Good speakers for low powered 2 ch setup

felipe

Hello everyone. Tying to find a good sounding pair of speakers to go with my low-powered ( 25 watts per channel ) shelf system. The speakers that came with it are decent, but I'm looking for a lil more volume. I think the speakers that came with it have a low sensitivity ( 80-85 ), could account for the not too loud volume capability. Any thoughts or suggestions?

txcoastal1

Do you have a budget in mind

zingo

Anything interesting on your local Craigslist?

felipe

My budget...no more than 200, prefer to go less. Local craigslist...found some polk t15s from 50 to 80 bucks...thats it so far.

mhardy6647

EPI 100 (see www.humanspeakers.com for information on the EPI, Epicure, and Genesis speakers of the 1970s through 1990s).

There was this company called "Polk Audio" that made some nice bookshelf/floorstanding speakers called the Monitor Series - back in the 1970s -that were used with great success on good 25 wpc amplifiers and receivers of the time :-)

jeto

Try Ebay and or Amazon, some used and resellers

falconcry72

mhardy6647 wrote: »

...There was this company called "Polk Audio" that made some nice bookshelf/floorstanding speakers called the Monitor Series - back in the 1970s -that were used with great success on good 25 wpc amplifiers and receivers of the time :-)

lol yes, this. Look for some Monitor 5's, or even 7's depending on how much space you have.

mhardy6647

...my thoughts exactly... or even the original Monitor 4, with Peerless silk dome tweeters; dandy little loudspeakers.

Another good sounding, inexpensive, and adequately sensitive speaker for a small amp/receiver from the same era was the Acoustic Research AR-18. This basic, simple two-way acoustic suspension speaker (a direct lineal descendant of the AR-7) was made in several versions for many years.

felipe

oh yeah...I forgot to mention how much space lol..sorry bout that. The set up is on a tabletop. I got about 7 inches of width space, and about 11.5 inches of depth space. This space is on both sides of the main unit. The polk t15s on saw on CL, as of rite now, fit the space I have. Also, even though out of my budget, the Cambridge audio sx-50 bookshelf speaker also fits. Any comments on these?

Erik Tracy

Polk's official ebay site has RTi4s for $175 (pr)

I started with these for my HT system - what a nice gem of a speaker - still have a pair for the surrounds.

They would sound very nice for a low powered system.

felipe

DSkip wrote: »

Get these on sale, roughly $50 cheaper if you wait.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/4-bookshelf-speakers-pair/5086955.p;jsessionid=1CD24E9F8EA4DB942AD7298CCAE63FF9.bbolsp-app03-117?id=1218610014045&skuId=5086955&st=pioneer%20speaker&cp=1&lp=9#tab=overview

I was looking at those. They got good reviews. My question is, given their sensitivity rating of 85db, I'm thinking they won't play that much louder, if any louder at all than the speakers that came with the shelf system. But I'm sure they will sound better tho ;-).

felipe

Erik Tracy wrote: »

Polk's official ebay site has RTi4s for $175 (pr)

I started with these for my HT system - what a nice gem of a speaker - still have a pair for the surrounds.

They would sound very nice for a low powered system.

Actually someone locally is selling a pair of those in their home theater package on CL in my area. Would my low-powered shelf system adequately power those? They are awesome speakers tho :-).

deronb1

Klipsch and Bic America are uber efficient. Both make smaller bookshelf type speakers. If you are ok with horn tweets, might do the job

felipe

deronb1 wrote: »

Klipsch and Bic America are uber efficient. Both make smaller bookshelf type speakers. If you are ok with horn tweets, might do the job

I just looked at those brands. Both are good as well...uber efficient as you put it. Unfortunately, space is my enemy. Never heard the horn style tweets..some people regard their sound to be harsh...I don't do harsh lol.

txcoastal1

The pioneer are 6ohm and only drop to 55hz so it should not be a problem at 87db

Mystery

What speakers do you have currently?
If they are decent, spend that money on a more powerful receiver/amp.

cnh

felipe wrote: »

I was looking at those. They got good reviews. My question is, given their sensitivity rating of 85db, I'm thinking they won't play that much louder, if any louder at all than the speakers that came with the shelf system. But I'm sure they will sound better tho ;-).

What's the ohm rating of the speakers that came with the unit? And when you say 25 watts is that x 2 and at what impedance. Because 25 watts at 3 ohms is not going to be much at 8 ohms?

The Pioneers are not as inefficient as those ratings might lead one to believe, I've run them at reasonable volumes on a Lepai T-amp that probably only puts out 7 watts x 2 @ 8 ohms or less. Yeah, they're not going to bring the house down but few speakers will do that on flea amps. If you want something like that you'll have to get some old school Klipsch horns, which will probably sound awful on your unit?

cnh

felipe

Mystery wrote: »

What speakers do you have currently?
If they are decent, spend that money on a more powerful receiver/amp.

