I know I asked gman this via PM on the
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Speakers
- Thread starter Abe Froeman
- Start date
Under $300 if possible. The recession is on and I'm about to start saving my money under my mattress.
gmansixfo
Lulx
Man you have a lot of options lol.
You can by a 2.1 system like this (supposedly the best 2.1 out there)
http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/promedia-2-1.aspx
Lacks inputs for consoles but can be solved by using a switcher.
Or you can try buying a receiver and speakers separate.
Reciever: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3547543&CatId=3418
Speakers: http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Two-Way-Floorstanding-Loudspeaker/dp/B000EHHOOE
These floor standing speakers produce pretty decent bass. So they should do fine without a sub woofer. You can always add a sub to the system because the receiver supports it.
I know that receiver is out of stock almost everywhere but I think that its pretty damn good. I was considering buying it myself a few years back but thing's didn't go as planned.
I'll look around some more... I'll get back to you D:
You can by a 2.1 system like this (supposedly the best 2.1 out there)
http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/promedia-2-1.aspx
Lacks inputs for consoles but can be solved by using a switcher.
Or you can try buying a receiver and speakers separate.
Reciever: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3547543&CatId=3418
Speakers: http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Two-Way-Floorstanding-Loudspeaker/dp/B000EHHOOE
These floor standing speakers produce pretty decent bass. So they should do fine without a sub woofer. You can always add a sub to the system because the receiver supports it.
I know that receiver is out of stock almost everywhere but I think that its pretty damn good. I was considering buying it myself a few years back but thing's didn't go as planned.
I'll look around some more... I'll get back to you D:
Good stuff man, I appreciate it.
LocutusEstBorg
Active Member
Personally in this day and age I wouldn't drop 3 digit $$$ on <<< 5.1 channel.
Get a 5.1 with infra red rear channel speakers.
Get a 5.1 with infra red rear channel speakers.
I was thinking about doing that, but they still need to be plugged into a wall outlet. Also, the way the room is formed, I could never get the speakers behind anyone's head who would be sitting on the main viewing couch.
LocutusEstBorg
Active Member
Get satellites on stands so you can put them right where you want them.
These need only 1 power cable for both rear speakers.
http://in.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=4&subcategory=789&product=14661&nav=0&listby=usage
You'd need to drop some more $$$ on a decoder though. Unless you want a decoder that supports the newer codecs which are really expensive anyway, I'd recommend the Creative DDTS-100. Good quality with multiple inputs, analog & optical & coaxial. You can get one sub 100$. Games only output DD 5.1 so this decoder does well, and all Blu-Ray movies have a DTS stream anyway.
These need only 1 power cable for both rear speakers.
http://in.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=4&subcategory=789&product=14661&nav=0&listby=usage
You'd need to drop some more $$$ on a decoder though. Unless you want a decoder that supports the newer codecs which are really expensive anyway, I'd recommend the Creative DDTS-100. Good quality with multiple inputs, analog & optical & coaxial. You can get one sub 100$. Games only output DD 5.1 so this decoder does well, and all Blu-Ray movies have a DTS stream anyway.
There is no way my wife would let me stick speakers in the area I want them to. Rear speakers are a no go, the couch is not against a wall.
LocutusEstBorg
Active Member
In India, wife listens to YOU...Abe Froeman said:
Anywayz, in that case, for a 2.1 the Klipsch Pro series is really about as good as it gets when value for money is concerned.
You could spend some extra $$$ on a receiver that supports Dolby Virtual Speaker or similar HRTF technology and stick it between the console and the speakers.
Would such a small system be able to fill up a living room though?
LocutusEstBorg
Active Member
Abe Froeman said:
From personal experience:
I have an el-cheapo 42 Watt Creative Inspire 5200 5.1 for my PC, but I've accurately positioned the speakers up to the last inch and angular degree. I've also accurately entered the same in the X-Fi THX control panel on the PC. Each speaker is approximately 2 meters away from me.
