Speakers...which ones?

audiobliss

I'm just getting into the audio world, so I'm a complete newbie. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a Yamaha RX-V540/640 in a month or so, and I'll need some speakers to go with it. However, I'm going to use some of my dad's old speakers for a while and wait to get some real speakers 'bout this time next year. Though I don't need speakers now, I thought I could start looking and familiarizing myself with terminology, what I need, and who makes good speakers.

I've been looking at Polk, Klipsch (Reference Series), Energy, Wharfedale, and Infinity. The Klipsch are really out of my price range (about $300-$700 a pair), but I've still been lookin' . The Polk speakers I've been looking at are the R50s because they are in my price range seem to have pretty good wattage, frequency response, and sensitivity. Wharfedale seems to have some nice stuff for reasonably prices; is there a reason I don't want any of their stuff? I've been seriously lookin' at Energy's Connoiseur line-up. They look cool and seem to have pretty good specs; and, I've heard 'em. (Though, I've heard the Klipsch and Wharfedale; not Polk or Infinity.)

So, what do you guys think about these? Are there some other brands who offer good speakers that I can later expand into HT and are reasonably priced? Thanks

steveinaz

The choices are vast. If your trying to stay under $300 a pair, you might consider bookshelf/monitor type speakers. Not only are the far less expensive than floorstanders (usually), and though they lack some bass, they offer some of the best midrange/treble on the planet. All of the brands you mentioned above are fine as well as many others; JBL, Athena, NHT, Mirage, AR, etc...the list goes on and on. Try here for an idea of cost/brands: www.audioadvisor.com. The caveat is that monitors will require stands, so this is an additonal cost.

dane

for $300 you can get the jbl s38II which is a good sounding mid fi-hi fi speaker. try to search soem reviews on this speaker and put them on your audion list.

and if you are sure thay your going to get the yammy, sterotypically yammy doesnt amtch on klipsch speakers in some ofits recievers. and as i have heard them, they sound harsh to my ears as a i classify them as too bright.

my suggestion is go to the Jbls and audtion akso the athenas.
* dont quote me on that broght sounding as i am refering to my ears. i think other yammy recievers will do good to those loveley reference speakers by klipsch.

organ

Have you auditioned Klipsch? I just got a pair of RF-35 and the sound quality really exceeded my expectation. If you really value dynamics and impact, you won't go wrong. I believe the RB-25 should be in your price range.

There are also other great speakers to audition like Polk's bookshels, Energy, Paradigm, PSB, etc. I've been very impressed with PSB. PSB and Paradigm are much cheaper if you're in Canada.

Maurice

steveinaz

PSB, and Paradigm...How could I forget those 2! Very good choices indeed. Canadian's make great speakers.

audiobliss

Oh, another thing. For the majority of the time I will listen to these speakers at low volume while studyin' and so forth, though I want them to be capable of opening up for HT and stuff. From what I understand, speakers can be damaged from being underpowered (I don't understand any of this, but I've heard it). Here's my thinking: If I'm listening to music at very low volume, then the speakers aren't getting much power, right? Does this mean that I could easily damage them from running them underpowered?

shack

No, it is exactly the opposite. The damage is caused by trying to push a speaker too loud with too little power, thereby causing a speaker to "clip" (do a search on this forum and you will find several discussion on clipping).

steveinaz

Shack is on it. When an underpowered amp is pushed beyond its "usable" power limits, it begins producing the kind of electricity that you light lightbulbs with...seriously though, clipping occurs greatly increasing distortion, which can damage speakers.

Recall my speaker efficiency post?

An example would be having speakers rated for a 200 watts and driving them with a 30 watt receiver--good chance you're gonna make that receiver "clip" when doing some seriously loud listening.

steveinaz

Double post, sorry.

