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#1 (permalink) |
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Special Member
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The basic purpose of this thread is to discuss the reasons one might consider bookshelf speakers in his setup, as well as to provide helpful tips for making the most of the speakers. Any additional input is appreciated and links/tips/tricks will be added (with due credit) to the first post, to make it easier for forum members to find the info they are looking for.
A lot of audio enthusiasts use bookshelf speakers, be it in a surround sound or stereo setup, rather than floorstanding speakers, and for a number of reasons. 1) Size: A bookshelf speaker can be easily moved/placed just about anywhere when compared to a floorstanding speaker, thus making them a good choice for someone who is limited on floor space or just doesn't like the look of a big boxy speaker in the middle of the room. 2) Affordability: Although some bookshelf speakers run in prices that would make floorstander owners shudder, for the most part they are some of the more affordable speaker options. 3) Versatility: Bookshelf speakers can be mounted on the wall, placed on stands, set inside cabinets, or even placed on shelves on the wall. This is another of those things that benefits the more cosmetic-minded speaker lover. 4) Your reason here [Recommended Bookshelf Speakers] The following list of recommendations will be built by you and your fellow forum members, and will list speakers in their respective price categories (based on USD MSRP), but most of these speakers will be available through various online retailers for well below MSRP. Speaker names will provide links to the manufacturer's website, and it will be up to you to find them online or in your area (as online prices change frequently and it would be impossible for me to keep on top of the best price of every model) [$0-$99 per pair] Insignia Bookshelf Speakers Infinity P142 [$100-$199 per pair] HSU HB-1 [$200-$299 per pair] Klipsch RB-10 [$300-$499 per pair] Def Tech ProMonitors Jamo C 803 Klipsch B-3 Klipsch RB-61 [$500-$999 per pair] Def Tech Studio Monitors Totem Mite B&W 685 Klipsch WB-14 [$1000+ per pair] B&W 805S B&W 705 Klipsch P-17B [Making The Most Of Your Bookshelf Speakers] So you have bookshelf speakers, or are on your way to purchasing some, and would like to know how to make the most of them... this will list recommendations, tips, tricks, etc. for getting the best performance out of every bookshelf speaker. 1) Placement: The most important part of setup of any speaker system is placement. In 2 channel setup, at listening distance, the audio should appear to be coming from the empty space between the speakers, and not the speakers themselves. The easiest way to achieve this effect is with a song you know well, a good ear, and a lot of patience. The odds of getting placement perfect at all, let alone on the first attempt, are very slim; but that's why you brought your patience with you. Even if the 2 channel setup is for movies, I have found that music is the simplest way (aside from specific test tracks) to find proper speaker placement. You'll want to put on that song you know so well, assume listening position, and listen to hear if the sound seems to be coming from either of the 2 speakers, both, or right in the center. If, for example, the audio from the left speaker is quite obviously coming from the speaker itself, try angling the speaker a bit, either more towards you, or more away, and keep trying until it is right. Obviously it will take some time to do this, but be patient and take your time, this is typically a one-time thing, and you'll be glad you did it. After making any adjustments to the positioning, be sure to return to your listening position to make any further observations. 2) Placement part 2: Though not necessarily in the same category as placement as described above, this is equally important. This is one of the first decisions you will make with your new bookshelf speakers; what they will be placed on. As bookshelf speakers do not go on the floor, you must place them on stands, shelves, cabinetry, etc. I personally use stands to allow for ease of positioning, placement anywhere in the room, etc. 3) Isolation: Any surface you place the speaker on (short of solid rock) will run the risk of vibration causing a coloration of the sound from the speaker. If you place your hand on the surface the speaker rests on, while the speaker is in use at your regular listening volume, you should not feel any vibration whatsoever. If you feel vibrations, then there will be some kind of coloring of the sound. Coloring of the sound is a bad thing and we want to prevent it if possible. One solution that seems popular is to place a generous layer of Blu-Tak under the entire base of the speaker, as it provides sufficient dampening. Another, somewhat more expensive, more attractive option, is vibration isolation pads such as the rather affordable Vibrapod. [Sites to Shop for Bookshelf Speakers] Amazon Audiogon Canuck Audio Mart Crutchfield eBay Parts Express Vanns [Other Brands You May Be Interested In] As I can't list every single speaker made by every single company (ideally we will have 5-10 speakers in each of the price ranges as recommendations) I will provide here, a list of brands whose bookshelf speakers may be of interest to you. Axiom Boston Acoustics Bowers & Wilkins Definitive Technology Dynaudio elementalDesigns Energy Home Theatre Direct HSU Infinity Jamo JBL Klipsch Mirage Paradigm Polk Audio Totem THIS THREAD IS INCOMPLETE AND NEEDS YOUR HELP!! THANKS IN ADVANCE TO ANYONE WHO ADDS TO THIS!!! Thanks to: Big Daddy, John72953, Driver King, DBlackGT, Brett Day, JasonR, YOUR NAME HERE
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TV: Panasonic TC-P42G10Players:250 GB PS3 Slim Receivers:Onkyo 705, 8555 Speakers:Klipsch RF-35s, RS-42s, RC-35, RW12d, Tannoy DC4Ts "Where you hear the free exchange of ideas, I hear a thousand idiots typing 'First' as fast as they can." "Well surely people must write other things on the internet, what do they post after 'First'?" "Second, third and so on, until finally they grow weary of numerals, and begin to compare the topic at hand to Nazis or homosexual intercourse" Last edited by allstar780; 10-18-2008 at 05:25 AM. |
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#2 (permalink) |
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Home Theater Moderator
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Bookshelf speakers can do a pretty good job these days as we have high quality subwoofers (relatively new development , 20 years or so) and also the availabilty of good calibration programs.
