Great Budget System!

cstpeter

I have to brag about the little budget system I put together for my office. Check it out:

• Energy C-3 Speakers: $120 off Audiogon (MSRP $500)
• Matching Energy Speaker Stands: $80 from AudioAdvisor (MSRP $150)
• Sony SCD-CE595: $50 factory refurbished (MSRP $150)
• Harman/Karon HK 3480: $150 factory refurbished (MSRP $450)
• Various Monster and Acoustic Research cables from home

That's about $1250 worth of gear for $400. And I couldn't be happier with it!

steveinaz

Those little energy's rock huh? I have C-3's out on my patio, they're great.

AALEE

Good for you dude. Bargain hunting has always interested me. A system is only as good as one percieves it.

cstpeter

Steve, I really dig the C-3's. I actually started looking for a pair after I read one of your reviews of them.

steveinaz

My patio budget rig is:

1. Yamaha somethin or another receiver...$40
2. Toshiba DVD 3950??? I think (doing DVD/CD duty)...$30
3. Energy C-3's...$225 (I think this what I paid, can't remember)
4. XM with home cradle...$49

Everything was used, some bought here, some off ebay. It sounds great. I can't believe the Yamaha and Tosh are still running...LOL. There's so much dust out here in the southwest and both pieces are on their 4th season outdoors 24/7.

cstpeter

Nice work dude. I should look into XM for my rig. Is that the one with MLB?

steveinaz

cstpeter wrote: »

Nice work dude. I should look into XM for my rig. Is that the one with MLB?

I think so, I'm not much for sports so I'm not certain. I also bought an XM boombox so the radio does double duty when we camp....

When we have a party, peoples eyes light-up when I crank the volume on those little C-3's. They can't believe all that sound is coming from them. I really HATE having them outside, but for $225, what the heck. Soon, they are gonna get some respectable amplification (Carver cube??) and just a dog-faced, grunt preamp; after the Yammie finally dies.

heiney9

Enjoy! My office rig is a great sounding ultra budget (by used prices) system as well. It's easy to spend big $$$ to get a great system. It's not so easy to do it on a lesser budget. It's quite rewarding isn't it!

H9

cstpeter

Bump:

I couldn't be more impressed with the Harman/Kardon 3480. At $150, this is easily the best deal I've ever come across in this hobby. I'm dying to take it home and see how it holds up in my real system. I'll let you guys know if I do.

AndyGwis

I got a new in box HK 3480 for something between $150 - $200. It is an amazing piece for that amount when you consider all that it does, and does very well (and looks good). Basically, the best bang for the buck stereo component I can think of.

I'm desperately trying to find a good budget bookshelf to mate with it. Hoping to score a good deal on some LSi7s soon. Found some Audio Concept Sapphires on Agon that looked like a good deal and the right size / color.

On a similar note, I got a Denon S-301 system for my office recently and it rocks for what I paid! It's a $1500 system that I got for much less. Does everything I can think of and more.

Danny Tse

Damn, I paid almost 2X for just about the same components....

Energy C-3
Sony SCD-CE595 SACD/CD changer
Cambridge Audio A500 integrated amp

markmarc

Andy:
The sapphires are a stunning sounding speaker, as long as you can get past the "strange" shape, I'd go for it. Just wish i could have heard them along side some LSi9's.

AndyGwis

The sapphires are a stunning sounding speaker, as long as you can get past the "strange" shape, I'd go for it. Just wish i could have heard them along side some LSi9's.

I didn't even notice the sloped shape at first until I researched online and saw some profile shots. It's okay, my Thiels have the same shape, and sound great! Also, it's nice to have at least one set of speakers that are different than the usual box shape.

I've looked at some Totems online, but even used they are expensive. If the Sapphires are in the Lsi7/9's league, I may pull the trigger.