What is a good set of front and center speakers? (1 Viewer)

[Brook]

I really don't have a lot of money. I will probably only spend up to $500. Does anyone recommend a set of front and center speakers? Is it cheaper to DIY? I have a pair of Zenith speakers that,I think, are a little out dated. Does anyone have answers?

 

[JesseR]

Id say in that price range jbl n series are probably hard to beat....the n center is liek 100 or 150 and maybe a set of either n24 or n26 or n28 i think are all in ur range... also you may be able to find some of the version ones for cheaper since 2 just came out. Someone else might know a little more

 

[John Gates]

I'm very partial to nOrh speakers (http://www.norh.com), and they have a closeout on sky blue ceramic 4.0's right now. I'll bet you could get 3 of them for $500-ish. If you like the way these look, it's hard to find better sound for the $$ as long as you are pairing them with a subwoofer.
Axiom Audio also has some very fine offerings. I have heard the M3Ti, and it's a wonderful speaker for the price. Not as refined as the nOrh 4.0 drum, but still an exceptional value.
There are many other quality speaker manufacturers out there, so keep asking around. I'm sure you'll get lots of good recommendations.
John

 

[John Garcia]

I'll second the Axioms, only because I have not heard the Norhs. Bang for the buck, the M3 is an excellent value, and paired with a comparable center (VP100?), should be under $500. They will do well for music and movies.

 

[Dave_Olds]

www.axiomaudio.com
click on the factory outlet section
M3's for the fronts - $247.50 pair
VP100 fro the center - $198.00
Total cost = $345.50
enough leftover to add some quality surrounds or cables...Heck tack on the QS2 surrounds - $168.00 pair for $503.50
scrape up $3.50 and you can get yourself a very fine 5.1 system and be the envy of all your friends. And shipping is included I believe....Do it, you be glad you did
Dave

 

[Fong]

yeah, shipping and taxes (if any) are included in the price that you see. i have the m22s and a vp150 and can say that they make very good speakers, especially for the price.

 

[CoreyH]

Never hearing the Axioms or the nOrhs, my vote would ve for the Infinity IL 10s ($299 @ crutchfield), and the IL 25c center (can be had for $199 if you shop around).

An excellent sounding setup, if you ask me.

 

[Brook]

Thanks Dave I found your website quite useful It provided me with a lot of helpful information about the Axioms.

Do you own any yourself?

 

[Dave_Olds]

No, I do not.....But everywhere I read, I read great things about them - here on the forum, there are several reputable owners who rave about them after checking out many brands....I do plan to add them to a family room, but due to construction of my theater room, my budget has not allowed me to purchase anything but second hand gear....
There are plenty of reviews you can access from the site on them from magazines, etc and of course the place I found about them www.cheaphometheater.com they have speaker shootout article that tells about them....
Thanks,
Dave

 

[Brian Campbell]

Brook,
Have you considered BIC speakers? Check out the DV62CLR and DV62SI on www.audioreview.com.
http://www.audioreview.com/Center,Ch...3_2743crx.aspx
http://www.audioreview.com/PRD_124289_4290crx.aspx
I bought the speakers from http://store.yahoo.com/jvc-wholesale/ and had the crossovers modified by Ed Frias as discussed on audioreview. Total cost: about $315 shipped.
BTW, it looks like in Dave Olds post above, that the total should be $445, not $345.

 

[John_Bilbrey]

Here I go....

Boston CR85 mains $300
CRC center $200

TOTAL: $500

Bostons don't get the airtime around here that they deserve, so your results may vary. You'll probably get as many differet recommendations here as there are speaker manufacturers, too.

 

[Dave_Olds]

BTW, it looks like in Dave Olds post above, that the total should be $445, not $345.

D'OH....good point....*sigh*, note to self, there is calculator built into Windows....

Dave

 

[Marcus Lewis]

www.ascendacoustics.com
My next purchase incidentally ...

 

[Johnny Mac]

Here's what I would buy if shopping locally.

