Just seeking learned advice on which speakers you'd recommend for MUSIC for my 100-200 watt receiver. I am creating my old-style stereo system from years ago, with a turntable, CD player and cassette machine hooked up to it to play my records, etc, on. Not for TV use. Can be floor or desktop size, will be used in living room-size area. Prefer around $300 or under each speaker. Recommendations? Thank you!
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Best Speakers for Music System?
- Thread starter Oville
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Phazer Tech
Limp Gawd
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Budget option: https://www.newegg.com/klipsch-1060686/p/0S6-0033-001D7?Item=0S6-0033-001D7
Only $200 for a pair and I'm blown away by the quality. You might want something better which is understandable, but I just thought I'd throw these out there. I think you'd be hard pressed to hear the difference if you were to pay double the price for something else.
Only $200 for a pair and I'm blown away by the quality. You might want something better which is understandable, but I just thought I'd throw these out there. I think you'd be hard pressed to hear the difference if you were to pay double the price for something else.
Eshelmen
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Yup - RP-160Ms are kick ass for $200..
In an another thread, I mentioned I didn't like the color so I wrapped them in black walnut color for $6 from Amazon. Well worth it.
Put that additional $100 budget into a 10 inch sub(I found a perfectly used 10 inch Klipsch on FB marketplace for like $65) that's on sale and you've got yourself a pretty decent set up on a budget.
In an another thread, I mentioned I didn't like the color so I wrapped them in black walnut color for $6 from Amazon. Well worth it.
Put that additional $100 budget into a 10 inch sub(I found a perfectly used 10 inch Klipsch on FB marketplace for like $65) that's on sale and you've got yourself a pretty decent set up on a budget.
Mad Maxx
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That's an absolute steal of a price for the Klipsch RP-160!!
Zeos reviewed and praised the RP-150...
Zeos reviewed and praised the RP-150...
Eshelmen
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Actually surprised Newegg is still getting them. Now two models outdated, and this is the third time I've seen them in the last year(on Newegg) on a heavy sale. This is definitely the lowest I've seen.
Got mine for $249 in January (thanks to you) and couldn't be happier.
THANK YOU!!! I just ordered them, and will look into the 10" sub that Eshelmen suggested!
Eshelmen
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Share some setup pics when you get them
UnknownSouljer
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It's price and multi-factor dependent. But a VERY good option is the JBL speakers that constantly go on and off sale. Here is the thread here:
https://hardforum.com/threads/somew...-590-580-570-530-520c-550p-subwoofer.2004198/
You can choose from bookshelf to full tower. The 530's are excellent for a good loud speaker. The 530's are currently on sale, but not the best price we've seen as evidenced by the thread itself. Usually once they go half price, the thread gets bumped again.
https://hardforum.com/threads/somew...-590-580-570-530-520c-550p-subwoofer.2004198/
You can choose from bookshelf to full tower. The 530's are excellent for a good loud speaker. The 530's are currently on sale, but not the best price we've seen as evidenced by the thread itself. Usually once they go half price, the thread gets bumped again.
Zepher
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Klipsh Jubilee's sound really good, but they are a little pricey,
One piece of advice I'd see over on https://www.avsforum.com/ with regards to purchasing speakers online is to make sure you can return them.
I haven't heard the speakers you purchased, but in general, I remember reading that Klipsch tends to be brighter than most people are used to.
I heard the JBL 590s and they were good enough to have me consider ditching the sub to reclaim space.
Almost pulled the trigger when they were at half off, but ended up decided I didn't want to go with the bigger footprint.
I also wasn't a big fan of the aesthetics when seen in person.
If base is important, you'll probably want to go with floorstanders, unless you plan on including a sub.
Another option you have, if you aren't adverse to it, is to check out craigslist or even troll through goodwill/pawn shops to see if there are any speaker gems.
Not sure what your timeline is for getting the setup up and running.
If you aren't using it for a TV setup, you may want to consider just going with a dedicated amplifier, as opposed to using a receiver.
Though depending on your sources and amplifier, you may end up needing to get a pre-amp, making the setup a bit more complex, but would allow you to focus on components designed for music, as opposed to home theatre.
I haven't heard the speakers you purchased, but in general, I remember reading that Klipsch tends to be brighter than most people are used to.
I heard the JBL 590s and they were good enough to have me consider ditching the sub to reclaim space.
Almost pulled the trigger when they were at half off, but ended up decided I didn't want to go with the bigger footprint.
I also wasn't a big fan of the aesthetics when seen in person.
If base is important, you'll probably want to go with floorstanders, unless you plan on including a sub.
Another option you have, if you aren't adverse to it, is to check out craigslist or even troll through goodwill/pawn shops to see if there are any speaker gems.
Not sure what your timeline is for getting the setup up and running.
If you aren't using it for a TV setup, you may want to consider just going with a dedicated amplifier, as opposed to using a receiver.
Though depending on your sources and amplifier, you may end up needing to get a pre-amp, making the setup a bit more complex, but would allow you to focus on components designed for music, as opposed to home theatre.
Zepher
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I have these large JBL Studio S38 Bookshelf speakers in the garage and you'd swear I had a sub hidden somewhere. Paid $40 for the speakers and the Pioneer AVR about 5 years ago.
A review of them, https://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/365/index.html
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Eshelmen
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Interesting Klipsch Center piece in the middle.