I think you should add the following speakers to your list. Hsu Research http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/hb-1.html $300 a pair to $400 a pair, depending on the finish. Defintive Technology: Pro Monitor: http://www.definitivetech.com/loudsp...or.html#pm1000 $440 a pair and $290 a apir Studio Monitors: http://www.definitivetech.com/loudsp...tor.html#sm450 $660 a pair and $500 a pair Axiom: http://www.axiomaudio.com/bookshelfspeakers.html $296 a pair, $330 a pair, and $470 a pair Home Theater Direct: http://www.htd.com/cabinet-speakers/bookshelf-speakers $299 a pair and $179 a pair The Speaker Company (dirt cheap, factory direct): http://www.thespeakercompany.com/sto...oryID.11218200 From $35 a pair to $180 a pair
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HT Room: Epson 1080UB Proj., Mitsubishi 65" Diamond Series HD TV, Denon AVR-4308CI Rec., CinePro 6-Ch. Amp. (450 W/Ch, 8 Ohm), Carver TFM-45 2-Ch. Amp. (375 W/Ch), Proton D1200 Amp., Oppo BDP-83, OPPO DV-980H, Audio Technica Tuntable, 2 Def. Tech. Super Towers w 15" subs, 1 Def. Tech. Center & 1 Martin-Logan Center, 2 Def. Tech. Surr. & 2 PSB Surr., 2 Bose 901 Rears, 2 Modified HSU 12" Subs, 1 ED DIY 12" Sub, 1 ED DIY 15" Sub, Velodyne SMS-1 Subwoofer Equalizer, DirecTV HD, Monster HTS 5000 & APC H15 Power Conditioners. Living Room: Carver 2-Ch. Preamp., Carver 2-Ch. Amp., Rotel CD player, Marantz Turntable, Yamaha Tuner, 2 Vintage Polk RTA-15TL Speakers, 2 LCY 100 Super Tweeters, 1 Modified AA HD-SUB12 Family Room: Mitsubishi 73" Diamond Series TV, DirecTV HD-DVR, PS3, Zvox Speaker, 1 DIY 12" Sub. Last edited by Big Daddy; 10-17-2008 at 08:43 AM. |
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#3 (permalink) |
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Live Life! Leave A Legacy!
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Very nicely done and let me add some recommendations to what I'm sure will be a growing list.
For speakers: I would highly recommend the Totem Mite which starts at $695.00 depending on finish and is available in 5 finishes. http://www.totemacoustic.com/ca/en/p.../compact/mite/ For a great online source in Canada, check out http://www.canuckaudiomart.com
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Hup Holland Hup! The "ORANJE" to glory in 2010! Vinyl Lovers Unite! The Official TURNTABLE Owners Thread Most recent vinyl purchase:Jimi Hendrix - First Rays Of The New Rising Sun
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#4 (permalink) |
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Blu-ray Champion
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My recommended setup for Home Theater Virgins: Speakers:Polk Monitor 50's, Polk CS2 Center, and eD subwoofer or HTIB:Polk 5.1 system Receiver:Onkyo TX-SR606 or Onkyo TX-SR706 Monoprice-For all your cable needs My Setup |
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#6 (permalink) |
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Home Theater Moderator
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Don't forget the bookshelves and monitors from these great Canadian companies.
