AV123 ELT bookshelf speakers $149/pair DEAD?

[MrPabulum]

Originally posted by: Maelstromm
Ok, I've heard tons about the ELTs but I'm on a serioud budget here. I already have a set of Polk R-30s which I wanted to demote to surrounds later on. I'm not sure how good these would fit into my setup. Do you think these would be good to be used as fronts? I have a Yamaha HTR-5840 receiver. Any advice would be great. I'm still a newbie at this, but I know theres a ton to learn.

I ordered two pairs of ELTs (front and surround) and a RSC100 MKII for the center channel; I'm still using my Onkyo 8" sub. All of this is tied to the Onkyo receiver that came with the HT760 HTiB that I bought some time ago. And it's bloody outstanding.

I think you will find it near impossible to find anything that sounds so good for the price. The speakers produce a practically uncolored sound; highs are sharp and mids are smooth. The clarity, imaging and just overall tonal balance are remarkable. Unlike some Klipsch speakers I've listened to (and I remain a fan regardless), there is no 'hot' sound. Fatigue has yet to rear its head. If I've raised your expectations...well, I'm just being honest. 😉 These speakers are that good.

Alternatively, OneCall does have the Boston Acoustics CR65s (pair) on sale for $129, and the CR55s (pair) for $89. Though I haven't listened to these speakers, my general experience with Boston has always been very good.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: MrPabulum

Originally posted by: Maelstromm
Ok, I've heard tons about the ELTs but I'm on a serioud budget here. I already have a set of Polk R-30s which I wanted to demote to surrounds later on. I'm not sure how good these would fit into my setup. Do you think these would be good to be used as fronts? I have a Yamaha HTR-5840 receiver. Any advice would be great. I'm still a newbie at this, but I know theres a ton to learn.

I ordered two pairs of ELTs (front and surround) and a RSC100 MKII for the center channel; I'm still using my Onkyo 8" sub. All of this is tied to the Onkyo receiver that came with the HT760 HTiB that I bought some time ago. And it's bloody outstanding.

I think you will find it near impossible to find anything that sounds so good for the price. The speakers produce a practically uncolored sound; highs are sharp and mids are smooth. The clarity, imaging and just overall tonal balance are remarkable. Unlike some Klipsch speakers I've listened to (and I remain a fan regardless), there is no 'hot' sound. Fatigue has yet to rear its head. If I've raised your expectations...well, I'm just being honest. 😉 These speakers are that good.

Alternatively, OneCall does have the Boston Acoustics CR65s (pair) on sale for $129, and the CR55s (pair) for $89. Though I haven't listened to these speakers, my general experience with Boston has always been very good.

How does the RCS100 sound with the ELTs?
Does it look a bit odd with the different appearances?

 

[screw3d]

ok what have i got myself into lol.. thanks a lot jello :frown:

i just placed an order for the piano blacks.. too bad they ran out of rosewoods 🙁 i don't even know how am i gonna hook them up yet 😱

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: screw3d
ok what have i got myself into lol.. thanks a lot jello :frown:

i just placed an order for the piano blacks.. too bad they ran out of rosewoods 🙁 i don't even know how am i gonna hook them up yet 😱

:evil:

I kind of want to get some... but I don't know what I'd do with them, so I'm resisting 😉

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: screw3d
ok what have i got myself into lol.. thanks a lot jello :frown:

i just placed an order for the piano blacks.. too bad they ran out of rosewoods 🙁 i don't even know how am i gonna hook them up yet 😱

:evil:

I kind of want to get some... but I don't know what I'd do with them, so I'm resisting 😉

Thats obvious..mess with them for a bit, then send them to me. 🙂

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: screw3d
ok what have i got myself into lol.. thanks a lot jello :frown:

i just placed an order for the piano blacks.. too bad they ran out of rosewoods 🙁 i don't even know how am i gonna hook them up yet 😱

:evil:

