Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 37

Thread: Home theater/gaming Speaker recommendation

  1. #1

    Home theater/gaming Speaker recommendation

    I've been doing some net research for a few weeks, and I thought I'd pop in here to see what TNL thinks. I got a home theater system a couple of months back that had a great Onkyo receiver with some not-so-great speakers. Now I'm trying to slowly build the system up, replacing the speakers piece by piece. The problem is, there are NO places around here to listen to speakers, and since sound quality is so subjective it's hard to turst online reviews.

    First up I want to get the front mains and center channels replaced (not necessarily at the same time.) I want to make sure they are matched, and I've thought about simply using 3 identical speakers to give a seamless front soundstage. I'm looking at bookshelf speakers, since satellites are kind of gutless, but I don't have space for larger floorstanding units.

    Anyone have some recommendations? I've been looking at Polk R150s, Athena Audition B1.2, or possibly the Boston Acoustics C57's or C67's. The Polks are the cheapest, and most inferior, but I'm not certain the difference matters enough to spend more than double for the other speakers. Either way I would be upgrading. Unfortunately, I have no way of actually listening to any of these speakers, Circuit City sells many of them but the one here never actually has anything hooked up to try out.
    Quote Originally Posted by EvilMog View Post
    Screw being smart. This is TNL.

  2. One of the best values, check out www.hsuresearch.com

    I am thinking of getting their sub, but their ventriloquist package gets great reviews.

  3. What is the price range? I would look around at www.av123.com . I don't know anyone personally who has them, and have never heard any, but they have a fantastic reputation. I used their forums a lot for sub and amp research when I was looking, it's a good place to go for info. They have a budget speaker line (x series) and a 30 day money back guarentee if you don't like them. I'd give them a look.

  4. #4
    Well, the ones I'm looking at are 50 bucks/pair for the Polks, 100/pair for the other ones. I can afford more, but I have to sit back and think about how much I really want to spend on audio, especially with all the good games coming out this season. Not to mention that if I got really expensive mains, then I end up buying expensive other parts, and in the end wondering if I really needed a $1000 sound system when I mostly just play stuff on my Wii in a small room.
    Quote Originally Posted by EvilMog View Post
    Screw being smart. This is TNL.

  5. I'm not at all an expert on the matter, but I did a lot of shopping around a couple years back when I built my system. I at first just wanted to spend some money to get two really nice speakers and ended up with a pair of Boston Acoustic bookshelf speakers (they were a discontinued model so I got a great deal on the pair--an older model of these).

    Over the following year I bought more pieces, including a Boston center and sub (I got some Polks for my rears, used from a friend). The result is an awesome sound system. It probably cost me nearly $1,000 total, but since I bought it piece by piece it wasn't too bad at all and I'm very happy with the results.

  6. Boston Acoustics make great speakers, I bought a pair of $650 (tower) speakers over 10 years ago and they still sound awesome. I now use them for surround speakers in the back.

  7. You could try this one set of Insignia speakers that gets some good buzz. Here is the AVS thread. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=690556

    The only thing is they were $50 a pair when most people got them, and went on sale for $35 a pair sometimes. I guess BB got wise and now they're way more. BB link http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1138085354138

  8. #8
    Mark: What kind of center do you have? One of the weaknesses I have heard of BA is that the centers that match the speakers I'm looking aren't very good. Your speakers look to be almost the same as the ones I am looking at, except that the 67's have 5 1/4 inch drivers.

    Stormy: I have heard some Insignias. They would be fine with me, although for the price I think I'd rather get the Polks. The Insignia seems to have better lower end (bigger driver) but the Polk has higher sound quality. Although I don't really have the audiophile ear, so I'm likely to be happy with anything I get. If BB did run those for $35, I'd buy a few sets.
    Quote Originally Posted by EvilMog View Post
    Screw being smart. This is TNL.

  9. I have JBL studio series surround sound speakers which I purchased new about 8 years ago that sound amazing. The center channel is large compared to most but the sound it produces is outstanding. I also have Klipsch speakers on my pc which never seize to amaze me. They sound great with video games, music, and can handle when I play my bass through the pc, exceptionally well.

    Other speakers that I have always held in high regard are Polk, Boston Acoustic, and Infinity. Sound and cost at the time of my JBL purchase are what led me to the studio series. I did buy them piece by piece over the course of a year but the end result was worth the wait.

  10. I always recommend listening to Definitive Tech if you have the money. Either way, take brand recommendations and go to the store to listen to them. Just stay away from Bose or anything you find at Best Buy/Circuit City.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Games.com logo