[xluben]

http://buyriteelectronics.com/Mercha...ode=_RECEIVERS

http://www.fluance.com/fluanceavhtb.html

What do you think?

Is there something better that costs the same or less?

 

[LFF]

I highly suggest you save your money and buy something better. I would suggest going for something that is at least THX select certified and getting some better speakers like some old JBL's (like the L100's) on ebay. Trust me on this - be patient and don't rush in.

You can get all this under $1,000.00 if you shop wisely.

 

[xluben]

Well, that's just not an option. I don't even know if spending $450 on a new speaker setup will happen anytime soon. In my current place I don't even have space, so this wouldn't even be used until next fall. As for the cost, I definitely won't be spending MORE than this. I may end up having to stick with my HTIB (Panasonic SCH-HT75 and my super cheap RCA 200 watt 12" sub).

 

[mulveling]

If I were on that budget - I would save until I could afford something better. However, if I had to buy on that budget I would absolutely drop the notion of buying surround sound. It's just not needed, especially at that level. $200 might get a decent used pair on audiogon. For the $150 I would look into a used vintage receiver (Marantz?).

If you really gotta have surround, stick with your Panny HTiB - at least it's probably small, not visually hideous, and easily moved around.

 

[xluben]

OK, maybe I'll try to find a pair of towers.

 

[Sunshines]

I'm sure if you just checked out some of your local thrift stores you could save some money on the receiver, put more towards the speakers. My favorite local one has a new one everytime i head in, and i'm always tempted to get them

no more then $20...just saw an onkyo amp there that i need to head over and pick up also

 

[ilikemonkeys]

Hey guys, Are Fluance really that bad? THey seem to use trusted cabinet design. Not that I'd buy them, but from the website, they seems to be made well with decent material for the price.....or are they just crappy all around?

just curious.

 

[Aman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilikemonkeys Hey guys, Are Fluance really that bad? THey seem to use trusted cabinet design. Not that I'd buy them, but from the website, they seems to be made well with decent material for the price.....or are they just crappy all around? just curious.

In my experiences, they are pretty much crappy all-around. People think they like the way that the cabinets look until they see them in their own eyes. Fluance also really doesn't reproduce the most beautiful sound ever heard either. Even for the price, I'm sure you could get a better speaker from the likes of Klipsch, Polk, or other budget brands.

 

[Aman]

Quote:

so this wouldn't even be used until next fall.

Another reason to wait. Why buy terrible speakers now, when you can get REAL ones for when you actually need them??

 

[ChaosCow]

My recommendation:

Forget surround sound for now. It's not worth it - I mean, if you really wanted it that badly, you'd be better off with a good set of PC speakers.


BUT, if you want some really good sound, get a Sonic Impact T-Amp and Wharfedale Diamond 8.3s. I have it, and it is the most amazing setup I could ever conceive of; it is UNDER $250!

ANY budget system should incorporate the T-amp, because the value is so fantastic. Just look at reviews for each of these products. The Diamond 9 series is still really expensive, not worth the added cost.

Trust me. Get these, and you won't even worry about upgrading, except for maybe a sub.


Edit: Whoa, this is crazy. I own that exact amp, the STR-DE595. It's not very good. I wouldn't recommend it. I got it for $150 on eBay two years ago, and I kind of regret it. Just a warning.

 

[XxATOLxX]

I recommend either a Denon or Yamaha receiver. I've been pretty happy with the results they had. Your front and center speakers HAVE to match, otherwise, the different sound signatures would mix with each other and it would sound like crap. For the rear surrounds, you can skimp out on to save money since it does the least out of all the other channels. For a low budget home theater, I like JBL and Polk speakers. I personally don't like the sound of the Klipsch horns, they "sparkle" the midrange and its just weird.

I would save up if I were you also.

 

[xluben]

$25 for that reciever sounds pretty tempting, except for the missing remote and dent.

To everyone telling me to wait, and spend more money, this is just not an option at all. I don't even want to spend $450 on a new speaker set-up, so why would I want to spend more? I am in college and I have no job, so obviously speakers are not the number one thing I want to spend my money on. I am taking summer classes, so I don't even know if I'll be making much money this summer. Next fall I will be moving into a new apartment and I'd like to have a nice setup for the living room (to go along with a large TV, to be purchased someday).

Also, I would like to have surround sound (this would probably be used more for watching movies than for music) and I would like to have a usable setup without a sub (so Klipsch, Polk, bookshelf speakers will not work).

I have seen the T-Amp online before, and it looks interesting, but how is it supposed to power full-size tower speakers with only 15 watts? And it will only work for stereo sound, correct?

 

[ChaosCow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xluben I have seen the T-Amp online before, and it looks interesting, but how is it supposed to power full-size tower speakers with only 15 watts? And it will only work for stereo sound, correct?

Yeah, that's the rub. Regardless of the statistics, though, my Wharfedales can get PLENTY loud - I listen at about 8 o'clock (on the dial), generally, some recordings going up to 9 o'clock; this is impressive because the starting position is about 7 o'clock. The Athena floorstanders are extremely efficient, as well, and are actually probably the preferred choice for the T-Amp; I don't own them, so I can't say they're as good as the 8.3s, but they're supposed to work stupendously, as well.

As is, though, I really don't recommend buying a crappy amp, as it really hurts. The Diamond 8.3s have won a ton of awards saying they're worth 5x their cost, and the T-Amp has sites like 6Moons screaming with joy, claiming it's worth 100x what it costs. If you combine this with a decent budget source like the Onix CD-88, you'll have a VERY good setup that sounds very above its actual cost.

There ARE great values in loudspeakers, and these are they. The T-Amp is the KSC-35 of the speaker amp world, and they're almost a required purchase at this point, if you can make them fit your purchase at all.


That's my input, anyways.

 

[xluben]

The T-Amp looks interesting, but I can't seem to find any towers that I like that are considerably cheaper than the Fluance's. Athena floorstanders seem to be about $200 each plus shipping and the cheapest I could find the Diamond 8.3's was at Buy.com for ~$290 for a pair (includiing shipping), but they are sold out.

I think I'll just try to find that Sony reciever for cheap on eBay and then get the 5.0 Fluance set for $199 plus shipping, unless someone can point me to a decent pair of floorstanders that could be powered by the T-Amp, and cost significantly less than $200 (I'd much rather have surround sound unless stereo can be had MUCH cheaper). The T-Amp seems to be a good first step towards a cheaper stereo set-up, but I don't see any floorstanders at a price that can even tempt me.

 

[Jahn]

i would totally grab this instead!Marantz 2230B!