My dad's got these expensive 600 Watt stereo speakers, each the size of a filing cabinet, which I used for a while on my PC.
El-cheapo 5.1 >>>> Expensive Stereo.
Even a loud stereo simply does not have the same envelopment like even a low powered 5.1. Not to mention the lack of surround effects which I find impossible to live without. The Klipsch speakers are relatively small as well, as you've noticed, but they have a LOT of power.
However in a 2.1 the positioning of the subwoofer is extremely important. You will need to keep shifting it around the room until you find that it sounds uniform through out the room. Otherwise you will hear absolutely no bass in some parts of the room, and an overpowering booming in other areas. You'll find a sweet spot where you do get a room-filling effect. I found the positioning of the satellites to have almost no effect on the audibility of various frequencies or their loudness. You will have to take the trouble position the subwoofer properly to get decent sound.
Thanks for all of the help Torch, I appreciate it. Time to go spend money this weekend.
LocutusEstBorg
Active Member
The Klipsch 2.1 are all self powered speakers. If you want to get stand alone stereo speakers, then get a receiver/amplifier that supports some kind of Virtual Speaker technology (like this one, this is expensive though cos its meant for Blu-Ray and has HDMI passthrough etchttp://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=TX-NR1000&class=Receiver&p=f).
That way you can connect the optical multichannel source from the consoles and the receiver will downmix it into Virtual Speaker, which is really convincing if the speakers are positioned accurately and you sit in the right position. I sent you a PM with a song encoded in Virtual Headphone, so you got to listen to it using headphones. Seek to around 1:25 and listen to the echoes.
Edit... If you really don't have a prior idea of what to expect from a satellite/subwoofer combo, then I strongly suggest you listen to a demo of the system before you buy it.
That way you can connect the optical multichannel source from the consoles and the receiver will downmix it into Virtual Speaker, which is really convincing if the speakers are positioned accurately and you sit in the right position. I sent you a PM with a song encoded in Virtual Headphone, so you got to listen to it using headphones. Seek to around 1:25 and listen to the echoes.
Edit... If you really don't have a prior idea of what to expect from a satellite/subwoofer combo, then I strongly suggest you listen to a demo of the system before you buy it.
gmansixfo
Lulx
I've heard about these things.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3387615&Sku=Y23-6002
Supposedly they sound good and emulate surround sound pretty well. I have never listened to one of these personally, but reviews say good things.
Pros and cons can be found here: http://reviews.cnet.com/surround-speaker-systems/yamaha-air-surround-yas/4505-7868_7-32743695.html
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3387615&Sku=Y23-6002
Supposedly they sound good and emulate surround sound pretty well. I have never listened to one of these personally, but reviews say good things.
Pros and cons can be found here: http://reviews.cnet.com/surround-speaker-systems/yamaha-air-surround-yas/4505-7868_7-32743695.html
So I think I've finally decided to go with one of these. My wife asked what I wanted for my birthday coming up and I responded with this.
Philips SoundBar HTS8100 Surround Speaker System reviews - CNET Reviews
Does anyone have any experience with this model or any feedback that would dissuade me from making this purchase?
Philips SoundBar HTS8100 Surround Speaker System reviews - CNET Reviews
Does anyone have any experience with this model or any feedback that would dissuade me from making this purchase?
LocutusEstBorg
Active Member
The problem with this kind of thing is it requires an acoustically engineered room. It sounds great in the store's demo room, but turns out crappy at home. I've listened to Denon's equivalent offering. At 600$, you're really paying for the Virtual Speaker software technology and not for the actual speakers... 600$ stereo speakers would blow this away by miles.
But then this has the coolness factor..
If you had good stereo speakers, with Virtual Speaker done by an amp, you could always turn off the Virtual Speaker if it didn't work out in your environment and you'd still have a solid stereo. But if the Virtual Speaker doesn't work out with a SoundBar type system, then turning it off would make it five speakers in the front center.