I need help picking out some budget kick a$$ speakers!

[777php]

Hey home audio guru's.

Through my Sony credit card I have enough points for this A/V receiver.

Reciever

Its decent for what I need, I definitely do not need a $1,000 reciever.

Here are some of the specs:

100W x 5, 100W x 2 @ 8 Ohms
Preprogrammed Remote Commander® control*
32-bit Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic and dts decoder
32-bit DSP with 27 acoustic environments
Digital Cinema Sound system with Cinema Studio EX modes
Digital Concert Hall A/B for surround sound playback of stereo music sources
Virtual Matrix 6.1 mode
10-function input selector with Phono input
5.1-channel input for new high-resolution multi-channel audio sources such as SACD
3 Optical digital inputs, 1 output
Coaxial digital input
3 S-Video inputs, 1 S-Video output
Control S system
Subwoofer output
Dimensions: 17" x 6-1/4" x 14-1/2" (430 x 157.5 x 369 mm) WxHxD
Weight: 21 lbs. (9.5 kg)

Now what I need now is a low cost speaker solution. I do want 5.1 sound, and for it to preferrably to cost less than the price of the reciever. Are there any good budget speakers that anyone can recommend? I'd also rather not go the DIY route. Thanks guys!

 

[bmacd]

nice receiver. Check out JBL speakers. Nice sound. Also, check out costco. They usually have nice speaker sets for under a couple hundred.

-=bmacd=-

 

[NutBucket]

If you're looking for a satellite/sub solution the one I always recommend are Energy Take 5.1. They're a "small" Canadian company and for the price (about $500 w/ sub) they're a great deal. Not sure if this is what you meant by cheap though.

 

[Draco]

So you need a complete set of speakers for under $400?

Ok... I recommend these then: SCS150

Here is a good vendor that has them at a good price. BestPriceAudioVideo.com

If you have the means, I would spend a little more and pick up a set of Energy "Take 5.2"

 

[777php]

Cool...thanks guys.

I'll look into those speakers. I'm not gonna spend too much money on this system since, I'm not tooo big into home audio.

I'm clueless when it comes to receivers/speakers/amps and such so what are things in particular that I should look for when I am shopping for speakers?

I know my receiver pumps out 100W per channel so do I need a speaker that can handle 100W to utilize the sound?

What the heck is Virtual Matrix 6.1 mode?

What is the benefit of going optical over traditional RCA? How much will optical wiring cost me?

What are some good informative home audio websites?

 

[777php]

I found that I can buy just the 4 satellites from the Klipsch Quintet series for about $200. I could then buy a sub and center channel to complete my system. What do you guys think?

 

[Shagger]

budget and kick a$$ are mututally exclusive...

 

[kgraeme]

Paradigm is my favorite "budget" speaker brand.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: 777php
I found that I can buy just the 4 satellites from the Klipsch Quintet series for about $200. I could then buy a sub and center channel to complete my system. What do you guys think?

Your center channel should match the sound of the sats, sub can be a different brand. The people saying Energy and Paradigm are giving good advice. AudioReview.com might be some help too.

Also, the speakers make much more of a difference in the sound than the receiver -- a $200 receiver with $600 speakers will sound better than $400 + $400. I realize you say you're not an audio nut, but the cheaper speaker packages can sound bad for music because the sats don't do a good job on the midrange.

 

[777php]

I'm thinking about getting the JBL SCS150's as Draco recommended. They are definitely in my price range, I really want to get the Paradigm Blockbuster and Take 5.2 sets but I can't justify spending $700 and $500 for them.

Any reason why I shouldn't get these?

 

[Gunbuster]

JBL S38II

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Originally posted by: kgraeme
Paradigm is my favorite "budget" speaker brand.

They are a tad expensive outside of Canada, so I wouldn't really call them "budget."

 

[Antoneo]

I doubt that the sony receiver you are looking at will do 100 watts per channel x5 @ 8 ohms each; it's much more likely that those are the specs at @6 or even 4 ohms. At $400 dollars you might want to look at the Yamaha RX600 or the Onkyo 500/600 or the Denon 1802. I see that you have collected enough points on your credit card but just mentioning a few alternatives.

I know my receiver pumps out 100W per channel so do I need a speaker that can handle 100W to utilize the sound?

Generally, it is recommended that you buy speakers that handle more power than the amp can provide but as long as you don't turn the volume all the way up, I don't see real harm.

What the heck is Virtual Matrix 6.1 mode?

The DSP in the amp allows you to "hear" a phantom rear center. I guess it's useful for movies but generally I just use the 5.1 mode.

What is the benefit of going optical over traditional RCA? How much will optical wiring cost me?

I assume you are talking about the Digital Co-Ax and Optical out on the CD/DVD player... Well from what I have read, there is not much difference between the two (both are digital signals) except that the co-ax is preferred by more people imho because it sounds slightly better. Advantages of the optical is that there is no interference but if you buy a rather decent co-ax cable (~$20) it should be adequately shielded. Besides, optical cables are cost a bit more. There are audiophiles that swear by spending hundreds on cabes but I think that you'll only hear the difference if the rest of the system is that revealing. Go Co-ax.

What are some good informative home audio websites?

