Help me spend $1000 on speakers

E

Epyon

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Oct 25, 2001
Messages
1,198
I don't know shit about audio. I have been running the audio via the built in tv speakers from a 65 inch tv that was made in 2017 (useing it as a PC monitor.) I know I know.

I work offshore so i have money now. The TV will be upgraded to a LG Oled 42inch. I was going to get a sound bar but after searching these forums people said they were ass. Can you guys post some links to speakers and a sub that i should buy? I have no clue about audio and the internet is slow out here. I will be playing games and watching some movies.
 
Anything that is 2 speaker only and a sub? I could do the $1800 those look nice
 
I use them in my living room and not on PC, but I like my SVS Prime Wireless Pros and SB2000 sub if your budget is $1800 or so.

https://www.svsound.com/products/prime-wireless-pro-powered-speakers
https://www.svsound.com/products/sb-2000-pro

Can go more or less expensive on the sub choice depending on your taste. I haven't needed them but they get raves for their support if you want to call them for recommendation or help. Free shipping, 45 day trial, and free return if you don't like them. If you get piano gloss make sure to put a pad under them to keep finish like new if you might return them.
 
Epyon said:
I could do the $1800 those look nice
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Well the Logitech Z-5500 had an MSRP of $400. It's a long-discontinued model, which is probably why they have quad-digit prices now. I myself have been using a Logitech Z-5300e system since around 2006. I paid about $135 for it (and had just missed a sale where it was $30 cheaper when I got it), but these days it too is a long-discontinued model with prices north of $1500. eBay prices I've seen for used ones are mostly in the $100-$200 range. Same for the Z-5500.
 
DrezKill said:
Well the Logitech Z-5500 had an MSRP of $400. It's a long-discontinued model, which is probably why they have quad-digit prices now. I myself have been using a Logitech Z-5300e system since around 2006. I paid about $135 for it (and had just missed a sale where it was $30 cheaper when I got it), but these days it too is a long-discontinued model with prices north of $1500. eBay prices I've seen for used ones are mostly in the $100-$200 range. Same for the Z-5500.
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Well those are out then. If no one else has any recommendations by Monday then I can buy those Svd combo but with a less powerful sub I don’t need to hear my shit outside the house lol
 
DrezKill said:
Well the Logitech Z-5500 had an MSRP of $400. It's a long-discontinued model, which is probably why they have quad-digit prices now. I myself have been using a Logitech Z-5300e system since around 2006. I paid about $135 for it (and had just missed a sale where it was $30 cheaper when I got it), but these days it too is a long-discontinued model with prices north of $1500. eBay prices I've seen for used ones are mostly in the $100-$200 range. Same for the Z-5500.
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Someone was crazy enough to sll a z5500 a few weeks ago for 100 we all said he was nuts he didn't care a few of us almost bought a second set as a backup if you see one out in the wild grab it they are amazing.
 
Kanto speakers definitely are worth a look for your budget. Something like their YU6 or TUK + SUB8 would make a killer PC audio system.
 
The tuk looks nice. The svs has hdmi e arc but I don’t need the Wi-Fi part. Damn what to do
 
UnknownSouljer said:
JBL 580's are going for $300 a piece right now.
https://hardforum.com/threads/somew...-590-580-570-530-520c-550p-subwoofer.2004198/

I'd buy two of those, and a center channel (520c). And also of course a receiver to drive it all. Call it a day.
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It's all preference but I think unless you have a particularly large room, I'd definitely skip the center channel (which is typically unnecessary in a stereo setup). You'd be much better off getting the discounted subwoofer (currently going for $180). Then grab the cheapest receiver with the features required from www.accessories4less.com.
xDiVolatilX said:
for pc i recommend the logitech z5500. i love it and will never replace it. if you can get a set that is.
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These are old speakers that MSRP'd ~$400. They were popular because they were promoted in gaming magazines to teenagers. Similar to all gear marketed towards "gamers", they were only popular within the bubble they were promoted in. But if you stepped outside that bubble into the HiFi bubble, you'd see the speakers aren't that great (Logitech speakers are ubiqitously junk if you ask me). The Energy Classic Take-5 would be an example of the Hi-Fi alternative which was superior in value and sound quality. It would be like if you compared the sound quality of $200 gaming headphones to $200 Sennheisers or Grado's.
 
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t1337duder said:
It's all preference but I think unless you have a particularly large room, I'd definitely skip the center channel (which is typically unnecessary in a stereo setup). You'd be much better off getting the discounted subwoofer (currently going for $180). Then grab the cheapest receiver with the features required from www.accessories4less.com.
Click to expand...
Disagree highly. If your purpose is to build a theater setup, center channel is arguably the most important channel for much if not all of the dialog. I would say that central channel is more important than surrounds and more important than a sub.