- Polks rt25i Fairly detailed high end with a little emphasis on the mid-bass.
- Polk cs245i

- Boston cr85 - Crisp and clean with tight bass. If you like female vocals I say look no further.
- Polk cs245i (the Boston CRC is NOT magnetically shielded very well. Casued waves of interference on my screen at about 20db from reference)

- JBL Studio series. Very ugly IMHO but sound very nice. Very well engineered but the designer should be shot. This is, of course, my opinion.

- Paradigm mini monitors and the matching center. I really like the way these sound also.

Basically, it's really hard to go wrong at this price point. Just take along some familiar music and have fun.

 

[Phil Mays]

I agree with purchasing a set. I have not heard the above referenced speakers but I'm sure they are all fine.

My comment is that you will spend WAAAAAY more on DIY especially if you have never done it before. Your sound quality may even be reduced.

I was considering doing this until I researched it and found that I should buy speakers for my system, then experiment as you darn near need an Electrical Engineering degree and more smarts than I have to do a DIY project correctly.

Phil

 

[John_Bilbrey]

Johnny- what kind of TV you sporting? I haven't experienced any problems with my 32" Sony and the CRC.

 

[Johnny Mac]

27" Sony. Really, it only happens at extremely loud volumes. I had my Yamaha cranked to around -25 (bout 20db from reference) when I first saw it. I also saw it happen to a RPTV at Tweeter when we were demoing a sub. I think the rep had the Yamaha at about -10 cause he tripped the protection circuit. You should be fine if you never turn it up that loud.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

Quote:

Read the entire review - linked to the reviewers name.
FYI: Read 83 Consumer Reviews @ Audioreview.com that rated the JBL S-Center 4.67 Stars of 5 Stars
I own four JBL S-26s and JBL S-Center. For the price, this combination provides a very accurate, neutral 100% timbre-matched 360-degree surround sound. I've been told by my family and friends how clear and crisp this HT set (LFE/sub handled by my SVS 25-31PCi), garnering 'sounds better than the local Cinema Century Theaters'! Tonight's Friday NITE DVD is Jurassic Park, ... next week Jurassic Park III. One of my friends (retired Engineer) never saw it and loves Sci-Fi. He hasn't missed a Sci-Fi Friday NITE DVD session yet, i.e. ID-4, Armageddon, Phantom Menace, etc., for the last 2 years!!! Last week, we watched Ocean's Eleven - and let me tell you, the JBL's musicality was highlighted by this DVD's outstanding big-band / jazz soundtrack.
Phil

 

[Dave_Olds]

Pretty hard to say anything bad about JBL - they have a pretty damn good track record....Same with Ascend - Larry from Ascend is marvelous to work with, he answers any questions honestly as possible....Axiom & Ascend have the added benefit of low-cost to high-quality as factory direct. You can quick responses from both companies, sometimes even from the CEO, himself...!!!

But I am surprised no one has mentioned Acoustic Research HC6. For $599.00 list (I am sure less with looking around) one can grab hold of an entire 5.1 package with a Subwoofer. Nothing but good things about this system from users of the product....Worth a look, indeed...!!

Dave

 

[Brian Campbell]

FYI: Read 83 Consumer Reviews @ Audioreview.com that rated the JBL S-Center 4.67 Stars of 5 Stars

I believe the JBL is an excellent speaker...but just for comparison the BIC I recommended above got 4.83 of 5 stars by 53 reviewers, and you can get it online for about $120 + ship. One reviewer called this "Hands down the best center channel I've ever heard."
The JBL S-38 got 4.78 of 5 stars...
while the BIC DV62SI got 4.88 of 5 stars and can be found for about $110 per pair + ship.
But again, as you'll read in the reviews, you need to get the crossovers modified for maximum performance, which costs $50 total for the three speakers.
Just keeping it interesting...
Oh, one more thing, there is a matched big brother to these speakers, the DV736, which are about $200/pair and are floor-standing.
http://www.audioreview.com/Main,Spea...5_1594crx.aspx