Airplay355

damaging the speakers will have to do with how clean the power your amp is putting out is and how much power it has. you are more likely to damage a speaker by running it with too little power then by running it with too much power. you will not damage your speakers by listening to them at a low volume.
what do you plan on running them with?


i would not get the r series pf speaker. for under 300, if you dig around, u might be able to find a pair of rti38's. just because the r50s are bigger does not make them better. i would check out PSB and JBL, they also make some nice bookshelves. the other brands i haven't demoed so u will have to decide for yourself on those.

audiobliss

For those who missed it my first post, I am seriously considering buying the Yamaha RX-V540/640; so, that's what I would be powering this speakers with. Thanks for all the info, guys; keep it coming!

audiobliss

Update: I'm considering (drooling over) the Yamaha RX-V1400. I'm trying to find websites to all those speakers I've never heard of before y'all suggested. Thanks!

steveinaz

Polk's, IMO are an excellent match with Yamaha equipment. Yamaha has that warm, smooth "UK" quality that mates well with the design of the Polk's.

woodyjacobs

I would seriously look at the jbl's. I actually run polk rtxxxi series speakers (rt2000i, cs245i and rt25i) with a yammy RXV620 (and also have run a pair of rti28s) and to my ears the yammy and the polks sound just a little flat together (actually the yammy/polk combo does a great job on dd5.1 and dts, I just think it lacks a little in stereo mode...hence for music I use a niles a/b amp switch and power the rt2000is with my audiosource amp2).

Okay, enough about me and on to the jbls. I just picked up some jbl s36II bookshelves (this is the little brother of the s38II that dane recommended), a very cool-looking little 3-way bookshelf, for almost nothing ($120 for the pair) open box at bestbuy. These things seem to mate really well with the yammy...I moved out the polk rt28is from their perch atop the kitchen cabinets (one must rock while cookin') and put these into play. The rt28is may have a little more punch in the low end, but the jbls seem smoother with vocals and fuller in the midrange. They may not have enough bass punch for a main speaker though...so the s38II might be a better choice if you will be using them for mains. They can usually be hand for about $250-275 a pair including shipping from Harman Audio's ebay store...they are B stock (refurbs and returns) but I have ordered a few things from them and have always been happy. I think the jbls really are made to placed horizontally though, so you might have to consider your setup. Check out harmanaudio.com to see them (although you can usually get better prices through harman's ebay store).

Don't get me wrong, I think the rti28 and rti38 are great speakers...but I think they mate better with Denon than with Yammy. Just my opinion.

michael_w

So what kinda PSB's are a good "bang for you buck"? Because I'm in Canada and someone said that PSB's are a good deal in Canada.

steveinaz

Mirage, Energy, Paradigm, Athena, PSB and many more made in Canada...pick one, they're all great!

gatemplin

Don't forget Axiom and Mission.

fgr41

What I like about this forum, even though its a "POLK" forum most suggestions are not Polk speakers. Instead speakers are suggested that may better fit your need not just trying to plug Polk.

Just remember the best way to find out what you need is to demo. It sounds like you have time to do some research so start reading and demo as much as you can.

When you go to a store to demo bring your own music/DVD's this way you know what it should sound like and you can better determine what the speakers are good and bad at reproducing.

organ

michael,
PSB and the other Canadian brands mentioned by steveinaz can be had cheaper in Canada. Everything in the PSB line is cheaper here. If a pair of PSB speakers retail for $1000US, it will also retail for $1000CDN. If an American company had speakers retailing for $1000USD, we usually have to pay around $1500CDN here.

Maurice

F1nut

Price range 300-700, easy choice. Find a used pair of Polk SDA 1C's.

RuSsMaN

I'll see your SDA 1c, and raise you an SDA SRS 2.

Bagged mine for $400.

Cheers,
Russ

F1nut

I'll see your SDA SRS 2 and raise you a SDA SRS 2.3TL

The point here, Audiobliss, is get any SDA speaker in your price range.

theatre_man

If you ever check back at this, i would seriously look at the Wharfedale EVO-30's, or the awesome monitors they put out, if you get a good sub. I would also look at the Yamaha RX-Z9 it is totally badass, but way out of your price range, but worth just listening to.