I'm currently using the speakers it came with...they're OK at low to mid volume levels, but start to harshen up pass mid volume.

Nightfall

felipe wrote: »

I'm currently using the speakers it came with...they're OK at low to mid volume levels, but start to harshen up pass mid volume.

This is because you're running out of power, not the speakers, you're pushing it too hard. Max volume should be 10-11 o'clock, not beyond 12 o'clock.

felipe

cnh wrote: »

What's the ohm rating of the speakers that came with the unit? And when you say 25 watts is that x 2 and at what impedance. Because 25 watts at 3 ohms is not going to be much at 8 ohms?

The Pioneers are not as inefficient as those ratings might lead one to believe, I've run them at reasonable volumes on a Lepai T-amp that probably only puts out 7 watts x 2 @ 8 ohms or less. Yeah, they're not going to bring the house down but few speakers will do that on flea amps. If you want something like that you'll have to get some old school Klipsch horns, which will probably sound awful on your unit?

cnh

The impedance of the speakers that came with the unit are 6 ohms. Its 25 watts x 2 at 6 ohms. So, impedance wise, the pioneers are the better choice?

msg

which stereo receiver are you using? is it an older solid state model? I have an old Realistic STA-84 that's rated at 25w/ch and it trounces newer receivers I've had with supposedly better specs.

those little T15's look pretty nice, and a front port meshes with your space requirement. have you turned up any info to say how they sound with music? Personally, imho, I don't like RTi speakers for music as they're a little too crisp for my ear, but with a fat enough receiver (older solid state) and a little tone control magic they can sound okay.

maybe keep an eye out for someone selling a cheap little 8" subwoofer with high level inputs and you could have a nice little full sounding system there if you can stash the sub under your listening table.

as an aside, I've always been curious to try the Polk TSi200's - dual 5-1/4 drivers, but they're a little wide and deep for your space at 8" x 11-3/4", and port to the rear, so they'd need a little more depth, but I'm throwing this out there anyway. $200 on the Polk Ebay store. should provide a nice full little sound the dual drivers
http://www.polkaudio.com/products/tsi200

Here's a list of bookshelf speakers available through Polk's Ebay store.
http://stores.ebay.com/Polk-Audio-Direct/Bookshelf-/_i.html?_fsub=160111219&_sid=686154689&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

felipe

msg wrote: »

which stereo receiver are you using? is it an older solid state model? I have an old Realistic STA-84 that's rated at 25w/ch and it trounces newer receivers I've had with supposedly better specs.

those little T15's look pretty nice, and a front port meshes with your space requirement. have you turned up any info to say how they sound with music? Personally, imho, I don't like RTi speakers for music as they're a little too crisp for my ear, but with a fat enough receiver (older solid state) and a little tone control magic they can sound okay.

maybe keep an eye out for someone selling a cheap little 8" subwoofer with high level inputs and you could have a nice little full sounding system there if you can stash the sub under your listening table.

as an aside, I've always been curious to try the Polk TSi200's - dual 5-1/4 drivers, but they're a little wide and deep for your space at 8" x 11-3/4", and port to the rear, so they'd need a little more depth, but I'm throwing this out there anyway. $200 on the Polk Ebay store. should provide a nice full little sound the dual drivers
http://www.polkaudio.com/products/tsi200

Here's a list of bookshelf speakers available through Polk's Ebay store.
http://stores.ebay.com/Polk-Audio-Direct/Bookshelf-/_i.html?_fsub=160111219&_sid=686154689&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

I'm using a Sony bookshelf stereo system...not using components lol. Its utilizing a s-master digital amp rated at 25 watts per channel at 6 ohms. Just to be curious, I hooked up my front mains from my ht setup to it..and surprisingly it drove those pretty well..didn't get harsh sounding at the same volume as the speakers that came with it. So, judging from that, I think the amp is pretty good.

WLDock

If you have a Best Buy near by, take the given advice and go listen to the Pioneers. Yeah, there is a lot of great talk and reviews..but do yourself a favor and go listen to them.

As far as you wanting to get a significant jump in volume using the same 25 watt per channel amp....the only thing that will do that is speakers using driver that have 94dB, 100dB sensitivity . These type system are often used by guys that have low watt tube amps but want output. With the right combo that sound is not harsh but extended and detailed. Again, you have to hear it for yourself....and not ALL speakers are for EVERYONE!

