Speakers on a wife budget

[mywxrld]

I have never started a thread and lurk more than anything but I am in need of some suggestions. I have learned so much on this site and I am hoping that everyone can help me on this. I have convinced the wife we need to upgrade our speakers. Now, although she agreed to upgrade the speakers, she also put a limit on it. I say $1,000 is too little and she says $1,500 is too much. I need a 7.1 system since I have an Onkyo TX SR605 powering them. I already know that Polk is the primary speaker used here but am looking for other suggestions. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[JJ]

Two things. I'm gonna run with $1,500, first off.

What do you have now, and why do you feel like you need 7.1 right now?

But, in any case, I'm gonna go with Paradigm to start off.

L/R: Mini Monitors @ $400-$450/pr
C: CC-190 @ $300, $350 I think?
SR/SL: Atom Monitors @ $300/pr
Subwoofer: eD A2-300 @ $350

There. And leave $100 for cabling and whatnot from www.monoprice.com and you have a kickass 5.1 system that isn't any of the basic starter brands.



The Minis are above, the Atoms below. Get em in rosenut!





Dealer locator for Paradigm:
http://paradigm.com/en/dealer_locator/paradigm.php

There's a few in Denver.

[Blu Titan]

Very good choices by JJ.

[callas01]

I suggest that you listen to as many speakers as you can.... go to their websites and find local dealers and then audition. Also, I would say that it would be better long term to get perhaps just the front 3... Perhaps the Center Channel CC-190 v.5 that JJ is refering to and then step up to the Monitor 7 v.5 which can be had for $758/pr at www.6ave.com Then later adding a sub like the eD and then some surrounds later... Or you could go with a pair of Definative Tech BP6B for about $798 and the matching center CLR2002 $529.

It isn't always the way you want to upgrade, by doing it slowly, but it will usually get you better results....JMO

[mywxrld]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

Two things. I'm gonna run with $1,500, first off.

What do you have now, and why do you feel like you need 7.1 right now?

But, in any case, I'm gonna go with Paradigm to start off.

Thanks for the response, I really like 'em. The wife said "They are so small" so tomorrow we might go have a listen. There is a place in Frisco, it is actually closer, I can check them out. Right now I have an Onkyo HTiB set and as for the 7.1...because I can.

[JJ]

Originally Posted by mywxrld

Thanks for the response, I really like 'em. The wife said "They are so small" so tomorrow we might go have a listen. There is a place in Frisco, it is actually closer, I can check them out. Right now I have an Onkyo HTiB set and as for the 7.1...because I can.

They look small, they're actually pretty decently sized. A foot tall, 8 or so inches deep, and 6 inches wide, I think. But big things come in small packages! I'd rather get you some great bookshelves than some decent towers.

Keep the Onkyo speakers, so you can use then as your rear two to go 7 outside of the 5 I've given you. Go have a listen! Mrs. Mywxrld - either give your hubby some more leeway in the budget, or try these out - believe me!

[sandman6662]

AAHHH here we go , Speakers, My choice would be , wait ,1st thing is you have to go audition them. Any and all of them , before you chose any . And always think of what you have if you can sell it or trade it in towards the new speakers also, this ups the budget more, And as above I woul start with the front 3 1st and add on , to a 5.1 system , then to 7.1 down the road, as there is,nt much out to really support it yet in movies , I like Klipsch myself, but some pepole dont like the horns, but the are amazing to me My self have had 4 Klipsch setups and never disapointed what so ever, so hear you go ..

Klipsch - RF-82 Tower's front Left & Right, You can get these for around $800.00 a pair,

Klipsch - RC-62 Center you can find this around $400.00

Klipsch - RS- 42 Surrounds L & R pair for $389.00 off e-bay

Klipsch - RW-12d Subwoofer $ $529.00 off e-bay


Now I know this is alittle over budget , but if you shop around & look on E-bay and Vanns.com and othe online sites you can find some deals trust me , also the Klipsch hold a good resale value & Trade in value if you want to upgrade too,

Also look on Craigslist.com , I found a guy selling a whole setup really cheap.

