carlo_M]

May I recommend taking a look at the MB Quart QLS-530 speakers? They're on sale at my local dealer's online site. I have their big brothers, the 1030s and love them (I've compared them to my old Energy C6s and found them to be superior). I've heard these 530s powered by NAD's $500 stereo receiver, and they sound fantastic!

Check out www.mbquart.com for more information, this is their "S" series, the formerly flagship models before the Vera line came out. The main attraction is the 1" titanium tweeter which apparently MBQ is famous for, and that other speaker manufacturers use (though the article I read while researching MBQ did not specify which ones). And I can first-hand attest to the quality of these tweeters, and speakers in general! Yawa clearanced the remaining S series from MBQ which is why they're able to offer them at basically a 40% off price.

 

[Josh_Q_T]

I'm looking for a 5.1 setup. I currently have a really basic system that I'm going to move to an extra bedroom upstairs and this new set will replace what I have. I'm going to corner mount the surrounds in the back and maybe the front as well.

 

[Josh_Q_T]

Are there noticeable differences between the JBL 1's and 2's?

Also, if I were to go with the super zero's, what would you recommend for a center channel?

 

[Victor Chan]

Josh,

Can;t comment on the JBLs as I have yet to hear them. For the SuperZeros, which I have heard and think are fantastic speakers in the price range, I would pick up five of them, using one of them as the center channel.

You will hear a lot of debate about whether it is better to use a dedicated center channel or a speaker identical to their left and right channel speakers and, personally, I think having 3 identical speakers across the front produces the most seamless soundstage.

Very few companies have a center channel that is timbre matched exactly with their speakers designated as left and right channel speakers and fewer still produce a center that sounds better than one of their vertical oriented bookshelf models when used as a center.

Victor