Speaker recommendation for low end HT

[Captain Crunch]

I'll add to the mix too.

SVS

Paradigm

ED

[salvasol]

Anyone expecting stellar for $200.00 is in a word "dreaming"!!!

I agree 100% ... you get what you paid for.

... They did produce sound; very bad sound, but sound none the less! ...By the way THAT brand is NOT alone in selling shall we say less than stellar products direct on the net ...

I can't say anything about the sound because every person is different, you also need to listen a good speakers to compare ... and in my case I'm using this as surround and you know how hard they work ... and you're right, there is a lot of brands that sells less than stellar products ... I think if we want excellent speakers we need to spend no less than 1K ...

[conchyjoe7]

Not so Salvasol...you can get excellent speakers for much less than $1k, BUT you must be willing to accept frequency and dynamic restrictions if you're going to buy new. In other words, they'll be bookshelves (mostly) and as such will lack the last octave or two on the bottom end and also will not take well to being pushed with a ton of power. But, what they will do and in some cases do VERY well is deliver great upper bass, mids and highs and some of them with phenomenal imaging and no ringing, harsh highs, bloated artificial bass etc. The NHT Classic 3 which is a 3 way available under a $1k per pair (as seen on eBay) is truly phenomenal for the money. However, I heard some new small $279.99 a pair PSBs last week that were incredible also...especially for that kind of money. In addition there are the Epos, and Energy, Paradigm, ERA and quite a number of other reputable firms that build large, expensive, full-range speakers as well that try (and for the most part succeed) to give some "starter" customers a good taste of what quality is all about without having to spend a fortune. Salvasol...got a NHT dealer close? Go and listen to the Classic 3s (and 4s if you really wanna have a great time) and let me know what you think. Their size is diminutive, but their sound is anything but...
Good luck to all "newbies" in trying to sort out speakers, but remember; stay away if you never ever heard of them or can't find any reviews, and especially if the deal sounds too good to be true (even if they do have a "very cool" web site). I know that's the oldest adage in the book, but it remains true. If someone says they can sell you something that firms that build tens of thousands of pairs of speakers a year cannot deliver for that price; what do you think the chances are that the small little internet guy, or someone in a van can? Truth is; he can't...and forget about the old "I don't have the overhead they do" rap...it's an illusion at best. I also would not discount buying used. If you buy from Audiogon (can't say the same blanket wise for eBay, although you can pick up deals there too), the chances that what you buy will appear and play for all intents and purposes like new are excellent. I and many friends of mine have bought a LOT of equipment from Audiogon and never once has any piece been other than exactly as described...or better. Lots of people buy and sell audio and video equipment like seasonal clothing and their loss is your gain and in truth many are very wealthy and don't care. All they know is the new stuff they ordered is coming and they need to get rid of the old. Audiogon (and Videogon) attract mostly audiophiles (and videophiles respectively) and they have starter gear all the way up to EgglestonWorks and Wilson Audio "top of the planet" gear. Simply exercise good common sense as in get a phone number (more than one if possible) and talk with the seller for a little bit...Everyone into audio loves to talk about their stuff, so don't worry they won't mind and if they do...move on. I have seen phenomenal deals on there for Vandersteen 2CE speakers (excellent floorstanders) which even new are probably the best bang for the buck on the planet. I would be a little more cautious with "moving parts" pieces, but amps and speakers etc. Go for it; there are some excellent deals to be had, especially if budget is a primary concern!
Cheers,
Konky.

Bought myself a Harmon Kardon AVR 247 (instead of the Onkyo) and a pair of Klipsch RF-10s. I'M LOVING IT!

Still using the old Creatives for center and surrounds, and no sub. I think the RF-10s give plenty of bass for my needs, really. I'll get the other speakers sometime next year.

Only a few glitches though:

1) When connected directly to the TV, the PC could output the LCD's native 1360x768 resolution with no problem. But passing through the AVR, I get a black screen, unless I switch to either 1280x720 (720p) or 1920x1080 (1080i). I get the AVR doesn't support non-standard HDTV resolutions? This results in text being slightly less clear than before.

2) When using the Wii, it won't scale the screen to fill it, there's a black border all around, unless I use the TV's scaling function, but that crops edges out.

3) I still can't get multi-channel with the PC, it's a Shuttle SN95G5 with Nforce3 audio, currerntly using S-PDIF connection. Before the AVR, I could get the rear speakers using analog plus the digital (for front). Is there a way to set that up, or should I try another sound card?

4) There's no remote control code for the Olevia TV. Is it possible some other brand is compatible? Mine is a 232V.

5) I couldn't use the auto speakers set up since I don't have a sub, but that's not a big deal.

Overall though, I'm really enjoying this new set up!

[thxgoon]

Congrats on the purchase! Those RF-10's should give you years of great entertainment. Good info on the HTPC not passing through the AVR in native resolution. That's something I never would have thought of. Are you using HDMI or component connections? How is your wii connected?

thxgoon wrote:

Congrats on the purchase! Those RF-10's should give you years of great entertainment. Good info on the HTPC not passing through the AVR in native resolution. That's something I never would have thought of. Are you using HDMI or component connections? How is your wii connected?

HDMI for PC, and AVR to TV, and PS2 and Wii are component.