Hmm.. here are some links to audio/video forums that have been extremely helpful to me: AVS Forums, HTForum, and Home Theater Spot

As for some speaker recommendations look at: Paradigm, Energy, PSB, Axiom, and HTD (Home Theater Direct)
All these companies offer great bang for the buck. I would at these before looking at mainstream companies ie Bose (big no-no), JBL, Polk.

 

[Antoneo]

Also, try to audition the speakers before you buy. Theres no point of buying something and forcing yourself to like em because you don't want to go through the hassle of returning them. You might also want to buy speaker by speaker following your budget. Meaning that you buy a decent pair of fronts + receiver now and then add on speakers along the way. If you listen to a lot of music (2 channel) this is reasonable imho and you can save up some money. But I guess if you just want to jump into movies you'll have to make do.

 

[crawford]

Hey man if you want a great budget set of 5 speaks (center, fronts, rears) then you should take a look at JBL NSP1
They are $250 shipped.

 

[777php]

.. here are some links to audio/video forums that have been extremely helpful to me: AVS Forums, HTForum, and Home Theater Spot

As for some speaker recommendations look at: Paradigm, Energy, PSB, Axiom, and HTD (Home Theater Direct)

Cool...I'll go and check these out.

 

[NutBucket]

If you end up going with the Energy's, this place AudioShop in Canada had the best prices when I was looking at them last year. They quoted me ~$530 shipped to my door for the Take 5's and the smaller sub when The Good Guys wanted ~$800 for the same thing. Course, back then they didn't sell the satellites and sub as a set. Now they do, I think. Good Guys now sells the set for about ~$600 so AudioShop should be able to cut you an even better deal.

[EDIT]Oops, seems that AudioShop can no longer sell Energy products outside their local area.[/EDIT]

 

[kgraeme]

Originally posted by: KnightBreed

Originally posted by: kgraeme
Paradigm is my favorite "budget" speaker brand.

They are a tad expensive outside of Canada, so I wouldn't really call them "budget."

How so? I paid about $150 for a pair of Titans. Paradigm speakers compare favorably in reviews with speakers costing $1000 each or more. Sure they may be cheaper in Canada, but they are still an amazing deal in the U.S.

 

[777php]

Originally posted by: kgraeme

Originally posted by: KnightBreed

Originally posted by: kgraeme
Paradigm is my favorite "budget" speaker brand.

They are a tad expensive outside of Canada, so I wouldn't really call them "budget."

How so? I paid about $150 for a pair of Titans. Paradigm speakers compare favorably in reviews with speakers costing $1000 each or more. Sure they may be cheaper in Canada, but they are still an amazing deal in the U.S.

So How much would an entire set cost me? 4 satellites, center channel and a sub?

Where is a good place to get them in the US?

 

[EvilYoda]

You can find your local dealer online at the Paradigm website, and I second the notion for Paradigm speakers, I'm currently looking at a pair of Monitor 9's!!

Good luck!

 

[kgraeme]

Originally posted by: 777php
So How much would an entire set cost me? 4 satellites, center channel and a sub?

Where is a good place to get them in the US?

It depends on what series of speakers and which models. The Performance Series is what I bought. For 4 bookshelf (Atoms) a center (CC-70) and sub (PDR-8), you are in at about $750-$800 depending on your dealer. That's picking their entry-level setup from my catalog from a couple years ago. The've introduced the "Cinema Series" since then that might be a little cheaper. And your dealer might have package deals.

Paradigm speakers are only sold through authorized dealers. They don't allow online sales, and they don't even allow their pricing to be posted online. They aren't interested in being off-the-shelf consumer gear.

One hint with their website. Click on the Paradigm logo at the upper left to see their products.

 

[kgraeme]

By the way, what kind of room/environment are you going to be using this setup in? You mentioned the Kipsch Quartet. They'd probably be great for a computer setup. Overkill really, but from what I've read they are very directional. So you need to sit in just the right place to get the best experience.

If something like Paradigm or Energy is more than you want to go for right now, check out the JBL speakers at Best Buy.

 

[PCHO]

How about a nice set of Bose speakers?!?

 

[777php]

These speakers are going to be in my room as my PC/TV/PS2 speakers, so while my room is larger than most it isn't huge. That is why i want to go with a smaller satellite speaker set than shelf sized speakers. When I put together my true home Audio/Video system then I will go all out but, for the meantime this is just so I can play around with on my PC and when I watch DVD's on my PS2.

I have been looking at the JBL SCS150's as Draco suggested, and I think those would be perfect for me. They are on sale at jandr.com for $400 plus free shipping, but they have a pricematch guarantee so I might PM them to an online store that I found that has them for $328. If I can PM them to $328 and not have to pay shipping that would be perfect!

So what do you guys think?

 

[kgraeme]

Tough for me to get excited over satellite systems, but those look as good as any. If you have a little room for flexibility, you might look at moving up to the JBL Northridge Series NSP1 Home Cinema Speaker Package . It doesn't come with a sub, but I find that good speakers without a sub sound better than satellites with a sub. That's just my preference. And you can always add a sub at a later date. I'll admit though that I don't have my sub on hardly ever. Of course that has a lot to do with having downstairs neighbors.