I kind of want to get some... but I don't know what I'd do with them, so I'm resisting 😉

Thats obvious..mess with them for a bit, then send them to me. 🙂

I guess that's an option.... heh

I already have a pair of unused bookshelf speakers just sitting around though

 

[screw3d]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: screw3d
ok what have i got myself into lol.. thanks a lot jello :frown:

i just placed an order for the piano blacks.. too bad they ran out of rosewoods 🙁 i don't even know how am i gonna hook them up yet 😱

:evil:

I kind of want to get some... but I don't know what I'd do with them, so I'm resisting 😉

Thats obvious..mess with them for a bit, then send them to me. 🙂

I guess that's an option.... heh

I already have a pair of unused bookshelf speakers just sitting around though

If you have an unused receiver sitting around I'll be glad to "review" them for you 😀

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: screw3d

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: screw3d
ok what have i got myself into lol.. thanks a lot jello :frown:

i just placed an order for the piano blacks.. too bad they ran out of rosewoods 🙁 i don't even know how am i gonna hook them up yet 😱

:evil:

I kind of want to get some... but I don't know what I'd do with them, so I'm resisting 😉

Thats obvious..mess with them for a bit, then send them to me. 🙂

I guess that's an option.... heh

I already have a pair of unused bookshelf speakers just sitting around though

If you have an unused receiver sitting around I'll be glad to "review" them for you 😀

The closest thing I have to an unused receiver is my gf's sub from her z-560 computer speaker set, but I know she wants that still 😉

My own two receivers are in use, so unless I want to give up bass shakers, I'm going to keep them both.

I could also use them as rears for a 7.1 set, but I think the difference between my surrounds and my spare surrounds would be a little bit too much.

 

[monkuboy]

Well I got my three ELT centers set up across the front and the two surrounds in the rear and although they are far from broken in (I've listened to them just a couple of hours or so), let me tell you they are wonderful. In HT mode the dialog is extremely crisp and clear, and in 2-channel mode the two centers being used as left and right speakers really shine. There is a nice lack of sibilence in the words, just smooth-sounding voices as well as instruments. So that's my initial report. I would say that the LRS' on sale for $99 a pair are definitely a "hot deal" and when the center channels arrive in November, if they are priced at the same $199 then that's a hot one, too. I'm going to post a more detailed review on the AV123 website after breaking them in more. But so far, so very good!

Oh by the way... they really have a racket going at AV123 because now I want to replace my subwoofer (it's an Infinity) with one of theirs! So I guess I'll just have to keep watching for more sales because my budget is exhausted now.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

personally i'm waiting for the X series to come out. i believe they are coming out with an amp like the Sonic Impact T-amp as well. From what i've heard, the X series are worth the extra money over the ELT series. But crap, at $99 a pair, how can you pass these babies up?

 

[MrPabulum]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: MrPabulum

Originally posted by: Maelstromm
Ok, I've heard tons about the ELTs but I'm on a serioud budget here. I already have a set of Polk R-30s which I wanted to demote to surrounds later on. I'm not sure how good these would fit into my setup. Do you think these would be good to be used as fronts? I have a Yamaha HTR-5840 receiver. Any advice would be great. I'm still a newbie at this, but I know theres a ton to learn.

I ordered two pairs of ELTs (front and surround) and a RSC100 MKII for the center channel; I'm still using my Onkyo 8" sub. All of this is tied to the Onkyo receiver that came with the HT760 HTiB that I bought some time ago. And it's bloody outstanding.

I think you will find it near impossible to find anything that sounds so good for the price. The speakers produce a practically uncolored sound; highs are sharp and mids are smooth. The clarity, imaging and just overall tonal balance are remarkable. Unlike some Klipsch speakers I've listened to (and I remain a fan regardless), there is no 'hot' sound. Fatigue has yet to rear its head. If I've raised your expectations...well, I'm just being honest. 😉 These speakers are that good.

