Cheap Bookshelf Speakers

[xluben]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ahriman4891 Have you thought about going the DIY route? These: http://madisound.com/ar_com.html are supposed to be pretty much unbeatable for the price. FR is 45-20K Hz with +/- 2 dB (!) tolerance. Audio-review has pretty glowing reviews of it, too. I think Madisound kits come with assembled xovers, so you don't even have to solder anything. They are rear-ported, though, which makes placement a bit tricky. EDIT: they are also not shielded.

Yes, I have thought of DIY. The speakers you linked are a little pricey.

I am pretty interested in these:

Dayton BR-1

I believe they are also not shielded, but that shouldn't be a problem next to an LCD. I think they are rear-ported, but for the price they are now my #1 contender (unless the C-3's will blow them away in terms of sound). I would much rather spend half and get a little less sound quality (I am on a very tight budget right now). Spending a lot of money for small gains just isn't an option at the moment. The only way they would really disappoint me (I've never heard good speakers), was if they don't have enough bass response, and I have to keep using my sub. They are described as 'warm' on the Parts Express site, so that is encouraging.

I have built a few CMoy's, so I don't think putting the crossovers together would be a problem (actually I'd probably have a lot of fun putting these together).

 

[xluben]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thrawn86 those are pretty expensive diy speakers, heh. I notice you have the br-1 xluben, how do you like those? I know there are supposed to be a few mods you can do to them. curious how they compare to the athena as-b1,etc.

I do not have or know what the br-1's are.

Am I missing something?

EDIT: I see that Ahriman4891 actually has the BR-1's (and that I just said I wanted them and a minute later didn't know their name/model).

Ahriman4891: How do you like the BR-1's? For the price I really would rather get them over the more expensive ones I was looking at.

 

[Drag0n]

Infinity Primus series got excellent reviews in Stereophile magazine....read the review on www.stereophile.com

Also check out Epos speakers,and any speakers they compared to epos and infinity in the reviews.

I think you should be able to find a good speaker for $300. I think the Infinity Primus 360 is around $300,and i think its supposed to have decent bass also,according to reviews. :SR80 Smile:

 

[warpdriver]

I love my C-3's. They are one of the best $400 (at the time) speakers I heard when I bought them a couple of years ago. They KILL the Athenas IMHO, these are actually pretty smooth sounding whereas the Athenas are a bit harsh and bright.

I actually did some measurement today of my C-3 bass response in room (1 foot away from wall) with some EQ added above 63 Hz by (somewhat flawed) Auto PEQ on my HT receiver, but you can see that it hits a solid 40Hz (below the EQ'ing threshold of my receiver).




I highly recommend these speakers....and my budget isn't really limited. I had originally budgeted enough to buy the Paradigm Studio 20's ($800), but I found the C-3's to be very good for around $400....For $250, they are no brainer's, an amazing buy. Personally, I would not consider the Athenas to be in the same league, especially the newer ones as they seemed to have skimped on cabinet solidity to save money.

 

[Ahriman4891]

Hey xluben,

quoting myself from another thread (wanted headphones with a different sonic signature that would complement the speakers):

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They are warm/dark (not sure of the proper term), with I guess 1.5-3 db dips in FRC @ around 2 KHz and from 10-20. They have wonderful meaty impactful bass (though *not* overstated, or at least I don't think so), with great sounding drums and bass guitars. (they extend to 43 Hz). Regarding the upper freq. dips... I am not sure how much I am bothered by that. There are certain songs, esp. with concurring male/female vocals, where Koss clearly shows you that the girl is singing, and the guy is "singing along" , and the Daytons turn it into total emancipation... it's kinda annoying on those specific songs. On the other hand, stand-alone female voices sound beautiful (Nightwish etc.) Also, while Koss do deliver some bass, the lack of "tactile" impact (got used to it due to Daytons ) makes the bass seem somewhat surreal or unrealistic, depending on the song / my mood.
-------------------

and from another message board (from a while ago, I didn't know the sound of ksc75's well enough yet and didn't draw any comparisons):

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They have decent sound dispersion, both vertically and horizontally. Instrument positioning is good. It's easy to pick out a single instrument and follow it throughout the song. The bass on these speakers is great--very smooth, effortless, present even at low volumes (I listen at moderate loudness in general, so my low volumes are indeed rather low). The drums sound especially tasty--I can almost feel the drumstick bouncing back from <whatever material they pull over drums... hide?> On some songs, I feel like *I* am at the drum station. That probably indicates improper mastering or something, but it's really fun. I never appreciated drums before, so this is a small revelation to me.

The highs are somewhat laid back--there is a slight dip in FRC from 10K to 20K Hz. I actually like it more that way. Currently I am actively investigating black metal, and some bands (Ephel Duath) which sounded annoying on my old speakers are actually very listenable to on the Daytons. Despite not being in-your-face, the highs are still very clear--I listened to some of Yngwie Malmsteen's stuff, and his high-pitched guitar solos sounded great.

The mids... well, they are just there, sounding very clear, lyrics in songs are a lot more audible with the Daytons.

