tell me about speakers

[zimu]

so what do you guys say? i knwo there are more "audio" based forums out there, but just to get a rough idea from a community i'm more familiar with.

tell me about bang & olufsen vs. bose vs. wharfedales vs. JBLs, how are these with respect to $$ and performance?

 

[Toastedlightly]

MLK was a pretty good speaker.

 

[dug777]

meh can you possibly be less specific?

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: zimu
so what do you guys say? i knwo there are more "audio" based forums out there, but just to get a rough idea from a community i'm more familiar with.

tell me about bang & olufsen vs. bose vs. wharfedales vs. JBLs, how are these with respect to $$ and performance?

Buy what you like. Take a recording of music you are with and go listen to speakers.

 

[TwiceOver]

Originally posted by: Siddhartha

Originally posted by: zimu
so what do you guys say? i knwo there are more "audio" based forums out there, but just to get a rough idea from a community i'm more familiar with.

tell me about bang & olufsen vs. bose vs. wharfedales vs. JBLs, how are these with respect to $$ and performance?

Buy what you like. Take a recording of music you are with and go listen to speakers.

Exactly. My hearing is so fvcked due to the old garage band days that I can' really tell the difference between good speakers. Not to say that I couldn't hear the difference between a set of KLH and something nice.

 

[PhoenixOrion]

anything american.

this is one area that they are much more superior compared to imports.

avoid bose at all cost.

 

[Taejin]

Before I bought my 2.1 setup I did a lot of research/opinion-gathering.

I got a lot of opinions that for gaming speakers, Klipsch had the best SQ, esp for music (face it, most computer users who want good speakers are gamers..).

I on the other hand wanted sound quality, and I ended up getting the Swans M200 (newegg) and a 10" dayton subwoofer @ partsexpress.com.

I am very very happy with my setup. It literally takes off the roof of my room or fills it with the most pleasurable sensational sound .

EDiT: I can see OP is asking for more of a HT kind of setup. In that case my advice/opinions fail miesrably.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: zimu
so what do you guys say? i knwo there are more "audio" based forums out there, but just to get a rough idea from a community i'm more familiar with.

tell me about bang & olufsen vs. bose vs. wharfedales vs. JBLs, how are these with respect to $$ and performance?

1. What's your budget?
2. Are you looking for a stereo system (2 speakers) or a surround sound system?
3. Bose are nice, but overpriced. Really, really overpriced. Just keep that in mind

 

[shilala]

I got a set of Klipsch 5.1 Ultras for my puter.
I'm absolutely ruined now. I get in my car and the music sounds so awful I turn the radio off.
The sound in gaming is simply awesome.

 

[newParadigm]

Originally posted by: zimu
so what do you guys say? i knwo there are more "audio" based forums out there, but just to get a rough idea from a community i'm more familiar with.

tell me about bang & olufsen vs. bose vs. wharfedales vs. JBLs, how are these with respect to $$ and performance?

BOSE is horrible, do not buy their home entertainment equipment.

See this article, about how BOSE takes shortcuts, and just plain doesn't use good audio technology in their normal home consumer products (as opposed to their professional products, some are good, some are not).

Now as far as what speakers TO buy?
I have the logitech z5300e's. They sound great, have plenty of power to fill a fairly large room, and they only costed me $140. You could also go with the z5500's, whcich are a little more expensive and have aprox 75% more power. Both systems are THX certified (NO, NONE, ZERO, Bose system has THX certification). The Klipsch systems mentioned are also good tho, my preference is just Logitech.

~new

 

[EngenZerO]

ascend acoustics.

 

[Trygve]

You really have to go listen for yourself. I like the large, full-range ribbon Apogees a lot, but my tastes tend towards the analytic. I actually was happiest when I had those paired with some Threshold e-series amps, even though they usually recommend Krell (tried some big Krell monoblocks, too, but I liked the Threshold better). I usually don't care much for subwoofers, but the Wilson Watt/Puppy combo is really quite good.

The size and sonic qualities of your listening room will probably make a difference, too. Having a small room might make it more difficult to get the best sound from most large planar speakers.