I've done some tweaking, and found that the AVR has it's out video image controls (sharpness, brightness, contrast). I turned the sharpness all the way down and now the text is much better looking. I still need to have the TV in "Aspect" or "Fullscreen" rather than 1:1 though, to fill the screen.

Also, I found out about the audio out on the PC. It'll only output 2 channel PCM over S/PDIF or Coaxial, but you can set your DVD player software to output AC3/DTS directly to the S/PDIF, so when playing a DVD that has 5.1 encoded, the AVR will auto switch to Dolby Digital.

So that's fine with me, other than DVDs, I play music (stereo) and downloaded and streaming TV shows (probably just stereo too.)

[MatrixDweller]

I think you have the correct software/codecs to output AC3 over the SPDIF connection.

Here's a link to a good codec/program calls AC3Filter.
http://ac3filter.net/guides/ac3filter_1_01a_doc

For DVD playing on WinMCE, I use Nvidia's DVD decoder. It'll play DVDs in Media Player and Media Center. To configure for S/PDIF passthrough, start playing a movie in Media Player. You'll see the Nvidia player's icon on the systray. Right click and go to properties, then go to the Audio tab, and S/PDIF passthrough is right there.

From then on, all DVDs playing in Media Player or Media Center will use passthrough, and the AVR should register Dolby Digital when doing so.

[thxgoon]

Does your AVR have an aspect ration screen setting? It sounds to me like it is re-scaling everything down to 4:3 which is why you have to readjust your tv. You shouldn't have to do this. Also make sure that all of your sources are 16:9 as well. It may never map your htpc 1:1 but should pass through the same aspect ratio I'd think. Does it have a resolution out option?

Josuah wrote:

I don't trust Fluance. For those prices, the quality of components must be . I'm saying that not having heard them, but I do know what it would cost for me to pick up drivers and caps, etc. and the cost of the wood myself, even in bulk. Of course, "" is all relative....

A friend of mine at work recently asked a similar question. I told him for the money, buying Internet-direct is really the best thing to do. Used on Craigslist or Audiogon are good choices too. Here's the company list I sent him, for ID speakers:

AV123
Axiom Audio
Ascend Acoustics

My personal comments to him were that I would not recommend speakers from Hsu, SVSound, Emotiva, Outlaw Audio, or Elemental Designs over the ones from those three companies. This is based on what I've read in reviews and measurements, mostly, or lack of the same because the speakers are too new or just don't seem to get scientific reviews or measurements done.

Of course, if you're looking at Audiogon, you can find non-ID speakers at great prices too.

Thanks for the links! Have you looked at those rocket RS 450's lately? 500 skins for the pair? I have read some very positive remarks regarding these rockets. They look GREAT. Now, if I can talk my warden into dropping five bills, I can use the old Polk Rt16's for kindling wood. Of the three links which do you think sound overall best? Have you owned all of these?

Thanks again!

capran wrote:

Bought myself a Harmon Kardon AVR 247 (instead of the Onkyo) and a pair of Klipsch RF-10s. I'M LOVING IT!

Still using the old Creatives for center and surrounds, and no sub. I think the RF-10s give plenty of bass for my needs, really. I'll get the other speakers sometime next year.

Only a few glitches though:

1) When connected directly to the TV, the PC could output the LCD's native 1360x768 resolution with no problem. But passing through the AVR, I get a black screen, unless I switch to either 1280x720 (720p) or 1920x1080 (1080i). I get the AVR doesn't support non-standard HDTV resolutions? This results in text being slightly less clear than before.

2) When using the Wii, it won't scale the screen to fill it, there's a black border all around, unless I use the TV's scaling function, but that crops edges out.

3) I still can't get multi-channel with the PC, it's a Shuttle SN95G5 with Nforce3 audio, currerntly using S-PDIF connection. Before the AVR, I could get the rear speakers using analog plus the digital (for front). Is there a way to set that up, or should I try another sound card?

4) There's no remote control code for the Olevia TV. Is it possible some other brand is compatible? Mine is a 232V.

5) I couldn't use the auto speakers set up since I don't have a sub, but that's not a big deal.

Overall though, I'm really enjoying this new set up!

I was actually looking at the AVR 247 today. I have an old pro logic Onkyo (THX butt kicker) but OLD. I am particularly interested in the 247's automatic set up function. Does it work to your satisfaction or would it be better to manually set up speakers? Also does it have two sub outs? And are the sub's controllable by the remote? I am considering those aformentioned rockets to complete the front end. How do you all feel about this combo? I have two sunfire subs and some polk m5's in the rear which still sound very good. My sub's don't really ever get a decent work out but I'll tell you, they ROCK!

Thanks!

[Josuah]

I have not heard any speakers from Axiom, or Ascend, and only the Reference line from AV123. So I couldn't suggest one over the other for you in particular. However, Axiom's frequency measurements show a roll off as things approach 20kHz, which is one reason I chose not to look at them seriously.

Also, there is currently a sale going on at AV123 so for $500 you can get the Reference 1 bookshelf speakers. You might be interested in those over the RS 450's. However, by all accounts they sound very different, and for home theater the Rockets might be a better choice.

I have never heard anything bad about the Ascend speakers. For the money, I have never seen a negative opinion about them.