What are some options for good inexpensive rear speakers? (1 Viewer)

[Robert_J]

If it were me, I'd save $100 and get the BIC. And Vanns has it for the same price as the BIC and I'd still chose the BIC. 19 reviews (3.5 stars) on the Klipsch and 199 reviews (4.5 stars) of the BIC. Specs on the BIC are better. Every bad review of the Klipsch has the amp failing.

 

[CALL911]

Robert, thanks for your help. You've made up my mind, and I'll be going with the BIC.

 

[CALL911]

I guess I was looking for that warm fuzzy from one of you telling me it would indeed have plenty of bass and be a good combo for my setup.

You haven't stated your goals so therefore I can't tell you if it will meet or exceed them. I was recommending the BIC based on pure value alone.
That said, I built a pair of these - http://web.archive.org/web/20060320200625/http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-cyl-csplus1.cfm using those exact drivers. I powered them with 400w each and it did not satisfy my bass needs. I use a pair of these - http://web.archive.org/web/20070224172836/http://www.tcsounds.com/tc3000.htm in the 15" model. Each receives about 800w at 20hz. This setup meets my goals. I have some ideas that will exceed my goals by a large margin.

Now I see the links. WOW...
I wish I could hear that model in person! That looks quite impressive.
...or better yet, I wish I were good enough friends you'd give me that build of yours to help empty some clutter
I bet it takes a powerfull reciever to hear its potential.

 

[Marty M]

Getting back to OP's original request about suggestions for rear speakers, have you looked into the Atoms or Mini Monitors from Paradigm? The last time I shopped for AV speakers over 10 years ago, it was suggested that the best sound would come from speakers all by the same manufacturer. The local dealer that sold Paradigms, sadly, went out of business about a year ago, so I haven't looked at speakers for a while.

 

[Robert_J]

Now I see the links. WOW...
I wish I could hear that model in person! That looks quite impressive.
...or better yet, I wish I were good enough friends you'd give me that build of yours to help empty some clutter
I bet it takes a powerfull reciever to hear its potential.

I power the 15's with a Behringer EP-2500 running 2 ohms stereo. I use a Behringer Feedback Destroyer as a digital parametric EQ so that my bass is flat from 100hz to 17hz. -3db is 15hz. I have usable output at 12hz. At one time, I was going to upgrade to four 18's that I had custom built for me by Scott Atwell at Fi Car Audio. If you aren't familiar with him, look up the Resonant Egineering XXX 18. He designed and built it while he was owner of RE Audio.
I have a single 15 that was designed to replace both of those. It's what I call a Franken-sub. It has a Konaki 65 pound motor (magnet structure), Sundown Audio cone, Eclipse basket and Pink Star Industry coil and spiders. It was built by PSI who is local to me but worked with Scott at RE.

I wish I could hear that model in person! That looks quite impressive.
...or better yet, I wish I were good enough friends you'd give me that build of yours to help empty some clutter biggrin.gif

You don't list your location. We could be neighbors.

 

[CALL911]

That's very impressive looking! I am in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
I have one additional newb question on that BIC sub; I had planned on running it from my receiver via speaker wire. Someone mentioned to me today that I. May require a co-ax cable instead. Do you know which one?

 

[Robert_J]

Do NOT use speaker wire. That is the connection of last resort.
You want a sub cable, video cable or digital audio cable. They are all the same. Since my receiver and EQ are in the back of the room and my sub amp is in front, I use a combination of cables. From the equipment rack to the wall plate is a sub cable. From the wall plate, through the wall, through the attic and down the other wall is a standard RG-6 cable like I use on my satellite dish. From the front wall plate to the amp is another sub cable.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=subwoofer&x=0&y=0 cables from 3 feet ($1) to 100 feet ($18). Don't fall for the cable myth that they guys in the blue shirts try to sell you. Monster or Rocket Dog or whatever is the same quality as Monoprice. Monoprice has a better price and much, much better service.

 

[CALL911]

Do NOT use speaker wire. That is the connection of last resort.
You want a sub cable, video cable or digital audio cable. They are all the same. Since my receiver and EQ are in the back of the room and my sub amp is in front, I use a combination of cables. From the equipment rack to the wall plate is a sub cable. From the wall plate, through the wall, through the attic and down the other wall is a standard RG-6 cable like I use on my satellite dish. From the front wall plate to the amp is another sub cable.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=subwoofer&x=0&y=0 cables from 3 feet ($1) to 100 feet ($18). Don't fall for the cable myth that they guys in the blue shirts try to sell you. Monster or Rocket Dog or whatever is the same quality as Monoprice. Monoprice has a better price and much, much better service.

Thanks Robert. I'll order one. I have already been getting all my HDMI cable through Monoprice. Great company with super prices.

 

[Jason Charlton]

Originally Posted by CALL911 /t/321009/what-are-some-options-for-good-inexpensive-rear-speakers#post_3932313
I had planned on running it from my receiver via speaker wire. Someone mentioned to me today that I. May require a co-ax cable instead. Do you know which one?

Just to expand a bit on why you don't do this unless you have to - speaker wire connections carry an already amplified signal. Using speaker wire from receiver to sub means that the receiver is doing the extra work of amplifying the subwoofer signal, and your subwoofer's internal amplifier is not doing anything.

Subwoofers running this way are called "passive" and will not perform very well due to the poor amplification from the receiver - after all, it has at least 5 other channels to amplify...

Alternatively, you run an "active" subwoofer. Here you use the coaxial subwoofer cable to connect the subwoofer "pre-out" on the receiver to an RCA input on the subwoofer (the subwoofer signal is mono - some subs have both a Left and Right input, but you don't gain anything by using both inputs - you just need one).

The pre-out is the line-level/unamplified output that is fed to the subwoofer so that the subs internal amp (much more powerful that any you're likely to find on an A/V receiver) can take over and amplify the signal to chest-thumping levels.

Older receivers and some budget HTiB systems only come with passive subwoofers, and this is usually a dealbreaker for many of us - you'll forever be stuck with a passive subwoofer if your receiver doesn't have a pre-out. The beauty of the pre-out is that you can upgrade/replace your subwoofer with a more powerful model at some point down the road, and you don't have to make any changes to the receiver.

 

[CALL911]

Jason, thanks for the info. Good to know some more of the technical data behind "why".

 

[CALL911]

...just ordered the BIC F12