So the receiver is on its way, speaker recomondations?

[PyRo]

So I made a thread about receiver recomondations, I ended up going with the Harmon Kardon 3480 ( http://www.harmankardon.com/product_...203480&sType=C ). The other ones were too much more expensive and I couldn't find any local dealers.

So as for speakers I want to replace the 30 year old floorstanding speakers I have now and get a set of bookshelf speakers eventually adding a sub. This is for both movies and music (rock) it is a relativly small room so I don't need to much power although it never hurts. I'm looking in the $80-$200 range, although the less I end up spending the better. Ive heard good things about polk, and that bose is a decent speaker but your paying an extra $50 for the name. Thats about all I know about speakers so any help would be great.

[Steelrat]

NHT, good speaker for the money. Paradigm and PSB also make good stuff.

Just keep in mind, the majority of your system money should go into the speakers, they are the most vital component.

[PyRo]

When they say speaker sensetivity (-86db for example) do you want that number higher or lower?
How about klipsch. are they any good?

[cletus]

The sensitivity just means how much output the speakers are going to have with 1 watt of power measured at 1 meter. With your reciever you really dont need to worry about that because it can put out so much power.

As for speaker $200 is a tight budget but for that i would get the JBL N26. Best Buy usually sells them and they sound quite good for the money.

[Steelrat]

The higher the sensitivity, the higher the volume the speaker will produce for a given power input. A good rule of thumb is that for every 3 db increase in sensitivity, there will be an apparent doubling of the loudness of the sound. So, a sensitive speaker (high sensitivity) might work better with a low powered amp then an insensitive (low sensitivity) speaker.

Klipsch speakers are really all about volume. They tend to be very sensitive, and usually use some sort of horn-loaded driver. They therefore put out a lot of sound. I don't like the sound they produce at all, but they sound good for movies, as they do a good job with explosions and such. Also, they are pretty cheap, unless you look at their high-end stuff.

NHT speakers: http://www.nhthifi.com/2004/products...=2&SubjectID=2

PSB alpha-series speakers: http://www.psbspeakers.com/s/newAlphaSeries.html

Paradigm :http://www.paradigm.ca/Website/SiteP...manceSpecs.htm The Titan is the good entry level one

Remember, most of these will need a sub to give you true base, ie under 60 hz. A lot of cheap speakers are designed with a hump in their response so they put out a higher level of mid-bass, fooling you into thinking the speaker has a good bass response. Don't fall for it.

[PyRo]

Would I be alot better off living with the speakers I have now untill I can spend more than $200?

[ShooterJM]

When they say speaker sensetivity (-86db for example) do you want that number higher or lower?
How about klipsch. are they any good?

Klipsch has some really really good speakers at the high end. But you're not going to get even one for $200. Stick with some of the other mentioned for now.

Actually, my recomendation would be to build your own. You can build some amazing sounding speakers with some research and time.

[Muzikman]

Just keep in mind, the majority of your system money should go into the speakers, they are the most vital component.

Agreed. This is one of the biggest mistakes someone makes. Because speakers are not usually pretty to look at, someone will spend $1000 on a reciever and $100 on speakers. If you flipped that around, you would actually end up with a better sounding system 90% of the time.

I am a fan of Definitive Technologies but in your $200 range you might get the salesman to let you take a picture of one (thought they are not that expensive when it comes to speakers).

http://www.definitivespeakers.com/

Do not buy Bose, unless you get the 901's, no other Bose speakers are worth the money.

And in cheap speakers, I would take JBL over Polk, but that is just me.

[ShooterJM]

Do not buy Bose, unless you get the 901's, no other Bose speakers are worth the money.

Good old Bose....no highs....no lows....

[rkjunior303]

Check out a nice pair of Event 20/20's.. The BAS versions are about $600/pair but you can get a good deal on the passive version. Since you already have a dope receiver, they should sound mint.

I also use KLH (the creater of Cambridge Soundworks) for my Home theatre with a 15'' PSB sub

[PyRo]

Yeah, they might not break every two minutes
I have a set of sansui's with 10in woofers they're about 3ft high a 120 watt power rateing, i'm not pulling them out right now for the rest of the info though.
I have a set of something else with 12in woofers I forget the brand loud as heck but they sound lousy and one of the woofers blew.
Then I have a set of Akai speakers that the tag disapeared off the back of so I cannot get any info I think its either an 8 or 10in. They have decent sound.

[PyRo]

I actually found a friend has a set of definitive speakers sitting around that he would give me for $60 and they're in good shape. The model is celcious, so I might just go for that $320 worth of speakers for $60 and they still sound fine, probably more sound for the money going that route than $200 worth of new speakers, or would getting somthing new be a better idea?

[cphilip]

Gotcha covered PyRo!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=3702

[Steelrat]

Heh, barbie...

Pyro, Definitive Tech are good speakers. Not subtle, but they usually do loud stuff well. They also tend to be very sensitive, which is good for a lower powered receiver. Def tech also makes big subs that will match well with the bookshelf speakers.

If you ever have a chance, I recommend listening to these speakers, just for ha-has:

PSB Stratus Gold
B&W Matrix 801
Magneplanar speakers-they are just cool to look at, they are like plastic wrap with a wire in it
Anything Wilson makes
NHT 3.3s
Vandersteen 3s

There a lot more high end speakers, these are just a few I am very familiar with, and like the sound of.

I run Mirage M-5sis with a M&K sub, with an outlaw audio crossover handling the split. I also have an adcom 555 II amp and a NAD 2100 preamp. I like it because it images well and has a huge soundstage, but I think I will go for a more dynamic speaker next time.

[PyRo]

Gotcha covered PyRo!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=3702

Wow phill really came through on this one