Thought I perhaps missed the prompt. If this is just supposed to be for a desktop computer, then I would probably skip both. I wouldn't even buy 580s in that case as they actually require space and a reasonable distance between you and the speakers.. I'd wait for the 530s to go on sale and buy those, and skip center and the sub.

Anyway, for PC use that isn't intended to watch any videos, stereo is fine.

If you're building a home theater setups 3.0 > 2.1
 
UnknownSouljer said:
Disagree highly. If your purpose is to build a theater setup, center channel is arguably the most important channel for much if not all of the dialog. I would say that central channel is more important than surrounds and more important than a sub.

Thought I perhaps missed the prompt. If this is just supposed to be for a desktop computer, then I would probably skip both. I wouldn't even buy 580s in that case as they actually require space and a reasonable distance between you and the speakers.. I'd wait for the 530s to go on sale and buy those, and skip center and the sub.
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op isnt building a home theatre


Epyon said:
speakers and a sub
Click to expand...
Epyon said:
2 speaker only and a sub
Click to expand...
 
I make $440 per day working 6 weeks on 3 weeks off. Looking for something nice. But yes computer only as I do everything on it
 
what would you get? Tuk or svs? That’s what I am eye balling at the moment on the speakers
 
UnknownSouljer said:
Disagree highly. If your purpose is to build a theater setup, center channel is arguably the most important channel for much if not all of the dialog. I would say that central channel is more important than surrounds and more important than a sub.
Click to expand...
For large home theater setups, yes. For surround setups consisting of small satellites - sure. For the typical bedroom or medium-size living room setup and appropriately sized speakers - no. Larger stereo speakers (big bookshelves and floorstanders) produce something called a "phantom center". The dialogue still comes from the center because that's how the imaging of stereo speakers works. In this circumstance the center channel offers highly diminished returns. In the A/B tests I did with my family's living room setup, they preferred the sound of the towers handling the center and I've removed it to save space. Also solves the typical issue of awkward center placement (unless you have a large home theater setup). This isn't uncommon in HT setups (or at least on the AVSForum). Irrefutably you'll get much better sound from $1000 spent on a pair of speakers opposed to $1000 spent on three separate speakers. There's no good reason to make that trade-off unless you need to.

As for priority of each channel - surrounds give a 3D sense of space, subwoofer lets you really feel the sound (very important in HT), where having a center at most expands the front soundstage (which is more often than not adequately handled by the front speakers).
Epyon said:
what would you get? Tuk or svs? That’s what I am eye balling at the moment on the speakers
Click to expand...
I'm not sure how large your desk is, but it's important to note that distinction between active and passive speaker systems. The previously linked SVS Prime Wireless and Kanto Tuk speakers are active, which means they have a built-in amplifier and DAC. They're more simple to use and take up less space on your desk, which is important for a lot of people. But if you wanted room to upgrade your setup to a 5.1 or 7.1 setup in the future, you would be unable to do that, because active speakers don't hook up to a receiver which allows for surround sound.

Really depends on what you want from your setup. If you just want to buy a pair of speakers and be done with it - any of the options listed would be a good option. If you have a lot of space want the ability to expand and upgrade your setup in the future, you would want passive stereo speakers and receiver to begin with. Then, depending on how much space you have and how much volume you're looking for, you can consider getting a subwoofer, center, or surround channels.

Passive speakers usually offer better value (they sound better versus similar priced active speakers), have more flexibility, but takes up more space. If that sounds like too much and you want to just buy a pair of speakers and be done, I'd just grab a pair of active bookshelf speakers. And if you are looking for that extra volume and "umph", you definitely want a subwoofer as well. Really though, what speakers to recommend really depends on your needs, how much space you have, how much volume you can get away with, and what the long-term intentions are for the setup.
 
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Thanks. I am looking for something fast as my time is limited when I’m on land and I want to enjoy something now.

It looks like I might run the svs speaker and sub combo for 2K the extra $100 seems worth it over the tuk and I get Wi-Fi and hdmi ark connection.

Can you tell me if this item is bull shit? Or if you can recommend something else

https://www.amazon.com/IsoAcoustics...4ff928081b042d936fc6ed5f60cca0&language=en_US
 
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Epyon said:
Thanks. I am looking for something fast as my time is limited when I’m on land and I want to enjoy something now.

It looks like I might run the svs speaker and sub combo for 2K the extra $100 seems worth it over the tuk and I get Wi-Fi and hdmi ark connection.

Can you tell me if this item is bull shit? Or if you can recommend something else

https://www.amazon.com/IsoAcoustics...4ff928081b042d936fc6ed5f60cca0&language=en_US
Click to expand...
I used those IsoAcoustics stands when I had my KEF LS50 Meta speakers. They're very high quality, but I returned them and went with a pair of K&M Stands. I prefer the K&M because they raised my speakers to ear level and freed up desktop space.
 
