[AWD FTW]

Hey all,
 
Currently i'm using crappy, small, logitec 2.1 speakers in my townhouse for house parties. These are not doing the job in the slightest. I was using my sony receiver(80w) to power some small sony speakers and an onkyo 10" powered subwoofer. The subwoofer fried and the speakers had no bass or midrange so I had to use my logitec speakers.
 
I want LOUD, decent quality audio with good bass that can fill a room that's about 23' by 15' and opens into a kitchen that's 13' by 9'. We have between 40 - 80 ish people that fill the rooms.
 
I'm not sure if I want to use a receiver or not. Also, not sure if my receiver is good enough for more powerful speakers.
 
I have been looking at the M-Audio BX5 D2
. From what I understand though, these are to be used in a studio with near field listening. 
 
Would these word or should I go in a different direction? Tower speakers with a receiver? Any suggestions. I can add a subwoofer if necessary.
 
Looking to keep the entire setup around $300 or under. My house isn't going to be filled with a bunch of audiophiles, so they don't have to be perfect. Just loud, clear, and good bass.
 
Thanks for the help,
 
-Ben

 

[proton007]

College parties? Near fields won't work.
 
But you're better off asking at avsforum.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Currently i'm using crappy, small, Logitech 2.1 speakers in my townhouse for house parties. These are not doing the job in the slightest. I was using my Sony receiver to power some small Sony speakers and an Onkyo 10" powered sub-woofer. The sub-woofer fried and the speakers had no bass or midrange so I had to use my Logitech speakers.
I want LOUD, decent quality audio with good bass that can fill a room that's about 23' by 15' and opens into a kitchen that's 13' by 9'. We have between 40 - 80 ish people that fill the rooms.
I want active speakers and a sub if necessary. I don't want to use my receiver anymore because I want something somewhat portable.
I have been looking at the M-Audio Studiophile BX5a Deluxe Speakers. From what I understand though, these are to be used in a studio with near field listening.
Would these word or should I go in a different direction? Any suggestions. I can add a sub-woofer if necessary.
Looking to keep the entire setup around $300 or under. My house isn't going to be filled with a bunch of audiophiles, so they don't have to be perfect. Just loud, clear, and good bass.

Check your local Craigslist, some might be selling a used computer 2.1 speakers setup for under your budget.
Maybe a Corsair 2500 2.1 computer speaker set.
 
A better DAC for your computer (the source) might improve audio quality.

 

[cel4145]

Quote:

 
I want LOUD, decent quality audio with good bass that can fill a room that's about 23' by 15' and opens into a kitchen that's 13' by 9'. 

 
Check out the BIC FT-6T. 96db sensitivity means that with your current Sony receiver, they will get louder than many other speakers. 
 
Just to make sure, though, what model Sony receiver do you have? 
 
Later on you can add a sub if you want even more bass. Just realize that if you fried your first sub it was because you were running it too hard. Probably means you need a good 12" sub like the BIC PL-200. 

 

[AWD FTW]

Quote:

 
Check out the BIC FT-6T. 96db sensitivity means that with your current Sony receiver, they will get louder than many other speakers. 
 
Just to make sure, though, what model Sony receiver do you have? 
 
Later on you can add a sub if you want even more bass. Just realize that if you fried your first sub it was because you were running it too hard. Probably means you need a good 12" sub like the BIC PL-200. 

The receiver is a Sony STR-K740p. Specs here. Will definitely want to add a new subwoofer soon. Would towers really be necessary, or would a bookshelf + subwoofer combo be better for the money? Also, is my receiver up for the task? Thanks

 

[cel4145]

Your receiver should be fine. Worry about that later after you upgrade the rest. 
 
Bookshelf/subwoofer combo will give you more bass for your money. Towers will not produce deep bass, only mid-bass. The question is if the bookshelf speakers would produce enough treble and midrange to satisfy you? $300 is just not enough budget to work with for producing loud volume, with good bass, for parties in a big room like yours that opens into other rooms. 
 
If bass is the big priority, I would start with the BIC Pl-200 (make Acoustic Sound Design an offer of $280 on this page) and then wait to upgrade your Sony speakers until you can save more money. I have two 18" subs in my living room, and I know that 12" will do a great job for bass heavy music like rap, dubstep, and hip hop. After you get the sub, you might start watching your local Craigslist for better speakers. 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

The receiver is a Sony STR-K740p. Specs here. Will definitely want to add a new subwoofer soon. Would towers really be necessary, or would a bookshelf + subwoofer combo be better for the money? Also, is my receiver up for the task? Thanks

Right now, from Newegg, you can get two Polk Audio Monitor 50s towers for $160 total price and the Polk Audio 8" sub-woofer (wireless option) for $99 total price.
So for $240 you can have 2.1.
Quality wise?, good as you can get for $240.

 

[cel4145]

Quote:

Right now, from Newegg, you can get two Polk Audio Monitor 50s towers for $160 total price and the Polk Audio 8" sub-woofer (wireless option) for $99 total price.
So for $240 you can have 2.1.
Quality wise?, good as you can get for $240.

 
If he already killed an Onkyo 10" sub, buying another cheap 8" or 10" sub isn't going to work any better.  It's too likely that the sub was just over driven and burned up. Dubstep, rap, hip hop, and modern EDM  that college students play at today's parties can be particularly brutal on a sub, even more so than with normal HT sub usage. 
 