BTW, they sound better in the dorm room, with the rear port facing a solid wall at around 6". Definitely better bass than in my room at home (facing a window w/ a curtain at about 4"). Or maybe it's the burn-in kicking in at this point, not sure.
-------------------

If you have any more specific questions, I'll be happy to answer them. Couple of points I'd like to make:

*As they stand on my desk currently, the tweeter is about 4 inches below ear level. I *think* they sound better when I lean back in my chair and my ear gets closer to tweeter height, so I think 2 large thick (2-4 in) rubber pads to
go under them would help.

*You can get the shielded version for $10 more. Be advised that PE website incorrectly lists its sensitivity as 85 dB--it's actually 82.5 for the shielded and 85 for non-shielded. Since they are at my desk 1.5 ft from me, I don't find that a problem, but YMMV. On my 50 wpc amp, I listen at 9 o'clock when at the desk, and at maybe 10 when I'm just moving around the room (foobar being at max volume, 0 dB, and sound card at 75%).

P.S.
the decibel guesses when I talk about the dips in the FRC come from playing around w/ a tone generator and my experience w/ foobar, which measures volume in dB. my findings for sine wave (barely audible - default volume - barely audible), at normal listening level:

Sine wave: 36.87 - 110.5 - 9440 - 16.817

My ears were at tweeter height. barely audible means the last step when I could distinguish bethween tone being on/off. volume seemed normal (i.e. like music usu. sounds) between 110 and 9440 hz, with occasional dips/peaks

 

[xluben]

Thanks, Ahriman4891

I appreciate the impressions you posted.

I am pretty much set on the Dayton's now. Mostly for the price and for the fun of being able to 'make' them myself. I think they will sound plenty good to my untrained ear. I will probably have the ports facing the wall with the speakers sitting somewhere on my desk, so I should get plenty of bass.

Is it worth it to get the shielded ones if I don't think they will be used next to a CRT? Should the lower sensitivity of the shielded ones worry me?

My birthday is next Saturday, so I'll probably order these sometime after that.

 

[Ahriman4891]

Well... I personally don't find the missing 2.5 dB of sensitivity that awful. Unless you are using a T-amp, you shouldn't worry, esp. for near-field listening. I went with shielded ones just in case, so that I don't possibly have to worry about it later.

Also, you may want to read this:

http://murphyblaster.com/content.php?f=pe_br1.html

It's a crossover mod for BR-1s. I personally did not do it... They are hard to beat for the price anyway, and this being my 1st kit, I kinda took the simplest way (I had very modest soldering experience before I built them). If I had to do it again, I probably would mod the xover, just for the sake of it, but I like the sound as it is.

EDIT:
It just occurred to me that Dennis Murphy's mod is for the unshielded version. The shielded one has a slightly different crossover (you can compare the PDFs from PartsExpress). So I dunno whether you would want to revise the mod (if you go with the mod), or get the unshielded ones.

 

[majid]

Check this group review, they should all fit within your budget. The entry-level Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 have an excellent reputation, and list at $300.

 

[trains are bad]

You all are going to make me buy the C3s.....and I don't have anything to hook them up to, or anywhere to put them! They just sound like a really good deal.

 

[soundboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trains are bad You all are going to make me buy the C3s.....and I don't have anything to hook them up to, or anywhere to put them! They just sound like a really good deal.

I originally had the C1, then I came across the C3 at $300.00/pair....too good of a deal to pass up.

 

[insomniac]

Not to say they are better than any of the speakers mentioned above, but the Atoms are really hard to beat for the price. You can find a used pair on A'gon or Ebay for under $100. Or you can find your nearest dealer by contacting Paradigm.

 

[xluben]

Anyone have comparisons of the Dayton BR-1's to the other speakers mentioned?

Are the C-3's really that much better? I assume the Dayton's will provide a good value for the price because they are DIY. I'm assuming they'll probably sound better than the Athena's for the same or less money. I really don't want to spend twice as much (BR-1 -> C-3) to get a small gain in sound quality. Also, how does the bass compare between the two? I am hoping to get good enough bass to remove my subwoofer.

I am pretty set on getting the Dayton's to save money right now. Since I have never actually heard any good speakers, I think they will be good enough to impress me for quite a while.

 

[sonick]

i'd recommend you going higher end than the Daytons, with the C-3, or the aforementioned atoms.

rather than not being satisfied and spending more later. since you are coming from the SuperFi's, i highly doubt the Daytons will satisfy you for very long, especially being the basshead you are.

 

[soundboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonick Speakers: Athena AS-B2, Realistic Minimus 7

OMG!! A fellow Realistic Minimus 7 user!!

 

[TobyTyler]

xluben,

I see that your location is Minneapolis. If you want to actually hear many of the recommended speakers, including the Paradigms, here are 3 places to go.

1. Stereoland - Uptown on Hennepin Ave just south of Franklin Ave (Paradigms, NHT, Canton and more)
2. HiFi Sound - Downton on Harmon Place just off Hennepin near the Basilica (PSB, Monitor Audio, and more)
3. Audio Perfection - Richfield on Lyndale Ave just north of I-494 (Martin Logan, NHT, Magnepan and more)

All 3 are excellent. Nice listening areas, knowledgable staff, etc. Stereoland often has great demo and closeout deals.
Plus all three are Grado dealers! The first two also have Sennheiser and I think Audio Perfection even carries Stax.