Budget Acoustic Research speakers (1 Viewer)

[Howard M]

I have not heard these myself and I do not really have the extra cash to experiment with more budget speakers right now, but I happened across these Acoustic Research VP series speakers at J&R. They seem to be clearing them out and are selling them dirt cheap. For all you bargain hunters and for those others who like to play with cheap speakers, here's the link:

www.jr.com/JRSectionView.process?N=10136+400039&Ne=400000#Brand

 

[Rick88]

Damn those towers are tempting at $74.99 with free shipping!! Hmmm.

 

[Seth=L]

The towers look a little cheasy but the bookshelfs look promising.

Seth=L

 

[Matt*S.]

I'm quite the noob, currently working with an Onkyo TX-SR601. It's a nice Receiver, but the speakers that I have are also Onkyo and lacking in about every sense of the word. They seem to have a real...'boxy' sound to them. I hope that someone can point me towards a nice speaker setup for around $400. I'd like to do 5.0, I have a Velodyne sub that I bought from a friend. Would these AR's foot the bill? Or should I keep looking. I've looked at Fluance, Acoustic Research and Paradigm. I love the Paradigms, but for $700, a poor College Student can't afford 'em. Any input as to the quality of these speakers would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Howard M]

Matt,

Since I have not heard these myself I can not say with any certainty how good they are. The scant information I've found has been positive, but I would not call it conclusive. In the past Acoustic Research has been very good, but their recent product has been an unknown. They are currently owned by Audiovox. From the information I do have, the build quality seems to be quite solid. For the price point that you describe they are probably a viable option.

As far as other products in your range, I've had good look with the Advent H-series. I've mentioned in another post that they are actually a rebranding of speakers from the reputable German company Heco, who does not market in North America. You can pick up a set of H400, H200, and a center from www.accessories4less.com for roughly the same price of the similar set of Acoustic Research at J&R. These Advents sell for substantially less than the equivalent product in Europe. Advent is also owned by Audiovox. If you believe the marketing fluff, Acoustic research is supposed to be the next step up from Advent in the product line.

Lots of people have suggested just going with three pairs of those Insignia speakers from Best Buy. This is probably the cheapest route. Another budget favorite is the Athena Point 5 system. It depends on how large a room you have on whether these are viable options. You also should decide whether you want towers up front or a set of matching bookshelfs. If you are primarily listening to movies, most feel that a set of bookshelfs to go with your subwoofer would probably be sufficient. If you are into music, you may want to consider the towers up front. You may also want to consider looking at used speakers.

 

[Matt*S.]

Well...What I do know about these speakers is that they were the last line made before Audiovox 'merged' with them. Now Audiovox controls Jensen, Advent, and Acoustic Research. I ordered these speakers today on the hope that I will enjoy them. I know that they will be a huge upgrade from my Onkyo HTIB set that I bought. Besides, if I dislike them, JR has a 30 Day return policy. I'd just have to pay shipping back, which of course I'll send as slow as possible to reduce cost to me. I'll let you all know How things go when I get them installed and loosened up so to speak. I purchased: pair of ARVP600's, pair of ARVP26's, and a ARVP42C. I'm hoping that this adds up to much better sound than I currently have. So my sub appears to be nonfunctional. Reason for replacing the speakers was a lightning surge hit the house. Now I may have to fund a sub purchase. Does anyone know about the Dayton Products from Parts Express?? I need it to have a very 'clean' sound, I really enjoy listening to music. This system will be about 65% music/35% movies. Thanks to all who help!!

P.S. Sorry for the Long post