In that kind of size room space with that many people, a cheap sub is not the answer if the goal is to hear it and feel it.  Even the main room (not considering the kitchen) is close to 3,000 cubic feet. Sub performance is directly related to room volume, and you need a 12" sub with decent output to hit any sort of volume in that size room.  The Polk PSW505 at Newegg might could work, but the PL-200 has very good output for a budget 12" sub, more so than the PSW505 (which is more similar to the BIC F12, the PL-200s little brother). 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

 
If he already killed an Onkyo 10" sub, buying another cheap 8" or 10" sub isn't going to work any better.  It's too likely that the sub was just over driven and burned up. Dubstep, rap, hip hop, and modern EDM  that college students play at today's parties can be particularly brutal on a sub, even more so than with normal HT sub usage. 
 
In that kind of size room space with that many people, a cheap sub is not the answer if the goal is to hear it and feel it.  Even the main room (not considering the kitchen) is close to 3,000 cubic feet. Sub performance is directly related to room volume, and you need a 12" sub with decent output to hit any sort of volume in that size room.  The Polk PSW505 at Newegg might could work, but the PL-200 has very good output for a budget 12" sub, more so than the PSW505 (which is more similar to the BIC F12, the PL-200s little brother). 

As the guy has a budget of $300 for 2 speakers and a sub-woofer, a $230 sub-woofer only leaves $70 for speakers.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

The receiver is a Sony STR-K740p. Specs here. Will definitely want to add a new sub-woofer soon. Would towers really be necessary, or would a bookshelf + sub-woofer combo be better for the money? Also, is my receiver up for the task? Thanks

Two Infinity Beta 20 bookshelf speakers, they are sweet, current bid price shipped is $173.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Infinity-Beta-20-Main-Stereo-Speakers-/150935876959?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item23247ab55f
 
I currently use 2 Infinity Beta 40s, 2 Beta 20s, and a Beta PC360 center connected to my Yamaha RX-671 receiver.

 

[cel4145]

Quote:

As the guy has a budget of $300 for 2 speakers and a sub-woofer, a $230 sub-woofer only leaves $70 for speakers.

 
That's why I said go for the sub and wait on the speakers. Sometimes a budget won't achieve what you want it to do. People have unrealistic expectations for the physics of how subwoofers work. Part of it is because they hear a 10" sub in a car and think that they can get good bass out of a cheap 10" sub in a house, without realizing that getting good bass in a car is like getting good bass in a walk in closet, not a big room. 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

 
That's why I said go for the sub and wait on the speakers. Sometimes a budget won't achieve what you want it to do. People have unrealistic expectations for the physics of how subwoofers work. Part of it is because they hear a 10" sub in a car and think that they can get good bass out of a cheap 10" sub in a house, without realizing that getting good bass in a car is like getting good bass in a walk in closet, not a big room. 

Hopefully he will get the 2 used Infinity Beta 20s bookshelf off eBay and wait on a sub-woofer.

 

[JonnyRocket]

Hey all,

Currently i'm using crappy, small, logitec 2.1 speakers in my townhouse for house parties. These are not doing the job in the slightest. I was using my sony receiver(80w) to power some small sony speakers and an onkyo 10" powered subwoofer. The subwoofer fried and the speakers had no bass or midrange so I had to use my logitec speakers.

I want LOUD, decent quality audio with good bass that can fill a room that's about 23' by 15' and opens into a kitchen that's 13' by 9'. We have between 40 - 80 ish people that fill the rooms.

I'm not sure if I want to use a receiver or not. Also, not sure if my receiver is good enough for more powerful speakers.

I have been looking at the M-Audio BX5 D2

. From what I understand though, these are to be used in a studio with near field listening. 


Would these word or should I go in a different direction? Tower speakers with a receiver? Any suggestions. I can add a subwoofer if necessary.


Looking to keep the entire setup around $300 or under. My house isn't going to be filled with a bunch of audiophiles, so they don't have to be perfect. Just loud, clear, and good bass.


Thanks for the help,


-Ben

[/quote

If you want it loud with a budget of $300 your best bet is going to be Craigslist or a pawn shop. You can hear the speakers for yourself and check out the loudness and clarity. Your going to need to use your receiver though because powered loud speakers are going to be more than $300. Buying the speakers used is going to save you some money. People are also going to set there drinks or food on them or knock them over. With 80 people you will alway get that one persons who is going to turn up your stereo all the way, so make sure that the speakers have an automatic cut off switch or can handle the power from the receiver. As far as the sub, this is what is going to set your system apart. Again check Craigslist and pawn shops. I've got 2 Velodyne CT-120s. These are excellent powered subs that are not made anymore and an be had for around $200 used. When I used to through parties I had to tape my pictures to the wall to keep them from falling off. To start out, get the tower speakers first.

 

[AWD FTW]

Alright, I read through all the comments. I definitely want to upgrade my speakers first. As much as I love bass, I can't stand the terrible speakers that I'm stuck using with my receiver. 
 
I've found on craigslist a pair of used [size=medium]JBL L830 Bookshelf speakers for $175. Even includes an EC25 center speaker. Good condition.[/size]
 
[size=medium]Would a pair of the Polk Monitor 50 tower speakers or the JBL L830s be a better buy?[/size]
 
[size=medium]Also, I will most likely purchase a good subwoofer after the funds allow it.[/size]
 
[size=medium]Thanks for the responses thus far.[/size]

 

[cel4145]

The JBL's seem like a very good deal at that price.