AdamWill
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2004
- Posts
- 1,643
- Likes
- 28
Okay, first of all, adjust your expectations, I'm talking *really* cheap here. Anyone to whom cheap means "under $1,000", stop reading now. =)
But I've had a t-amp lying in my closet for a couple of years now (got it with the Paradigm Titans I use for rears on my living room setup, bought from a head-fi member) and kept meaning to buy some cheap bookshelves to pair it with to go in my office / bedroom as a break from my headphone setup.
I was in XS Cargo yesterday and saw a pair of bookshelves rejoicing in the name of Braxton Audio MA300 for CAN$40 the pair. hell, at that price anything is worth a shot.
anyway, summary is - they're perfectly decent bookshelves. Sensitivity is only 88dBA but they're only 4 ohm, so they pair very well with the t-amp - they're loud enough for me before I hit 33% on the volume dial. They have what are claimed as 6.5" woofers, and the low end is definitely present - slightly soft and muddy, but perfectly acceptable. It's low in volume, too, but that's easy to fix with equalization. Midrange and high end are slightly thin and can get harsh on things like hi-hat rolls and vocal sibilants, but hey, $40. They're obviously inferior to my living room fronts (Paradigm Mini Monitors), but hey, they're only just over 10% of the price.
I'm not sure where the designers cut down on the price (they're made in China, of course, which helps) but it's not in the enclosure, at least compared to your average $100-$150 bookshelf - it's solid wood, feels as solid and heavy as my Titans. They feel like real speakers, not something that's going to fall apart any second.
Given that it can be tough trying to find, well, just about anything in Canada, these are definitely worth a look if you're north of the border and looking for something to make up a quick bedroom system or whatever. You can put 'em together with a t-amp and 18 gauge speaker wire from The Source and have a respectable setup for under $100, and they won't disappoint for that cash.
They have several stores around the country - http://www.shopxscargo.com/store_locator/default.asp . The store I got mine from is in Richmond, near the corner of No. 3 Rd. and Alderbridge, diagonally opposite Lansdowne Mall. You can buy on the website, too - these speakers are:
http://www.shopxscargo.com/product_c...category=Audio
they're a decent company, the store's been around in Richmond for several years, they have a proper return policy and so on - nothing fly-by-night. They have a couple of pairs of floorstanders, too, at $68 and $99 (the $99 ones actually have dual 8" drivers, nuts). I haven't heard those.
Of course, Googling 'Braxton Audio' gives almost nothing. They're one of those ultra-cheap Chinese firms that don't even bother with a website. Which at least means they're not wasting money on publicity.
But I've had a t-amp lying in my closet for a couple of years now (got it with the Paradigm Titans I use for rears on my living room setup, bought from a head-fi member) and kept meaning to buy some cheap bookshelves to pair it with to go in my office / bedroom as a break from my headphone setup.
I was in XS Cargo yesterday and saw a pair of bookshelves rejoicing in the name of Braxton Audio MA300 for CAN$40 the pair. hell, at that price anything is worth a shot.
anyway, summary is - they're perfectly decent bookshelves. Sensitivity is only 88dBA but they're only 4 ohm, so they pair very well with the t-amp - they're loud enough for me before I hit 33% on the volume dial. They have what are claimed as 6.5" woofers, and the low end is definitely present - slightly soft and muddy, but perfectly acceptable. It's low in volume, too, but that's easy to fix with equalization. Midrange and high end are slightly thin and can get harsh on things like hi-hat rolls and vocal sibilants, but hey, $40. They're obviously inferior to my living room fronts (Paradigm Mini Monitors), but hey, they're only just over 10% of the price.
I'm not sure where the designers cut down on the price (they're made in China, of course, which helps) but it's not in the enclosure, at least compared to your average $100-$150 bookshelf - it's solid wood, feels as solid and heavy as my Titans. They feel like real speakers, not something that's going to fall apart any second.
Given that it can be tough trying to find, well, just about anything in Canada, these are definitely worth a look if you're north of the border and looking for something to make up a quick bedroom system or whatever. You can put 'em together with a t-amp and 18 gauge speaker wire from The Source and have a respectable setup for under $100, and they won't disappoint for that cash.
They have several stores around the country - http://www.shopxscargo.com/store_locator/default.asp . The store I got mine from is in Richmond, near the corner of No. 3 Rd. and Alderbridge, diagonally opposite Lansdowne Mall. You can buy on the website, too - these speakers are:
http://www.shopxscargo.com/product_c...category=Audio
they're a decent company, the store's been around in Richmond for several years, they have a proper return policy and so on - nothing fly-by-night. They have a couple of pairs of floorstanders, too, at $68 and $99 (the $99 ones actually have dual 8" drivers, nuts). I haven't heard those.
Of course, Googling 'Braxton Audio' gives almost nothing. They're one of those ultra-cheap Chinese firms that don't even bother with a website. Which at least means they're not wasting money on publicity.
