|   SPEAKER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BEGINNERS??? | JimBeam79
Apr 3, 2002 4:20 PM | | I'm looking to buy my first "quality" speaker set. I'm currently looking for some floor standers. Since I've never really heard really good speakers on a regular basis, I'm not sure how far to go with the price. Would my ears be able to tell the difference between say a pair of $500 speakers vs. a pair of $1000 speakers? Where is the cut off for that kind of thing? Or would it be better to look at a complete surround package? Thanks. |
| Quality speakers? start with minimoniters | Chuckd55
Apr 3, 2002 9:50 PM | | Try listening to a pair of B&W DM601 series 3 bookshelf speakers. They are $450. I know you say floorstanders but I think you'll get a lot more Quality sound with the bookshelf speakers. Besides many bookshelf speakers get down to 50 Hz - not too shabby. their point of diminishing returns is around $500 - $1,000.
Or try:
http://www.soundscapeav.com/aad/c.html
or
http://www.axiom.com
or is it?
http://www.axiomaudio.com
Unfortunately, for floorstanders, the hump on the curve of "diminishing returns" for speakers is more arounnd $2,000. Some may say $4,000. Beyond that you will more be gaining louder volumes / bigger dynamics / deeper bass--not necessarily sound quality. |
| re: SPEAKER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BEGINNERS??? | Bryan
Apr 4, 2002 8:08 AM | | You may or may not notice that difference. However, you likely will notice a big difference between a $1K pair of floorstanders versus a $1K pair of bookshelves. I'd guess the imaging, midrange, and highs would be better with the bookshelf while the bass will be better with the floorstander. If you have a sub then that can completely negate the better bass of the floorstander.
With a $1K initial budget for speakers I would give serious consideration to either: 1. buying used or 2. buying the front three and a sub, such as the Paradigm Titan, CC-370, and an Aperion Audio SW-12. Overall, count on spending $400 - $450 on the sub and the remainder on the speakers unless you will be able to buy a good sub within six months. If that is the case, the nOrh 4.0 package and a Sony SA-WM40 (as an example) should work well for you. |
| re: SPEAKER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BEGINNERS??? | dlowman
Apr 4, 2002 11:04 AM | | Look into the Ed Frias DIY's here on this site under the learn section. They are incredible. Check out the reviews.. they cost $300 or so to put together and rival speakers that cost soo much more. They are easy to put together and sound soo good it blows all my friends away. |
| DIY speakers | WStan
Apr 4, 2002 3:15 PM | | Forgive me for being too lazy to look elsewhere on this site (presuming this has been covered before) but how much actual time did you spend building these DIY speakers? Could you break that down between the assembly and the finishing, please? What is your level of experience doing woodworking and electronics projects? How much time would you expect it would take to complete these speakers for an average person who got a B- in high school shop class who has only the minimal necessary tools? Thanks. |
| For $399 try the Harman kardon h/t set up | pinetop
Apr 4, 2002 7:31 PM | | comes with a 10 inch powered sub and matching sats+ center channel speaker. I heard this system at circuit city not bad at all. bob d |
| re: SPEAKER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BEGINNERS??? | Mr Peabody
Apr 5, 2002 9:55 PM | | Only you can say what your ears can discern. More so than price, you should be able to hear the difference between brands, even at relatively the same price point. Manufacture's all have their own hook. Whether it be materials, cabinet design, cosmetics, or whatever. One may have a horn vs a soft dome vs a ribbon tweeter, one may be ported vs sealed box, port in front or port in back. These all do effect the sound. Dynaudio Audience 62's are a floorstanding speaker that runs about $1,200. that is excellent. You will have difficulty finding a better speaker for that price or even more. Also a speaker will NEVER sound the same in the store as it will in your home. Audition your serious considerations in your home or buy from a store with a no questions return policy. Any dealer worth their salt will do in home auditions. |
| re: SPEAKER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BEGINNERS??? | dbx
Apr 6, 2002 7:06 PM | | Jimbeam79, my questions to you are (1) whats your budget? and (2) What do you want them for? Home theater or a straight audio system? Since you stated that you were a beginner, I'LL assume your on a budget. Most audiophiles might scoff at my selection,( mass market speakers,They coouldn't measure up) but my first set of speakers consisted of Polk Audio R40 fronts, R10 rears, a Polk psw 250 subwoofer and a cs-175 center channel.I was going the home theater route at that time. Not once did I have any problem's with them, and the key word here is "Beginner" I payed under $800.00 for everything. So let your budget and your ears be your guide in picking your first set of beginner speakers. Remember, as with most of us, you can always upgrade later. |
| All speakers sound different | Norm Strong
Apr 7, 2002 11:53 AM | | Often quite a bit different. Having said this, it doesn't follow that more expensive ones sound recognizably better. A surprising amount of the time they just sound--well--different. I haven't noticed that there is any significant correlation between price and sound quality. People that have spent big bucks on their speakers will of cource disagree vehemently. That is to be expected.
That said, almost always the more expensive speakers LOOK better. |
| Before you begin... | spacedeckman
Apr 8, 2002 6:13 PM | | Please make sure you have a receiver that is up to the job. If you have a gutless wonder, spending money on speakers will be throwing money away. Should you pass this first test (meaning it doesn't say Sony, Pioneer (without ES or Elite respectively), Technics, JVC, or Kenwood on it) Then you can start listening.
Trying to sort speakers by price seems logical on the surface, until you figure out that there are some $500 speakers that will take $1000 speakers to the cleaners. The best indication a price tag will give you is about how much it will cost to take them home. HOWEVER, you have established a price range. So, now you go out and listen to a bunch of speakers in the $500 to 1000 range. Make sure to try the new Energy C series. Was listening today and was very impressed. Really want to hear the C7 with 3 5 1/4" and tweet, but it wasn't in yet. Retail $1k. |
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