Alternatively, OneCall does have the Boston Acoustics CR65s (pair) on sale for $129, and the CR55s (pair) for $89. Though I haven't listened to these speakers, my general experience with Boston has always been very good.

How does the RCS100 sound with the ELTs?
Does it look a bit odd with the different appearances?

It looks great. But then, everything goes with black. 😀 The center is arguably the best part. I've run some movies, and am hearing details that my old Onkyo center missed. Dialogue sounds a lot more natural too. The speakers are quite transparent in fact.

 

[imported_haplo518]

thx alot guys now i have to fight this incredible urge i have to buy these BAD BOYS even though I DON'T need them!!! why must everyone agree that these speakers ROCK... haha

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: MrPabulum

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: MrPabulum

Originally posted by: Maelstromm
Ok, I've heard tons about the ELTs but I'm on a serioud budget here. I already have a set of Polk R-30s which I wanted to demote to surrounds later on. I'm not sure how good these would fit into my setup. Do you think these would be good to be used as fronts? I have a Yamaha HTR-5840 receiver. Any advice would be great. I'm still a newbie at this, but I know theres a ton to learn.

I ordered two pairs of ELTs (front and surround) and a RSC100 MKII for the center channel; I'm still using my Onkyo 8" sub. All of this is tied to the Onkyo receiver that came with the HT760 HTiB that I bought some time ago. And it's bloody outstanding.

I think you will find it near impossible to find anything that sounds so good for the price. The speakers produce a practically uncolored sound; highs are sharp and mids are smooth. The clarity, imaging and just overall tonal balance are remarkable. Unlike some Klipsch speakers I've listened to (and I remain a fan regardless), there is no 'hot' sound. Fatigue has yet to rear its head. If I've raised your expectations...well, I'm just being honest. 😉 These speakers are that good.

Alternatively, OneCall does have the Boston Acoustics CR65s (pair) on sale for $129, and the CR55s (pair) for $89. Though I haven't listened to these speakers, my general experience with Boston has always been very good.

How does the RCS100 sound with the ELTs?
Does it look a bit odd with the different appearances?

It looks great. But then, everything goes with black. 😀 The center is arguably the best part. I've run some movies, and am hearing details that my old Onkyo center missed. Dialogue sounds a lot more natural too. The speakers are quite transparent in fact.

I'm glad you like them 😀
:camera:s?

Originally posted by: haplo518
thx alot guys now i have to fight this incredible urge i have to buy these BAD BOYS even though I DON'T need them!!! why must everyone agree that these speakers ROCK... haha

ooooh, another victim.... sorry :evil:

 

[MicroChrome]

Ok, I have listend and owned some pretty good speakers in my life... My fav speaker was the Infinity Reference Series Silk Dome tweeters. But when I moved into my new house I didn't have the room to keep them. So these to my ears sound the same and they are very cheap to boot. Anyway after trying a lot of diffrent brands like Klipche, Now Hear This, Energy...I couldn't stand the 'tin' sound ... In other words they were too BRIGHT for my ears. If you like the laid back warm sound type then you will like Polk.

But, not to thread crap and I can't quote the OP on how Rocket speakers sound since I have not heard or listend to them.

But, for money tight wads you can't go wrong with these. Matter of fact I have these in my set up, 4 of them. @ 25.00 a speaker they are great. You can get 4 front and back for under 100 bucks! All you need is a center and decent sub and your in business.

I'd suggest these four ... Polk R15 Black if you have a small room say 15X15 you can easily mount these on the walls.

If you have a bigger room. These are the same price as the OP and would seem like a better bang for the dollar... 50 bucks a speaker...

Polk R30

So, anyway these are excellent speakers for the price. I would recomend them to anyone. They all have 5 way binding posts, and the build quality and sound from these are excellent.

If I were to do this all over again... I would use polk drivers and decent onkyo amp. You can't go wrong.

