• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

First time Speaker buyer...

G

Greatone123

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
May 10, 2006
Messages
1,293
Hello all, for the first time outside of the all in 1 DVD player and speaker combo things... I'm getting a chance to setup a small surround sound to my HTPC that is in my living room (new house)

The living room isn't huge so I don't need much, and they have to be able to go on the wall. I've got a Pioneer receiver, 7.1 channel but I'm only going to do 5.1.

I was looking around a bit and saw a couple things that looked nice...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882269004

those are on sale, if it's a good deal I'd like to jump in it before the sale ends.. so fast responce would be nice on that one...

would it be a good deal or should I say save up extra for a set of those TSAT-1000SB I saw at TSC. 4 x 1000's and 1 x 2000 for center...


I want it to sound nice, but I can't really spend a lot since it's a new house = bills

I am willing to get into something nice low budget and work my way up over time tho
 
Last edited:
The Energy system is actually quite a good system, especially for $200 shipped. But remember you're going to have to buy stands for the fronts and that costs $$$ as well.

Note everything in this post is MY OPINION, and is not FACT. Everybody will have different priorities and preferences.

In my experience for MOVIES and general TV with Dolby Digital 5.1 or 7.1. The Center channel and the subwoofer are the most important speakers. Sounds rarely come out of the front lefts and rights (commercials tend to use them a lot more and make them SO much more annoying because it makes them even louder than the source material.) And the sounds that come out the surrounds tend to be whooshes and other assorted non critical information that just adds to the ambiance.

For MUSIC which is mostly still two channel, the fronts are more important. For surround encoded music, equally adept 5 channel speakers usually are a preferred.

So for a budget system, if I had to start from scratch with a limited budget, and for long term cost, I'd start out with a good pair of fronts with no center channel (run the home theater receiver with phantom center mode) and a nice subwoofer... but that should run ~$700-$1000 for a reasonably good mid-fi set that won't need replacing till you move up to audiophile levels. www.thespeakercompany.com seems to have some really nice mid level speakers at very reasonable prices plus a 30-day free trial that includes shipping (which is great for a mail order place because the only proper way to audition speakers is in your own living room.) Going with speakers on their site, I'd go for a pair of floor standing fronts (TST-2) and their T300 subwoofer (average living rooms need the largest subwoofer you can afford) and that would set you back approx. $830 but would be quite sufficient for many years and can take additions as you get more money without having to junk any speakers. This setup would be very acceptable for both Movies and Music. Check out www.audioholics.com for a review of all of these speakers (they're one of the few audio sites that try to be a bit more objective with their reviews and use measurements AND listening sessions as well as price to draw conclusions.) HSU research also has some nice subs with okay front speakers. But you'll be hard pressed to find *any* front speakers for $450 a pair including shipping that rival the TST-2's. The only problem with these speakers is that they are quite large and the spousal acceptance factor may be a problem. Note that thespeakercompany is owned by the same company that owns Denon, so isn't just your average no-name internet site. I don't have any affiliation with them, but am quite impressed by their quality to value ratio and I trust the reviews at audioholics.

Edit: Actually TST-2's would probably have enough low end range to satisfy you till you can afford a nice sub, probably goes low enough to rival most $200 subs, so maybe just a set of TST-2's for $450 would be the "wisest" starting point.

Edit2: Links to audioholics reviews:
TST2 Mains - http://audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/tsc-tst2
T300 Subwoofer - http://audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/subwoofers/tSc-t300


With the Energy system you'd have to chuck speakers as you upgrade... (or use them in your bedroom as nice computer speakers with a receiver.)

But if you can't swing $900, it would be okay to go with the Energy's to *have* some speakers while you save up for a nice subwoofer and mains. Because the Energy's will be *much* better than TV speakers and much better than most any other system you can purchase at that price. Plus with newegg's deal with the Klipsch 10" subwoofer, it looks like it'll be a hard combo to beat "sound quality for price" wise for $424.
 
Last edited:
If you budget is limited and you already have the receiver, maybe you should consider spending a little more money on your front channels now and then buy the other channel speakers and subwoofer later. That way you can build on what you have as your cashflow improves rather than ultimately buying two sets of speakers.

Also, like anyone on a limited budget, you should consider buying used gear. $200 and some research could go a long way on craigslist.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top