Guys, please help....I'm poor, but I need new speakers!! (1 Viewer)

[Nick Graham]

I am purchasing a new 6.1 receiver very shortly (it will either be a Kenwood or a Sherwood, I keep flip-flopping and probably won't make a final decision till I am at the store). Anyways, I am upgrading from my first meager home theater system (a Sony HTIB...actually the original Sony HTIB, the DAV-S300), and I am of course going to need new speakers, as

A) I want higher quality speakers, and

B) The speakers from the Sony HTIB have proprietary plugs

My problem is this...I am dirt poor, and will likely remain that way for a while. I would say I have at the most $400-$450 to spend on these speakers. Don't laugh, the economy sucks, and we are a single income home thanks to KS having no teaching jobs open for my wife. I have a good subwoofer (well, good enough anyways), and I have a decent center. So basically, I need 3 rear satellites, and front left and right channel speakers. I plan on getting some use out of SACD and DVD-Audio in the not too distant future, so I am looking for speakers that can handle high resolution music as well as your average DTS and Dolby Digital audio tracks.

I know the first response is going to be "wait and save", but that is not really an option, as my bills are gonna be increasing in 2-3 months, and we just got our tax refund, so this is my only window of opportunity to upgrade for the foreseeable future. The speakers will be in a smaller sized living room, if that helps. I know for the money I've got it sounds like an impossible mission, but has anybody got any suggestions?

 

[matt_kelty]

check out Fluance I got um and love them. they sound much better than there price would suggest. BTW. I nead the rear center speaker as well. I could split a set of the BP2's with ya.. I know the dirt poor feeling

BTW. You can find them on E-Bay even cheaper

 

[Alex F.]

J&R Music (jandr.com) is clearing out the Acoustic Research 215PS bookshelf speakers for $60/pair. I have not heard them, but all AR products are excellent performers in their respective price ranges.

J&R's website says they're magnetically shielded, so you could, if desired, even use one sideways on top of your TV. You could buy six speakers for only $180 and have identically matched speakers all around. It should sound far better than one would realistically expect for the money. Plus, you could always return them if you aren't pleased (check their returns info to make sure the refund policy applies also to closeouts).

I would also look at Polk's budget bookshelf speakers at Circuit City, Crutchfield.com and elsewhere--the Polks offer surprising performance for little money.

Happy listening!

 

[Jeremy:L]

I'll second the AR's. I'd get the 2062's for the fronts and the 2052's for the surrounds.

Also, I thought someone was selling a set of 5 Energy Take 5's in Hardware for Sale forum for really cheap. That would definitely be worth checking out!

 

[george king]

Check out Brian at Link Removed He has his bose busters, and could probably get you into five for about $375 (I think they are $75 per speaker), and then you could pick up the Sony or DLS sub for about $125. Hope this helps.

 

[Jim A. Banville]

Did you read my short review of the Athena S.5's? I have NEVER seen a negative or even lukewarm review of these! Everyone seems to really like them. You can get them for $150/pair at www.onecall.com. Excellent! By the way, they are made by API (Audio Pruducts International), the same folks who make Energy and Mirage speakers

 

[Phil Iturralde]

As such, I highly recommend the NSP1 home cinema package to anyone looking to get into home theater without emptying his or her bank account in the process.

A quick search @ Yahoo. Shopping revealed:

JBL NSP1 5-Piece Home Cinema Package (4 Satellites and 1 Center) for $219.95 + S/H - quoted price from SimplyCheap.com and one of these two options for your Rear Channel:

Option 1: JBL Northridge Series Center Channel Speaker N-CENTER II $101.95 + S/H

Option 2: JBL N24 II Northridge Series Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) $108.95 + S/H

Totals:

Option 1: Total = $321.90 + S/H

Option 2: Total = $328.90 + S/H

... hopefully S/H will keep you within your $400-$450 budget!!

You can do your own Yahoo.Shopping $$$ search @ different websites since the entire Total Package cost will be influenced by the final S/H charges.

For more JBL 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

 

[Chad A]

Nick,
I'm gonna recommend a set of Wharfedale Diamond 8's.

8.2's for mains
Diamond DFS dipoles for the rear left and right
a single 8.1 for the rear 6th channel

Get a quote from this authorized dealer, www.ayselectronics.com for the entire set.
It should come out to less than $450 if they give you the deal I got from them.

If you wanted to get away with spending less you could go with 8.1's all around for about $350 and still have a nice system.
Just my suggestions. Good luck.

 

[Alan M]

I'll second the recommendation for fluance sx-htb speakers.I've had mine for 3 months and am still amazed at the sound clarity and quality of this set.

 

[Vincent_S]

I would recommend Fluance or maybe some of the refurbished Infinities from Ebay. I believe they are factory direct.

 

[BrianAe]

I'd recommend sticking to 5.1 so you can put a little extra into the other speakers. 6.1 adds so little.

 

[Brian Fellmeth]

I second BrianAe. You could also save a few bucks on the receiver by abandoning the center rear.

 

[WillB]

Phil's the man with the plan. He is totally right about those JBL speakers. If you want them even cheaper look for "harmanaudio" on ebay. THat's the factory selling the NSP1 with no reserve. These speakers rock. I've got:

2x n26 Left/Right
1x Ncenter
4x n24 Surrounds

I'm running them off and HK AVR-325 and it's beautiful!

 

[kurt_fire]

get the speakers and woofer that come with the onkyto hts 650 system. they'll run around 300-400 bucks and pack a lot of punch.

 

[BruceTM]

Nick,

May I suggest the Pioneer sdf3k bookshelf speakers. Check them out at etronics.

 

[GregLee]

If the speakers from your old Sony system aren't powered, maybe you can just cut off the connectors, strip the wire ends, and use those speakers. Well, I suppose you've thought of that, but just in case, I thought I'd mention the possibility.

The Salvation Army and Goodwill in my neighborhood have lots of really cheap speakers.

 

[TommyL]

I third Phils response...grab the jbl's.

 

[Debbie_L]

You've already received excellent suggestions in the JBLs and Fluance (www.fluance.com). Also check out www.hometheaterdirect.com. HTD offers a lot of bang for your buck.

 

[Brett DiMichele]

You can't go wrong with the JBL's or the other recomendations.

Instead of the AR Performance Series though, I would highly
recommend looking at the Acoustic Research HC-6 system.

You can purchase directly from AR via Ebay or from many
e-tailers and walk in stores.

And I believe the HC-6 would fall right in your budget.

 

[Thomas Nichols]

I just bought four Polk R20's and am using a CSi30 for a center channel. I got all of this for right about 400$. I think they sound really good and am very pleased with the price/performance that I have gotten.