How do they the two lineups blend together?
And for god sakes, tow those speakers in a bit. Probably losing a bit of sound stage.
Zepher
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They blend pretty good I would say, and I am not too worried about the sound stage as this is in my garage.
This is my seating position,
I was going to comment on your first picture that the keyboard was attached to the JBLs and you watch TV through those small speakers (Bose?)
Zepher
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lol. Keyboard is hooked up to the MacBook Pro via USB and the Bose are plugged into the MacBook.I was going to comment on your first picture that the keyboard was attached to the JBLs and you watch TV through those small speakers (Bose?)
those little Bose speakers put out a loud and full sound, very impressive for tiny computer speakers.
Interesting story about those Bose speakers. When we bought them to use on our new Matrox RT.X2 editor in 2008, they sounded really muddy and I told my boss we needed to get different speakers.
We went out and grabbed a pair of Creative T20's which sounded really good. I told him to just return the Bose.
In 2014 when he passed away, he left me the studio and when I was sorting through the stuff at my house I picked up the Creative box and it was heavy. I wondered what was in it since the Creative speakers where sitting on my table.
Opened up the box and the Bose speakers where in it. He never returned them, just stuck them in the Creative box.
I tested them again and they actually sounded really good, not muddy like they did on the Matrox system. Been using them ever since.
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Randy6309
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I’m using Bose 301 series III WITH A 80watt per channel Marantz
Those speakers are rated at 100 watts
Those speakers are rated at 100 watts
If recreating an old stereo system, why not old speakers too. $300 in the used market will blow away anything in the new. Locally there is a guy selling Kappa 6.1's for $300. Ive seen Klipsch KG3 and KG4 for under that price. Ive seen KEF 104/2 for the same price. Anything new would be a grand or more to beat any of those.
Randy6309
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I agree vintage speakers for vintage system.
**Also make sure you use same length speaker wire for both speakers**
Best is going to be really subjective... depending on so many factors (amp power and characteristics .. room size / and configuration... budget , personal preference .. your ears.
We could both be in the same room listening to the same system from the same spot (seperate times not sitting on eachother which would be "weird"??) and have a totally different opinion about if they sound "good" or not...
I personally really like and have pretty good luck finding deals on vintage gear... all the audio gear in this photo (not counting dacs / headphone amps) cost
$180 Total in speakers ($50 Yamaha NS-344 10in 3ways / $50 JBL L1s / $50 NHT Super Zeros / $20 MK SX-7 / $10 Realistic Minimus 7s
and $20 Hitach Turntable (+20~ for a new stylus) and $75 (ha my luck is STRONG) for the Sony ES Stack including TA-N77ES and TA-E77ESD and a N110 amp 730ES tuner 700ES tape deck a surround processor (not using now) and $20 for the ES CD Changer on a seperate deal. (so $135~ish for the stereo rack stuff (oh right and another $100 for the Pioneer AMP that isnt hooked up right now)
On Desk $75 for the SX-3600 and $50 for the SX450 next to it.
let's see so so about $540~ish total (in vintage gear) I guess.... can't complain honestly..
We could both be in the same room listening to the same system from the same spot (seperate times not sitting on eachother which would be "weird"??) and have a totally different opinion about if they sound "good" or not...
I personally really like and have pretty good luck finding deals on vintage gear... all the audio gear in this photo (not counting dacs / headphone amps) cost
$180 Total in speakers ($50 Yamaha NS-344 10in 3ways / $50 JBL L1s / $50 NHT Super Zeros / $20 MK SX-7 / $10 Realistic Minimus 7s
and $20 Hitach Turntable (+20~ for a new stylus) and $75 (ha my luck is STRONG) for the Sony ES Stack including TA-N77ES and TA-E77ESD and a N110 amp 730ES tuner 700ES tape deck a surround processor (not using now) and $20 for the ES CD Changer on a seperate deal. (so $135~ish for the stereo rack stuff (oh right and another $100 for the Pioneer AMP that isnt hooked up right now)
On Desk $75 for the SX-3600 and $50 for the SX450 next to it.
let's see so so about $540~ish total (in vintage gear) I guess.... can't complain honestly..
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Zepher
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So envious of that ES stack. I wanted one back in the day but couldn't afford it and when they came down in price I wasn't really interested in home audio as much.
I always wanted something like this,
I ended up with a hodge podge of stuff, lol
When I downsized, I ended up with this really cool Sony Matrix Switcher I bought from a friend for $100.
Sold the switcher a few years later for $600.
Image from Google,
Randy6309
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Mad Maxx
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I dug through several folders of pics to try to find my most vintage-y of audio gear. Turns out this old Fisher integrated amp + a pair of Energy bookshelf speakers was my first non-PC speaker audio setup for my Asus V6V laptop. Think I paid about $60 for the amp on eBay. That was my first fateful step into the world of computer audio back in 2005.
Eshelmen
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Don't have either the speakers or the amp anymore?
Eshelmen
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I like your old set up.
Left speaker is like a quarter sized of your right speaker - lol - what am I missing here.
Mad Maxx
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Nope, the amp died after about 6 months and I gave away the speakers.
Zepher
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I think the small one on the left was just sitting there, not hooked up. I think that was a JBL satellite from a 3 piece setup I was given.
I can't remember exactly what I had for speakers back then, but I did have a really nice Electrohome ECP-4500b CRT Data Projector.