Happy listening! 🙂

 

[screw3d]

OK the HT bug has bit me.. or I ate one.. or one ate me.. whatever

Which gauge speaker cable should It get? Is 16-gauge enough? Should I have different gauges for sub and satellites? Or it doesn't really mattar as long as it's like <16 gauge?

Still hunting for an affordable receiver 😉

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: MicroChrome
Ok, I have listend and owned some pretty good speakers in my life... My fav speaker was the Infinity Reference Series Silk Dome tweeters. But when I moved into my new house I didn't have the room to keep them. So these to my ears sound the same and they are very cheap to boot. Anyway after trying a lot of diffrent brands like Klipche, Now Hear This, Energy...I couldn't stand the 'tin' sound ... In other words they were too BRIGHT for my ears. If you like the laid back warm sound type then you will like Polk.

But, not to thread crap and I can't quote the OP on how Rocket speakers sound since I have not heard or listend to them.

But, for money tight wads you can't go wrong with these. Matter of fact I have these in my set up, 4 of them. @ 25.00 a speaker they are great. You can get 4 front and back for under 100 bucks! All you need is a center and decent sub and your in business.

I'd suggest these four ... Polk R15 Black if you have a small room say 15X15 you can easily mount these on the walls.

If you have a bigger room. These are the same price as the OP and would seem like a better bang for the dollar... 50 bucks a speaker...

Polk R30

So, anyway these are excellent speakers for the price. I would recomend them to anyone. They all have 5 way binding posts, and the build quality and sound from these are excellent.

If I were to do this all over again... I would use polk drivers and decent onkyo amp. You can't go wrong.

Happy listening! 🙂

I'm kind of confused about what you're referring to in this...

You say "So these to my ears sound the same and they are very cheap to boot." but I can't tell what you're talking about... these ELTs?

But you say "I have not heard or listend to them"

Are you just giving an alternative for other affordable speakers or are you saying you didn't like the sound of the ELTs because they were too bright?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: screw3d
OK the HT bug has bit me.. or I ate one.. or one ate me.. whatever

Which gauge speaker cable should It get? Is 16-gauge enough? Should I have different gauges for sub and satellites? Or it doesn't really mattar as long as it's like <16 gauge?

Still hunting for an affordable receiver 😉

Gauge is pretty much dependent on length of the run and impedence of the speakers.
http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

Usually you'd be running an RCA cable to a powered sub rather than speaker wire... If you're running an unpowered sub with an amp, then you can consult the chart some more and figure things out.

For an affordable receiver would you be open to some refurbs? Do you want a stereo receiver, or is this going to be a 5.1/6.1/7.1 setup?

ecost has some pretty good deals on refurb receivers. Onkyo502 is quite affordable.

 

[screw3d]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: screw3d
OK the HT bug has bit me.. or I ate one.. or one ate me.. whatever

Which gauge speaker cable should It get? Is 16-gauge enough? Should I have different gauges for sub and satellites? Or it doesn't really mattar as long as it's like <16 gauge?

Still hunting for an affordable receiver 😉

Gauge is pretty much dependent on length of the run and impedence of the speakers.
http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

Usually you'd be running an RCA cable to a powered sub rather than speaker wire... If you're running an unpowered sub with an amp, then you can consult the chart some more and figure things out.

For an affordable receiver would you be open to some refurbs? Do you want a stereo receiver, or is this going to be a 5.1/6.1/7.1 setup?

ecost has some pretty good deals on refurb receivers. Onkyo502 is quite affordable.

I guess 16 gauge is enough for me then..

I am definitely open to refurbs/used! Would be good to keep budget below $200 since this would be my semi-first foray into serious (haha) HT.. So which would be a good match for the rockets? I'll be running 2.0 initially.. or just run my roommate's HTiB JVC satellites and sub to for the time being 😀

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

You might want to send an e-mail over to the guys at AV123 to get some opinions on their preferred brands to match with the ELTs.