Klipsch - KLF-30's for $900.00

Kipsch - KLF-20's for $700.00

Klipsch - C-7 Center for $350.00

Klipsch - KSW - 15 " Subwoofer for $375.00

These were all in cherry wood and mint perfect condition , What a steal the KLF-30's retailed for over $2,000.00 and sound awesome ,

so look around and listen before you buy, hope this helps. Oh look at my pics for the Klipsch set up . It really rocks the house,,,

[blu_world]

stay away from Klipsch,i heard them yesterday and my ears still hurt,damn bull horn speakers with super bright Treble..it was like at -10 on a Onkyo and i yelled "Turn the Treble down!!. and the reply "Its NOT even ON max!! its the speakers!

ouch,too bright for me.


mywxrld check my gallery for some Polk TSI speaker they're fine sounding & should be in your price range,no use trying to shy away from polk then there good a brand

[petenad]

Check these out keep in mind they are in Canadian prices your dollar is worth 20% more here and they ship for free. Do some research on them you will find alot of satisfied people.
http://www.axiomaudio.com/epicmidi_main.html:)

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by blu_world

stay away from Klipsch,i heard them yesterday and my ears still hurt,damn bull horn speakers with super bright Treble..it was like at -10 on a Onkyo and i yelled "Turn the Treble down!!. and the reply "Its NOT even ON max!! its the speakers!

ouch,too bright for me.


mywxrld check my gallery for some Polk TSI speaker they're fine sounding & should be in your price range,no use trying to shy away from polk then there good a brand

That's not good advice to impart on someone who is now just only looking and considering a quality setup. He and his wife may very like their sound, as do many, many other members. I will agree with you, that for my money and ears, they are rather bright and an audition is most definately recommended (as is the case for every speaker).

Rather than promoting one brand over the other I would recommend to the OP that he start with a solid 3.0 (L/R/C) setup and add a sub and surrounds as money permits down the road. I listen to a lot of Concert BD's and do so in 2.0 mode. Whenever I have people over they are blown away by the sound, because I have good quality speakers. They don't say ,how come there is no surround? Point being, you can still rock the world without a sub and surrounds until such time as you can add them.

John

[SammyG]

Originally Posted by sandman6662

AAHHH here we go , Speakers, My choice would be , wait ,1st thing is you have to go audition them. Any and all of them , before you chose any . And always think of what you have if you can sell it or trade it in towards the new speakers also, this ups the budget more, And as above I woul start with the front 3 1st and add on , to a 5.1 system , then to 7.1 down the road, as there is,nt much out to really support it yet in movies , I like Klipsch myself, but some pepole dont like the horns, but the are amazing to me My self have had 4 Klipsch setups and never disapointed what so ever, so hear you go ..

Klipsch - RF-82 Tower's front Left & Right, You can get these for around $800.00 a pair,

Klipsch - RC-62 Center you can find this around $400.00

Klipsch - RS- 42 Surrounds L & R pair for $389.00 off e-bay

Klipsch - RW-12d Subwoofer $ $529.00 off e-bay


Now I know this is alittle over budget , but if you shop around & look on E-bay and Vanns.com and othe online sites you can find some deals trust me , also the Klipsch hold a good resale value & Trade in value if you want to upgrade too,

Also look on Craigslist.com , I found a guy selling a whole setup really cheap.

Klipsch - KLF-30's for $900.00

Kipsch - KLF-20's for $700.00

Klipsch - C-7 Center for $350.00

Klipsch - KSW - 15 " Subwoofer for $375.00

These were all in cherry wood and mint perfect condition , What a steal the KLF-30's retailed for over $2,000.00 and sound awesome ,

so look around and listen before you buy, hope this helps. Oh look at my pics for the Klipsch set up . It really rocks the house,,,

I like the way you think brother! If you can score the KLF's its a no brainer

[JJ]

Two more things.

One. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT buy subwoofers from mainstream speaker manufacturers. My boy Slec said it best - buy speakers from speaker manufacturers and subwoofers from subwoofer manufacturers. There is better value to be had by choosing internet direct subwoofer companies.