Not really a recommendation...but here is a fun kit of what I am talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkDki019l4U
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/forum/index.php?topic=53.0
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/waveguide-speaker-kits/karma8-kit.html

msg

felipe wrote: »

I'm using a Sony bookshelf stereo system...not using components lol. Its utilizing a s-master digital amp rated at 25 watts per channel at 6 ohms. Just to be curious, I hooked up my front mains from my ht setup to it..and surprisingly it drove those pretty well..didn't get harsh sounding at the same volume as the speakers that came with it. So, judging from that, I think the amp is pretty good.

I was meaning, which model specifically. I was gonna look it up to see. so if it's rated at 25wpc at 6ohms it will deliver less power with 8ohm speakers. I don't know what the math is for this unfortunately. I think it's just a rule of thumb anyway. it's easy to get caught up in specs, but ultimately it all depends on how it sounds to you, which you can't get from numbers.
what kind/size/specs were the front mains from your ht setup? sounds like a good sign.

WLDock wrote: »

As far as you wanting to get a significant jump in volume using the same 25 watt per channel amp....the only thing that will do that is speakers using driver that have 94dB, 100dB sensitivity . These type system are often used by guys that have low watt tube amps but want output. With the right combo that sound is not harsh but extended and detailed. Again, you have to hear it for yourself....and not ALL speakers are for EVERYONE!

Not really a recommendation...but here is a fun kit of what I am talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkDki019l4U
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/forum/index.php?topic=53.0
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/waveguide-speaker-kits/karma8-kit.html

wow, that's a pretty cool kit!

felipe

msg wrote: »

I was meaning, which model specifically. I was gonna look it up to see. so if it's rated at 25wpc at 6ohms it will deliver less power with 8ohm speakers. I don't know what the math is for this unfortunately. I think it's just a rule of thumb anyway. it's easy to get caught up in specs, but ultimately it all depends on how it sounds to you, which you can't get from numbers.
what kind/size/specs were the front mains from your ht setup? sounds like a good sign.


wow, that's a pretty cool kit!

Its the Sony CMT SBT100. I got it because its compact, has bluetooth, USB, and a CD player in one package. It got fairly good reviews, so thats why i purchased it. Also, its power efficient (35 watts) during use. Dony have to power up my HT Equipment just to listen to music lol.

felipe

WLDock wrote: »

If you have a Best Buy near by, take the given advice and go listen to the Pioneers. Yeah, there is a lot of great talk and reviews..but do yourself a favor and go listen to them.

As far as you wanting to get a significant jump in volume using the same 25 watt per channel amp....the only thing that will do that is speakers using driver that have 94dB, 100dB sensitivity . These type system are often used by guys that have low watt tube amps but want output. With the right combo that sound is not harsh but extended and detailed. Again, you have to hear it for yourself....and not ALL speakers are for EVERYONE!

Not really a recommendation...but here is a fun kit of what I am talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkDki019l4U
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/forum/index.php?topic=53.0
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/waveguide-speaker-kits/karma8-kit.html

I took your advice and stopped by my local BestBuy. Gave a listen to those pioneers...natural,balanced sound. then gave the polk t15s a listen...no comparison..the pioneers had a better overall sound. The polks were only slightly louder, which was kinda surprising given the 4db diff in sensitivity rating. I was impressed by the pioneers..so I purchased them lol. Lets see how they'll sound with the 25 watt per channel shelf system;)

WLDock

Hey thank DSKip, he really likes those Pioneers. Myself, I thought about a set in my bedroom but not enough space so the mini KEFs will stay. Anyway, I hope they work out for you.

felipe

DSkip wrote: »

Congrats on the purchase! I know if I were buying a speaker under $300, possibly even $400, and wanted new, those would be hard to beat. There might be better speakers in the bracket, but you're going to have to look at the top end of that bracket for them.

Thank you DSkip:-). I agree. I was quite surprised myself when I was sampling them. To my ears, the sound quality of these pioneers even beat the klipsch bookshelfs they had. It clearly out did the t15s..sorry to say :-\.

felipe

WLDock wrote: »

Hey thank DSKip, he really likes those Pioneers. Myself, I thought about a set in my bedroom but not enough space so the mini KEFs will stay. Anyway, I hope they work out for you.

Thank you WLDock for the advice. I got them hooked up to the shelf system. Let me tell you, I'm hearing detail and clarity in my music I've never heard before. I hate to say this, but when it comes to music, these edge out my tsi series speakers in my HT setup. As for how loud they go, they're ever so slightly louder than the speakers that came with the unit..but they eclipse them in SQ :-). They aren't broken in yet, so they might go louder once/that happens :-). Speaking of that, any one know the break in period for these??

tonyb

Break in happens slowly over time, don't worry about it and just play them. BTW, you need to be aware of that volume dial, unless you like to keep buying speakers.

Nightfall

tonyb wrote: »

BTW, you need to be aware of that volume dial, unless you like to keep buying speakers.

My advice was ignored. Maybe if it comes from a senior member...