You probably can't go wrong with something from Onkyo/Denon/HK/Pioneer etc.

Some ones to check out:
HK AVR-135 (and similar) refurbs from the seller harmanaudio off ebay. There are factory refubs and they put a new 2 year warranty on them. I've ordered from them in the past :thumbsup:
Denon units at ecost...
685
485
1705
etc
Onkyo units at ecost...
502
503
602
Pioneer
515 new from CC

Not sure if I got the best prices or not, but those are some ones to check out at least.

 

[screw3d]

Thanks Jello 🙂 I fired an email to av123 and will see what they recommend.

I have been reading a lot of good things on the Panasonic XR55 but it looks like most of it came from only a few guys.. hmmm

 

[SJetski]

Originally posted by: Sudheer Anne
personally i'm waiting for the X series to come out. i believe they are coming out with an amp like the Sonic Impact T-amp as well.

There's quite a few high-end companies signing up with Tripath technology. One of the smaller ones though is audiotrak which has already it's own version called Dr amp in japan.

Those with minor DIY skills can build something much better and more powerful by selecting one of the Tripath amp kits at 41hz. (Link 1 , link 2 and link 3 ). There are people @ Diyaudio who'll assemble the kits for you for a small fee (that's what i'm in the middle of negotiating, since i'm a klutz with electronics and my time is precious 😉). Another neat Tripath product is the Teac AL700p but demand has doubled it's price form $99 to $200.

Tripath technologies is an intersting company in general imho, they've consistently managed to sign up with other big audio names in the business. Their share price is currently .68 cents a share., which is down from a high of $30 back in 2000. Their stock price seems to be forming a base, which will inevitably prompt me to buy a few hundred shares 😉.

Sorry for getting so off-topic and sounding like such a Tripath shill 🙁

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: screw3d
Thanks Jello 🙂 I fired an email to av123 and will see what they recommend.

I have been reading a lot of good things on the Panasonic XR55 but it looks like most of it came from only a few guys.. hmmm

I've heard good things about the Panasonic digital amps too, and I searched for them briefly for you when I was making my list. Guess I didn't do a good job searching because I thought they were out of your range.

XR-55 is the newer model and nice price for a new one.

 

[monkuboy]

Well to throw in my two cents, I like Onkyo receivers myself. I am intrigued by the Panasonic digital receivers discussed above - very interesting. I'm happy with my Onkyo but I'm curious as to what the Panasonics sound like. I also wanted to add in response to screw3d's question about speaker wire - in my opinion buying Monster Cable is not worth it, so if you go to the electronics store and they try to tell you that you NEED this because it is superior, I would ignore them. I would recommend getting 16 gauge or thicker wire, though. Try Home Depot.

 

[notanotheracct]

anyone know how these ELTs compare to a logitech z680 set?

 

[screw3d]

Originally posted by: notanotheract
anyone know how these ELTs compare to a logitech z680 set?

I think there's no comparison 😉

One, because you are comparing a whole system to two satellites; and secondly, even if you are comparing the satellites side by side, I don't think any PC satellite speakers for that matter is going to beat the ELTs, especially at $99/pair.

<-- currently owns a Z-560 so you know I don't hate Logitech or whatever 😛

Well to throw in my two cents, I like Onkyo receivers myself. I am intrigued by the Panasonic digital receivers discussed above - very interesting. I'm happy with my Onkyo but I'm curious as to what the Panasonics sound like. I also wanted to add in response to screw3d's question about speaker wire - in my opinion buying Monster Cable is not worth it, so if you go to the electronics store and they try to tell you that you NEED this because it is superior, I would ignore them. I would recommend getting 16 gauge or thicker wire, though. Try Home Depot.

Thanks 🙂 I've been around here long enough to have "bose=crap" and "monster cable=waste of money" hammered into my head (amongst others). I'll probably be getting them off partsexpress though, unless there's like a newegg for speakers cables that I don't know about