F1nut

Those Wharferat's and Yammie's got nothing on a pair of big SDA's!:D

theatre_man

dude why do youy have to be like that?

F1nut

Because it's the truth, can you handle that???

audiobliss

Hey, y'all. I'm soooo sorry for not responding to anything in soo long. I haven't died. I've just had a lot going on and we've been changing internet connnections and such. I thank you for all your help and advice; it's been great. I can't get over how unbiased everybody seems to be (except about those SDA speakers ). I really appreciate everything. I got the RX-V1400 for Christmas, so , that's the receiver I'll be using. Since I ended up not having to pay for that my price range is boosted a little. I can now afford up to about $600 a pair. I've been led to believe that, considering my meager funds, I should by bookshelf speakers and a sub, instead of tower speakers which is what I was previously looking at. Also, I've been looking at lots of speakers, lots of guitars, droolin' over '68 Camaros, and trying to shop for computer parts. So, I'm just kinda burned out on the whole 'shopping' thing. In light of that, I've decided to just get the best Klipsch Reference bookshelf speakers I can afford. I know people say they are harsh, especially with a Yamaha receiver. However, I've also heard that, considering I'm not an audiophile and haven't developed an ear that discerns between tonal differences, I probably won't notice it. I haven't yet in all the listening I've done (not too much). Anyways, I'm just burned out on shopping and not having any speakers from my receiver, and I can't find any reasons why I, a 16 year old, won't be satisfied with Klipsch speakers. How much do subs run? And, how much would I miss one if I just used two bookshelf speakers? I don't want to pay so much for a sub I have to cut corners on the speakers; I'd rather do without a low-end punch. Also, if I do manage to get some speakers before I'm old and gray, what kind of speaker wire should I get? I definitely don't want to pay a lot for it, but I do want something worthy of this Yamaha and Klipsch speakers.
So, what I'm saying is, what are some good Klipsch bookshelf speakers I can afford? Can I afford a decent sub (preferably Klipsch), or should I do without for a while? And, (less importantly)what kind of speaker wire should I be looking at? I really appreciate all the help y'all have so generously bestowed on a newbie. I hope that one day I, too, may be able to help out others with their problems!

fgr41

glad you are getting things in line. I would strongly suggest against the Klipsch if you are running the Yam 1400. I have recently set up the 1400 with my polks and am impressed with how it brought out the highs in my RT line of speakers. I can only imagine how high the klipsch would be.

I would go witht he Polks and take the store up on the free sub offer. I think most places are still offering that. I would buy enough of the speakers to get the free sub then tell them you want to take the $200 that the new sub would cost and add whatever you have left over from your speaker purchase to the $200 to get a higher end sub.

This way you can get some quality speakers and a descent sub. Subs range in price from $100 to thousands of dollars, it's all in how much you want to spend.

Good luck

audiobliss

Thanks, frg41. I wouldn't mind using Polk speakers; I'm pretty sure Now Audio Video in town sells them. Which speakers would you recommend? I really haven't looked that much at Polk, but I would be willing. Thanks for everything, and keep it coming!

VR3

Audiobliss,
Where are you in NC?

I suggest............CRS+, SDA 2, RT5, RT7, RT800i, RT35i, RT55i, etc etc

SDA 2 can be had for 250-350, local pick up

CRS+ can be had for about 300 or so shipped

RT5 --- 100-150

RT7 - 200-300??

RT800i - 300+ shipping

RT35i - 100-150

RT55i - 300-400 + shipping

All can be found on EBay, if you dont mind using the used market.

VE6OHV

There are some great deals to be had for sure - don't limit yourself to "Klipsch"

Let your ears decide what you like best - The best sounding bookshelf speaks I own are "Dahlquist" - I never would have looked at them but I heard them and now I own 2 pairs.....

Take your time and find what you like. (so long as it is not Bose) - don't rule out some older used speakers - you can pick up some great deals on used floor standers.