PSB Bookshelves and Monitors: http://www.psbspeakers.com/products Mirage: http://www.miragespeakers.com/na-en/products/bookshelf/ Energy: http://www.energy-speakers.com/na-en...cts/bookshelf/ Paradigm: http://www.paradigm.com/en/paradigm/...1-2-4.paradigm Edit: These three are among the oldest and most reputable American speaker companies. Infinity: http://www.infinitysystems.com/home/...USA&Country=US http://www.crutchfield.com/g_37900/B...splay=Infinity JBL: http://www.jbl.com/home/products/cat...=US&Region=USA Boston Acoustics: http://www.bostonacoustics.com/Bookshelf-C13.aspx For people on a tight budget. Parts Express (low cost): http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage....ctGroup_ID=764 From $30 a pair to $200 a pair
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HT Room: Epson 1080UB Proj., Mitsubishi 65" Diamond Series HD TV, Denon AVR-4308CI Rec., CinePro 6-Ch. Amp. (450 W/Ch, 8 Ohm), Carver TFM-45 2-Ch. Amp. (375 W/Ch), Proton D1200 Amp., Oppo BDP-83, OPPO DV-980H, Audio Technica Tuntable, 2 Def. Tech. Super Towers w 15" subs, 1 Def. Tech. Center & 1 Martin-Logan Center, 2 Def. Tech. Surr. & 2 PSB Surr., 2 Bose 901 Rears, 2 Modified HSU 12" Subs, 1 ED DIY 12" Sub, 1 ED DIY 15" Sub, Velodyne SMS-1 Subwoofer Equalizer, DirecTV HD, Monster HTS 5000 & APC H15 Power Conditioners. Living Room: Carver 2-Ch. Preamp., Carver 2-Ch. Amp., Rotel CD player, Marantz Turntable, Yamaha Tuner, 2 Vintage Polk RTA-15TL Speakers, 2 LCY 100 Super Tweeters, 1 Modified AA HD-SUB12 Family Room: Mitsubishi 73" Diamond Series TV, DirecTV HD-DVR, PS3, Zvox Speaker, 1 DIY 12" Sub. Last edited by Big Daddy; 10-17-2008 at 10:12 PM. |
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#7 (permalink) |
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Blu-ray Champion
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Elemental Designs, SVS, AV123 are some more companies.
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My recommended setup for Home Theater Virgins: Speakers:Polk Monitor 50's, Polk CS2 Center, and eD subwoofer or HTIB:Polk 5.1 system Receiver:Onkyo TX-SR606 or Onkyo TX-SR706 Monoprice-For all your cable needs My Setup |
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#8 (permalink) |
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Special Member
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Thanks guys... i'll update the thread tonight when I get time
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TV: Panasonic TC-P42G10Players:250 GB PS3 Slim Receivers:Onkyo 705, 8555 Speakers:Klipsch RF-35s, RS-42s, RC-35, RW12d, Tannoy DC4Ts "Where you hear the free exchange of ideas, I hear a thousand idiots typing 'First' as fast as they can." "Well surely people must write other things on the internet, what do they post after 'First'?" "Second, third and so on, until finally they grow weary of numerals, and begin to compare the topic at hand to Nazis or homosexual intercourse" |
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#9 (permalink) |
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Expert Member
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For the $1000+ range I would throw in Paradigm S2
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Florida Gators 2008 SEC & National 'Champions The names Bond...James Bond" Panasonic TH-50PZ85U Plasma Pioneer Elite SC-05 Receiver Klipsch Icon WF-35 & WC-24 & Paradigm Monitor Surrounds Panamax 5300PM PS3 60gb, Xbox 360, & Panasonic DMP-BD30 <----Check out my new HT gallery |
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#11 (permalink) |
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Senior Member
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I recently picked up some Polk bookshelves. They have quite a few options for them ranging from $170-$1150.
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/p...ual/bookshelf/ Driver_King recommended the RtiA1's to me based on my budget a little while back. |
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#12 (permalink) |
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Blu-ray Guru
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"It's like the whole room is just CRAMMED with sound and your stuck in it like jello." ZzEther My Blu-Ray Collection |
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#14 (permalink) | |
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Moderator
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Quote:
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#16 (permalink) | |
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Blu-ray Champion
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Quote:
Delete that link dude.
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My Collection | My HT thread Panasonic TC-P50G10 1080p Plasma | Onkyo 805 | PS3 40gb | Xbox360 | Wii | APC H10 | Harmony One Def Tech BP6B Fronts | Def Tech CLR 2002 Center| Def Tech BP2X Surrounds | PA-120 Subwoofer |
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#20 (permalink) |
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Blu-ray Guru
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these are great speakers for under $100. i have them as my rear surrounds! Sound awesome for the price!
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1138085354138
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BD60, Panny 5080U, Onk 605, Polk CS10, Insignia NS-B2111 Rears, Polk R50 Fronts!, PSW10 Sub, APC H15 Read My Reviews! Panasonic 50PZ80U review Onkyo 605 Review Sony SS-F6000 Speaker Review Polk R50 Speaker Review |
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