Home Speaker Question

[JCP]

I am looking two purchase a pair of main bookshelf type speakers for my home setup. I would like to stay around the $150 price point. I am going to run some models I have been considering by you audiophiles for comments and suggestions.

Polk RT15i

BIC Venturi DV-62SI

OR learn some DIY?

Cambridge Soundworks Model 6

Advent AS1

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

 

[pdo]

You should go with those DIY Dayton speakers. Anyone who've ever heard of them rave about it.

 

[777joee]

You might also check out Klipsch speakers. IMHO the best sound for the money. My Heresey's that I bought over 20 years ago still sound better than anything out there.

Just my $.02

 

[Grinchy]

lots of fine diy kits at www.partsexpress.com

you'll get much much better drivers with your $ by going diy.

 

[BigSmooth]

I haven't used any of the ones you listed but I just wanted to throw in the fact that I have had great luck with Boston Acoustics speakers. I have used Klipsch, Infinity and 80's-era Bose, all of which had their good points, but BA makes a GREAT-sounding speaker for the money.

 

[Viperoni]

The BR-1 is really simple to put together, plus the cool part about it is you can upgrade to lower guage inductors, higher quality capacitors or even better resistors if you want to in the future. Of course I doubt you'd want to spend up to $40 for a single capacitor, but you could if you wanted to
But even stock it uses awesome quality components to what you'd find in the polks or the others, plus the tweeter is a REALLY good one (it a clone of a $45 morel MDT-29/30).
You definetely can't go wrong with the kit

 

[JCP]

To Viperoni:

Would you still recommend DIY to someone who has no clue on how to solder? Is soldering something that can be picked up in a short time period? I can get the model 6's for much less than what I originally thought, but might be open to the idea of trying them both. That way I have something to use if I can never get the kit working. I did look over the PDF and it seemed pretty doable, even for a hack like myself.

 

[Viperoni]

<< To Viperoni:

Would you still recommend DIY to someone who has no clue on how to solder? Is soldering something that can be picked up in a short time period? I can get the model 6's for much less than what I originally thought, but might be open to the idea of trying them both. That way I have something to use if I can never get the kit working. I did look over the PDF and it seemed pretty doable, even for a hack like myself. >>



Soldering in and of itself isn't very hard. Yes, I would say it is something you can pickup in a short time. Honestly.
Basically you hold or wrap the 2 wire leads around each other, and you touch the soldering gun to the joint on on side (pereferably the side that's furthest from the capacitor if that's what you're soldering to).
Then you hold solder on the other side until the joint heats up enough to get the solder to flow over the entire joint.
That's it

The instructions are very simple to follow, and it's pretty hard to messup in general.

 

[JCP]

Thanks again Viperoni

I am going to give DIY a shot, with the model six's for a fall-back. Any other full kits like that available on the net that you know of?

 

[Anubis]

i have a pair of advents granted mine are floor standing. but i had book she;lf ones at one time and they sounded great and still do. there at the office. I also have a pair of Wharfedale saffire 87s which are amazing. Wharfedale does make book shel speakrs also but they may be out of you price range. id say get the advents if i were you. but if you can get the money get soem Wharfedales or Klipsch if you have the funds. hell id get some klipsch if i could afford them

 

[GasX]

As I started reading this thread, I was wondering whether or not I would be posting before or after Viperoni (I already knew what he would have to say). Aside from DIY, buying used equipment gets you good bang for the buck. Check these out!
Good Luck!
-Matt

 

[JCP]

Matt

That sounds like a good deal but I looked them up and I do not like the tweeter on top. The Diamond models look nice though, may be a contender. Thanks for the link though.

 

[Viperoni]

<< Thanks again Viperoni

I am going to give DIY a shot, with the model six's for a fall-back. Any other full kits like that available on the net that you know of? >>



Here're Madisound's kit
Zalytron's kits....no real cheap ones

I noticed that on the PE board, one guy building the kit didn't sand off the enamel from the coils wire-leads, so he got no sound from them. By sanding the enamel off, you allow the current to flow through the coil, instead of being stopped at the joints.
The coils are the only things that would really have an enamel coating, so that saves you a bit of work. Just a precaution for when you build yours

The only problem with used equipment, is that you don't know how much it's been used, and how hard. You could have someone pumping hip-hop through their speakers 4 hours a day everyday....somehow I doubt they'd last too long after that kinda use