[duckiedeity]

A while back I posted about wanting to get speakers in the 300-400 range, not interested in surround sound, and a few people suggested i get PSB Image B25's and a Pioneer Elite A-35R amp/receiver/whatever it is. I was pretty close to ordering a pair of those speakers for 300 from Saturday Audio, but it never ended up happening... I've just been using some JBL Northridge N28's that my dad gave me. Now that Christmas is approaching, I can toss my money towards speakers and ask that my parents chip in some so I can widen my potential shopping pool. I'm looking for well balanced, accurate speakers, but a solid, tight, punchy bass would be nice because i like to have dance parties and we turn up the speakers quite loudly, and a nice bass is always a plus for that kind of thing. the receiver/amplifier/whatever i'm using now is an oldddd Sharp SA-CD800 with an 7-band EQ on the front that i can adjust/fine tune as needed. i don't know how powerful it is though.. but here's an italian ebay listing of the amp/receiver (they seem to mention 90w each channel or something, idk..) SHARP SA-CD800 AMP+TUNER.+CD+EQ. 98X2 WATT 1991' RARO su eBay.it Amplificatori, Hi Fi e Home Theatre, Audio, TV, Elettronica

anyway i can buy a new amp if need be. nothing more than 200 on that though.

PSB seemed to have such a good reputation that i'm tempted to stay within the brand and just upgrade to something in the T-series, like floorstanders or something. i dunno though. any help is appreciated.

 

[BadassBob]

Your money will go much further if you buy used. Im a strong advocate of the Klipsch Heritage line. you can get a nice pair of old Cornwalls for $600 or less depending on where you look. Id look into Cornwalls, Fortes, Forte IIs, Belles, and Quartets...all should fall into your price range for used speakers. Klipsch may not be the most hiifi-ish speaker, but theyre a hoot to listen to. I listen to alot of rock and electronica on my Fortes...awesome speakers. Go out and read some reviews on Klipsch Heritage speakers...lots of nice ones out there. Some people dont like Klipsch because of the horns, but theyre the closest to live sound you can get IMO.

 

[cwell2112]

Have you considered planar speakers? The Magnepan MMG is a fantastic deal at $599 (I think it went up recently). IMO, that's the closest you'll get to live sound...at least for that kind of money.

 

[chadbang]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwell2112 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you considered planar speakers? The Magnepan MMG is a fantastic deal at $599 (I think it went up recently). IMO, that's the closest you'll get to live sound...at least for that kind of money.

I love Maggies, too but there definitely not a party speaker. He said he wants "a solid, tight, punchy bass would be nice because i like to have dance parties and we turn up the speakers quite loudly."

 

[Headphile808]

Paradigm Titan Monitor V.6 are the newest edition to the award-winning line, from the Ontario-Based manufacturer. I use six Titan V.5s in My 7.1HT Set-Up (See Sig.).Celebrating their 25th Anniversary w/Their Latest offering, The V.6. These have a larger cabinet than previous models w/a 7.5" Carbon Driver w/a 1.0" H-PTD Dome. Also come in four beautiful finishes. List price is $279ea. Have been using Paradigm for the last 15 years, as they are ranked #1 for the last 18 Years. Hard to Beat their Price-Performance Ratio.
Good Luck & Happy Holidays

Headphile808

 

[BadassBob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwell2112 /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMO, that's the closest you'll get to live sound...at least for that kind of money.

Planar speakers arent used at concerts and dance halls...thats where the horn is in full effect

.

 

[smuh]

I went from Studer/Revox, ALR, Mission, B&W, Wharfedale and back to Mission. They were all good, but I enjoy the Mission's and the Mission sound signature the most. Currently have and enjoy the Mission M62i bookshelfs:

You might also want to check out KEF, but I am not sure how they are priced in the USA.

 

[papomaster]

For a slight bass hump but still good clarity, you should take a look at either used or new Paradigm offerings. They were all 90dB and up for efficiency, and all had a very forward sound but still very liquid and enjoyable midrange. Should be worth a shot, IMO.

 

[nightfire]

If you're into DIY at all, I'd recommend getting something on the cheaper end (say $200-300) and a powered subwoofer, because no bookshelf will produce satisfying bass for a party.

Then, upgrade the crossovers in the speakers! This makes a huge difference, because cheap speakers tend to use really crappy capacitors.

Basically, listen to the speakers for a few weeks (to develop a reference), then when you're ready, crack them open and find the crossover. Locate the electrolytic cap (at that price there surely will only be one, and it'll be non-polar electrolytic), and order a decent set of film caps to replace them.

Just hit up ebay, and search for "film capacitor" and find one between 100V - 400V, with the exact same uF rating as the one in the speaker. Should be around $5-20 for the pair, shipped. People have a million opinions on which sound good and bad, but honestly, it's splitting hairs compared to the upgrade over most electrolytics.

Quick solder job and you're done. Might also need some hot glue to secure it. Should take no more than 20-30 minutes per speaker.

I did this to my Paradigm Titan 3's, and the difference is night and day. The imaging is razor sharp. Instant $300 -> $600 speaker conversion.

Also, with a standalone sub you can get away with a smaller amp for your mains; you can either stay with what you have, or pick up a t-amp.

My $0.02.

 

[duckiedeity]

hey, sorry everyone, i've had some computer troubles lately. let me read through these posts right quick.

 

[duckiedeity]

I will check out all of the recommendations so far, but I suppose I should note that perhaps the dance party aspect of the speakers should play less of a role in your suggestions than should the fact that I'll be more often using them for "critical listening" - by this i just mean I want a high quality listening experience where the sound is clear, balanced, accurate, and detailed. I only have dance parties a couple times a semester, but I love listening to music every day. I regularly listen to classical (full symphonies to solo works, trombone solos in particular), indie folk, indie pop, indie rock, electronic, and a little hip hop. I should have mentioned this rather than the dance party bit I mentioned in my first post. Any speakers like this will suit just fine for a dance party of our usual caliber. With the speakers I currently have, a subwoofer is not necessary; perhaps this is 'cuz of the manual 7-band equalizer on my amp/receiver, but the bass seems powerful enough to drive a really good beat and get bodies moving.

I will look into used speakers, but it's nice to have a warranty in case something goes wrong.

 

[duckiedeity]

also, i'm not much of a DIY-er but i truly appreciate your post about it nightfire. that will be invaluable information later on. right now I can barely construct a cMoy amp by myself, but now that winter break is coming up i can finish up that project and post some pictures. hopefully it will work.

 

[Dutchess of York]

sorry to thread-jack, but its a bit relevant:

im looking to buy a new tv, and am interested in the MMGs for movies and music. I have never owned 'real' speakers before, and was curious what other equipment I would need to do the speakers justice? I have (class d? i dont really know what that means) speaker, nuforce icon, that i bought for electrostatic headphones. Do i need a high end receiver? Speaker cables? How much would everything cost?

thanks

 

[mlhm5]

System Audio SA-505 Speakers - $295+ shipping

 

[Drag0n]

Too bad RadioShack doesnt sell the Realistic Mach ll Speaker anymore. They were a great party speaker.

Klipsches with a sub would party out though.
Not really my fave speaker, but they will rock a house party.

Cerwin Vegas are loud also. I like more audiophile sound really, but they will rock a party.

You can get some Gemini or Gem Sound bin speakers rather cheap too.