Two. We can recommend all sorts of things, but you see what happened above. Opinions! Everyone has 'em - two guys said go for Klipsch, another said stay away! (Personally, I'm not too fond of the Tractrix horns on their tweeters, esp. on the Reference line - the Icons are better with this, but I've never heard the Palladiums that Intamin talks about so graciously) And then again, others will say go for Polk - the TSi and Monitor lines are the Toyotas of the speaker world, everyone has one (because they're good - don't fire those SAMs at me yet boys, I own Ms).

The best advice anyone can really give, however, is to go out and listen to the speakers yourself. Not just at big box stores, of course, but at individual dealers. Listen to John up there.

Others have also said it is better to start out with just the front three, or the front three and a sub, and while I do agree with this; I chose to just give you 5.1 for $1,500.

[Lucy Diamond]

Go with JJ.

JJ man...you are speaking my language. That is exactly how I built my system.

Lemme tell you something man. It may not look like much, but you even try putting your receiver half way up....dude...it'll KILL you at 20 paces.

Buy it a piece at a time and get her used to the idea slowly. over time, you can add more money if you like and I can attest to the mini monitors personally. I had them as my mains (with bass) for over a year before I bought my sub. They are liquid filled, so they can handle PERVERTED amounts of bass.

Good luck and enjoy in good health.

[StimpsonJCat]

You might consider some of the online speaker companies (SVS, HSU, AV123, etc..)

SVS have some nice 5.1 & 7.1 speaker sets that range from $899 to $1229.
They are bookshelf setups with a very nice sub. You would have to consider the shipping costs as well.


http://www.svsound.com/products-sys-sbs_black.cfm

I would go with a 5.1 or 2.1 system to start with. If your wife likes the idea of small speakers then bookselves are the way to go. But, if you enjoy listening to music I'd go with towers. For HT it is important to have a decent sub and I agree with the earlier commenet if you decide to go with Polks or something like them I'd recommend getting the sub elsewhere (eD, HSU, Outlaw, SVS, etc..)

[Hammie]

Originally Posted by blu_world

stay away from Klipsch,i heard them yesterday and my ears still hurt,damn bull horn speakers with super bright Treble

How about these horn speakers?

[Beta Man]

So... have you made dinner reservations and ordered the flowers yet???????

You KNOW you'll go over budget if asking for advice here

EDIT:

Lou... never heard those.... but "Fatigue" isn't usually instantaneous..... which leads to the need for extended periods of auditioning...... either way, for most people, when they hear "Good" audio for the first time, it usually creates an instant preference for that type of sound.... whether it be from a horn loaded Klipsch, or an electrostatic, etc.... Nothing wrong with it, it's just best to keep an open mind and ear when auditioning speakers.

[got rice]

Theres nothing wrong with Klipsch, it seems that a number of people do not like what the Klipsch brand has to offer, but there is an extremely strong following of Klipsch enthusiast, which dates back to 1940's. They have to be doing something right.

As many others have indicated, it is in your best interest to go out and determine what sound best suits you. We can only direct you to different brands that offer a quality product, however it is up to you to figure out what you like.

Enjoy the process of auditioning... its all part of the fun.

[ShockWave]

Not sure if this is ok to mention. But search craigslist using google. I have seen complete surround systems on there for under 1K. Like B&W and Martin Logans. Nice sets too!

[lojack1976]

I know the wifey is a big consideration, so my question is does she prefer small speakers or she willing to accept towers? This may help with the suggestions. I like StimpsonJCat's suggestion by the way. Those SVS packages are pretty sexy! I can't say I've heard them, but every time I look at their website my mouth starts watering. LOL! I know they have a lot of fans throughout the forums and they offer 45 days for you to try them out and return them if you don't like them. If she demands small speakers you might try some Definitive Technology speakers or some Energy speakers. I have a newly acquired Energy package that I can't say enough about.

[igotcabada]

If the wifey prefers smaller speakers you should get these, they're tiny! and they are so well regarded around this forum!