Recommendations? $1k budget for a sound system

Used two-way monitors are your friend. I can't think of a floor standing speaker that would fit in your budget that would in any way be a good value. Personally I like a two-way monitor even with a $10K budget.

 

The first route you could go is a passive two-way with an integrated amp, spend $400-600 on the speakers, and another $300 or so on the integrated, with whatever is left for a used CD player, or whatever you want to use as a source. There are a lot of good options: ERA, ProAC, Usher, Monitor Audio, etc.

 

The second option is an active monitor, something like an Event Studio Precision or Dynaudio. All you need there is a source and a volume control.

I'd recommend active monitors, too, if you will be sitting relatively close.

 

Check out Tannoy or Genelec. Their stuff is pretty cool!

 

 

 If you'll be sitting further away, ignore this post!

Maybe you could go vintage? A pair of jbl speakers should be score-able for about $150, a mid-end restored Marantz 22xx would go for about $250 or less (sub $100 un-restored, if you have the skill to restore it), and a used Denon CD player shouldn't be more than $150-$200 either. With the rest you could get a killer DAC or turntable, or you could bump your receiver to a higher-end receiver (Marantz 2270, higher end Pioneer or a mid-end Sansui), or grab a pair of Polk monitor 10 speakers or another well-regarded vintage speaker. Going used stretches your dollar a lot farther, especially with some hunting (I grabbed my Denon CDP from goodwill for $5).

 

edit: I didn't catch that clarity and detail were your primary qualifications. In that case some monitors will probably be better suited for you, as vintage systems tend to be more warm and musical, but with detail taking a backseat to musicality (this is my experience however, and my experience is based on only partially restored gear, your milage may vary)

Edited by Maverickmonk - 7/16/11 at 3:20pm

Seven speakers and a subwoofer, plus source and amp for under a thousand basically means a home theater in a box. If that's what you want that's fine, but it's not hifi.

 

Take a hard look at the Magnepan MMG. It ticks off the requirements you want and available for $600, at least in the US. I'd run it off something like a NAD or Adcom integrated amp, preferably used. You should be able get both for $1,000. Don't worry too much about source, just run whatever CD/DVD/Blu-Ray player you probably already have. Then save up a little for a DAC.

Yes!

And 2 channels, no sub. Subs sound like a good idea, but they're difficult to place in a room and even more difficult to match to your speakers.

Surround is a sales gimmick. Some years back, I ran a 5.1 system. Yes, you do hear sounds behind you. But it really adds nothing to a movie or TV. A good stereo pair recreates the center channel just fine, too. You do not need a separate speaker.

Currently, I run a pair of ProAc Response 2.5 clones with my flatscreen. They do the center and left/right just fine. Their detail and clarity make movies (and their soundtracks) wonderful.

HTIB speakers are typically injection-molded plastic with cheap speakers. Plastic in speakers is a very bad thing, unless it's the insulation on wires or the knobs on the binding posts. I suppose plastic could work, but it'd have to be 3/4" thick and built like a traditional speaker, which would probably be more expensive to manufacture than the typical (and very good) MDF used in many speakers.

So go two channel. Your movies and TV will sound wonderful and your music will thank you for being played on quality speakers.

Absolutely. 7 $100 speakers will sound considerably worse than monitors which sell for $700/pr. A good subwoofer is several hundred dollars on its own, and that's just not going to fit in your budget. You mentioned that you wanted clarity and detail above all. You won't get that without quality drivers, a solid, well designed cabinet, and a decent crossover network - none of which are found in a mid-price 7.1 channel package. Quality monitors can reach down to 50Hz and below, which is enough for most genres of music. An integrated amp with tone controls or active monitors will allow you to boost the bass a bit if you want a little more punch.

 

A cheap "satellite" speaker in a 7.1 package on the other hand typically will run out of low end response at 120Hz or above, and the subwoofer has to awkwardly try to reach much higher than it should into the mid-bass range to try to fill in the gap. It never works.

 

I also agree with Erik, surround sound and "home theater" in general is a gimmick. A typical movie soundtrack sends 50%+ of the audio to the center channel, which is typically a fairly small speaker with limited bass response that's positioned horizontally in the M-T-M fashion for "the look" which causes all kinds of phase issues rather than vertically so it actually sounds decent. The center channel doesn't need to exist, and unless you watch nothing but the Matrix, there's no real need for surround speakers.

Monitor Audio's Silver RX1 is definitely worth a listen. The Vienna Acoustics Haydn Grand is a personal favorite of mine, and can be found for well under $1,000 on the used market. The ERA D5 sounds very good. ProAc, PSB, and Paradigm are usually good choices.

magnepan 1.6q go for under 1k but they dont put out much bass.

 

i have to disagree with the guys about on surround sound

 

every thing sounds better in 8.1 then in 2.1 i dont use a center matching with magnepan 1.7s is impossible.

 

my eight are

 

magnepan L/R

energy cb10 Wide L/R

surrounds L/R

Surrounds back L/R

rythmik FV15HP

 

center channels are bad.

 

I can vouch for the VA Haydn.  I have a pair (from maybe 8 or 10 years ago before the Grand surname was added) that sound amazing.

 

And add B&W as a possibility.