 

[zimu]

well i'm not actually buying anything. just wanted to get a hierarchy of HT speakers. in terms of

- if cost were no object, whats the most amazing things
- if cost is an object and you want some solid speakers at some reasonable price (very very flexible on that, but i'll have to use the general term "for the average joe")



i used to have a set on monsoon speakers, for my PC. WOWWWWWWWWWW. they cost me like $12 off of some auction site (remember ubid??), they retail at about $80, but sound golden.

 

[sniperruff]

if you're on a budget, a set of decent headphones will give you nice quality sound while costing a lot less.

 

[Rallispec]

i like axiom speakers a lot ( http://www.axiomaudio.com/ ) --- great bang for your buck as far as economical speakers go.

 

[Muadib]

You need to visit your local audio store and listen for yourself. Start with Circuit City if they have them in your state,(you don't list your state in your profile, so I don't know). Then look for a higher end store, and go from there.

I really got a chuckle from your post after Trygve. He was recommending quality audiophile stuff, and then you say $12 PC speakers sound golden. It just shows how really clueless you are. Your ears are in for quite a treat.

 

[biostud]

I have Dali speakers for my 5.0 Setup (and a 12" CerwinVega Sub if I would like to add the .1)
808 Front 1x1" 1x5" 2x8"
C-1000 Center 1x1" 2x5"
104 rear 1x1" 2x6.5"

 

[MustISO]

JBL or Athena are good for budget speakers. It totally depends on what you like. You really need to hear the speakers in your room.

What will you be driving the speakers with?
What types of music do you listen to?
Is this for home theater or just music?
What's your budget?

 

[RadioHead84]

I got a set of Klipsch 5.1 Ultras for my puter.
I'm absolutely ruined now. I get in my car and the music sounds so awful I turn the radio off.
The sound in gaming is simply awesome.

 

[Gibsons]

A little obscure, but worth a look.

Text

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: zimu
- if cost were no object, whats the most amazing things

http://www.wilsonaudio.com/products/index.html

Originally posted by: zimu
- if cost is an object and you want some solid speakers at some reasonable price (very very flexible on that, but i'll have to use the general term "for the average joe")

lol...I'm actually writing an A/V tutorial called "Home Theater and Hi-Fi for the Average Joe". Won't be done for another month at least tho. Try browsing Audiogon, a classified ad site for high-end audio equipment to get a better understanding of what's out there, as well as doing some heavy-duty googling.

If you don't have $125,000 to blow on a nice pair of Wilsons, there is an INSANELY huge variety of speakers to choose from. I can list more than 20 companies with at least 3 series of speaker sets each off the top of my head. It all really boils down to (1) what you want and (2) what your budget is. $300 can get you a fun Logitech z-5500 surround sound system, but at the same time $300 can get you a pair of Fluance SV-10 tower speakers, not even counting the amp. If you have $300 and you want some stereo speakers, there you go. If you have $300 and you want a surround sound system, there you go too. So it's not really as simple as "what are good speakers?" - it's really "what are good speakers based on my desires and budget?"

Here are some reference sites for you:

Educational Sites:
Audioholics
How Stuff Works - Speakers
How Stuff Works - Hearing
Circuit City's Click & Learn Audio section

DIY Audio Equipment:
Parts Express
Parts Express Tech Talk forum
The DIY Subwoofer Page
Speakerbuilder.net
North Creek Music Systems

Forums:
AVS Forum
Audio Asylum
Car Audio Message Forum (useful for educational purposes)

For Sale/For Trade Resources:
Audiogon
Audio Asylum For-Sale Ads+

Equipment Company Sites:
Fluance Speakers
Wilson Audio Specialties
Logitech Speakers
Axiom Audio
AV123
Bowers & Wilkins
Klipsch Audio Technologies
Bose
Triad Speakers
Polk Audio

These are just a small selection of speaker manufacturers. There's a zillion more. Same with the other sections. Join at least one dedicated audio forum and just read and post and you'll pick up information pretty quickly. Good luck!