Friend wanting to buy unknown speakers
My best friend who is several provinces over (so I cant demo my system for him) is wanting to upgrade from his HTIB. Ive sent him a list of the usual suspects to check out; Polk of course being one of the lines for him to try. He came back saying that "speakers seem expensive" .... yes they are when you want better sound than a 250$ HTIB provides ... anyhow he is interested in 'Streem Speakers' that he found on the web for cheap. They look cheap and ugly just from the picture and I am very weary/suspicious of them .... my first inclination is "White Van-quality speakers". Every part of me thinks 'Rip off Cheap garbage' but I have no proof of this.
Streem Speakers
http://cgi.ebay.com/STREEM-HT-500-Home-Audio-Speakers-5-PC-Home-Theater-5YR_W0QQitemZ230222405164QQihZ013QQcategoryZ32861QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262
http://www.streemspeakers.com/ht-500.asp
Let me know what info to pass along to him .... besides "You cant get a good 5 piece Floor standing package for 700 US for new". It would be much better to put together a Used Polk package with Monitors and the such for under 800$ than invest in these.
Zsolt
Streem Speakers
http://cgi.ebay.com/STREEM-HT-500-Home-Audio-Speakers-5-PC-Home-Theater-5YR_W0QQitemZ230222405164QQihZ013QQcategoryZ32861QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262
http://www.streemspeakers.com/ht-500.asp
Let me know what info to pass along to him .... besides "You cant get a good 5 piece Floor standing package for 700 US for new". It would be much better to put together a Used Polk package with Monitors and the such for under 800$ than invest in these.
Zsolt
Post edited by zx_toth on
Comments
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Junk."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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When I actually looked at the ads a bit closer, I noticed the cabinets are made with particle board and the huge tower only goes down to 40 hz .... no doubt they sound like mud playing anything.
I sent my buddy a long email about having to pay a bit of cash for good sound ..... its always hard to convince HTIB guys to spend as much on audion as they do on their HDTVs ... he just spent $2.5k on a TV and is wimping out at $700 for a 5.1 system .... sad, very sad.
Z -
Looks like previous sales were $385 to $600 based on reviews here.
I would try to find something else for the money that is better or let him do it. You have made your arguments and guided as much as possible. When he gets them, maybe they will foster an enjoyment for the hobby and he will keep moving forward trying to find the sound he wants. From dealing with multiple people at work who ask for recommendations all the time, I have come to the conclusion that not everyone wants to move to their final speaker (or yours) in one move. Some people just seem to have to go in incremental steps or they will never end up moving anywhere.
Good luck. Make your recommendation and tell him to enjoy whatever he ends up with.
MichaelMains.............Polk LSi15 (Cherry)
Center............Polk LSiC (Crossover upgraded)
Surrounds.......Polk LSi7 (Gloss Black - wood sides removed and crossovers upgraded)
Subwoofers.....SVS 25-31 CS+ and PC+ (both 20hz tune)
Pre\Pro...........NAD T163 (Modded with LM4562 opamps)
Amplifier.........Cinepro 3k6 (6-channel, 500wpc@4ohms) -
Absolute junk. Get him to go pre-owned if money is an issue....
I daid $350 for a 5 speaker LS set, and it kicks it... -
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Just cheap junk, would haft to pay me, They could hurt you amps.
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Absolute junk. Get him to go pre-owned if money is an issue....
I daid $350 for a 5 speaker LS set, and it kicks it...
I selected a couple of complete setups from CanuckAudiomart.com, a Canadian version of Audiogon, which would give him a kick **** system if he were to bite.Looks like previous sales were $385 to $600 based on reviews here.
I would try to find something else for the money that is better or let him do it. You have made your arguments and guided as much as possible. When he gets them, maybe they will foster an enjoyment for the hobby and he will keep moving forward trying to find the sound he wants. From dealing with multiple people at work who ask for recommendations all the time, I have come to the conclusion that not everyone wants to move to their final speaker (or yours) in one move. Some people just seem to have to go in incremental steps or they will never end up moving anywhere.
Good luck. Make your recommendation and tell him to enjoy whatever he ends up with.
Michael
Good advice to be sure. I think the guy has had the same HTIB for 10 years so I suspect if I let him dive into this trash pile of speakers he would have them for a decade at least :eek: Such trash would make me not want to visit him as I would hear those speakers when we'd play video games or watch some action movie with the 'underwhelming sound' ... luckily I only see him a couple times of year since I moved
I keep thinking IF ONLY he lived closer so he could listen to my decent set up and be inspired to spend as much on audio as he did on video .... indeed the hope is his interest in the hobby will bud and blossom ... so there is hope! 
Zsolt