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Epyon said:
Thanks. I am looking for something fast as my time is limited when I’m on land and I want to enjoy something now.

It looks like I might run the svs speaker and sub combo for 2K the extra $100 seems worth it over the tuk and I get Wi-Fi and hdmi ark connection.

Can you tell me if this item is bull shit? Or if you can recommend something else

https://www.amazon.com/IsoAcoustics...4ff928081b042d936fc6ed5f60cca0&language=en_US
Click to expand...
I have a pair of them. I bought them mainly to get the speakers up to the height of the bottom of the monitor.
they actually do fix the bass by isolating the speaker from the table surface so that was a nice benefit as well.
I paid $100 for the ones I am using from a local Guitar Center store.
these are the ones I bought, https://www.amazon.com/IsoAcoustics-ISO-155-Isolation-Stands-Monitors/dp/B07D3TMSJ4
IMG_3530.JPEG


this is when I first got them in June of 2015,
IMG_4722.JPG
 
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FSCDiablo said:
I use them in my living room and not on PC, but I like my SVS Prime Wireless Pros and SB2000 sub if your budget is $1800 or so.

https://www.svsound.com/products/prime-wireless-pro-powered-speakers
https://www.svsound.com/products/sb-2000-pro

Can go more or less expensive on the sub choice depending on your taste. I haven't needed them but they get raves for their support if you want to call them for recommendation or help. Free shipping, 45 day trial, and free return if you don't like them. If you get piano gloss make sure to put a pad under them to keep finish like new if you might return them.
Click to expand...
I can vouch for the SVS SB 2000 pro it will knock you on your ass in a small room, very accurate bass. Mine does 18 hz at 100 dB.
 
I have had a really amazing experience with Swans brand. I purchased a set of their speakers going on 13 years ago off Amazon, had a problem with them 8 years later, they sent me a brand new set. Had a problem with the remote on the replacement set last year, and they said they didn't have any remotes, so they sent me a brand new set. All from a set of speakers that I bought 13 years ago. Their customer service is truly incredible. I enjoy the speakers quite a bit and given the experience I've had with the brand, I don't see any reason to bother considering another brand for a future purchase.

This is the set I have.
 
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izzypizzy said:
I have had a really amazing experience with Swans brand. I purchased a set of their speakers going on 13 years ago off Amazon, had a problem with them 8 years later, they sent me a brand new set. Had a problem with the remote on the replacement set last year, and they said they didn't have any remotes, so they sent me a brand new set. All from a set of speakers that I bought 13 years ago. Their customer service is truly incredible. I enjoy the speakers quite a bit and given the experience I've had with the brand, I don't see any reason to bother considering another brand for a future purchase.

This is the set I have.
Click to expand...
That's some seriously kick ass customer service! I've been looking at the Swan D300 for my TV's audio. Sounds like you're in good hands with Swan.
 
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drutman said:
I can vouch for the SVS SB 2000 pro it will knock you on your ass in a small room, very accurate bass. Mine does 18 hz at 100 dB.
Click to expand...
I agree 110%.

And don't think it won't hold its own in larger areas as well. I have 2 in my living room that is all open to the kitchen and dining area with vaulted ceilings in that whole open 35'x18' area.
 
t1337duder said:
For large home theater setups, yes. For surround setups consisting of small satellites - sure. For the typical bedroom or medium-size living room setup and appropriately sized speakers - no. Larger stereo speakers (big bookshelves and floorstanders) produce something called a "phantom center". The dialogue still comes from the center because that's how the imaging of stereo speakers works. In this circumstance the center channel offers highly diminished returns. In the A/B tests I did with my family's living room setup, they preferred the sound of the towers handling the center and I've removed it to save space. Also solves the typical issue of awkward center placement (unless you have a large home theater setup). This isn't uncommon in HT setups (or at least on the AVSForum). Irrefutably you'll get much better sound from $1000 spent on a pair of speakers opposed to $1000 spent on three separate speakers. There's no good reason to make that trade-off unless you need to.

As for priority of each channel - surrounds give a 3D sense of space, subwoofer lets you really feel the sound (very important in HT), where having a center at most expands the front soundstage (which is more often than not adequately handled by the front speakers).

I'm not sure how large your desk is, but it's important to note that distinction between active and passive speaker systems. The previously linked SVS Prime Wireless and Kanto Tuk speakers are active, which means they have a built-in amplifier and DAC. They're more simple to use and take up less space on your desk, which is important for a lot of people. But if you wanted room to upgrade your setup to a 5.1 or 7.1 setup in the future, you would be unable to do that, because active speakers don't hook up to a receiver which allows for surround sound.

Really depends on what you want from your setup. If you just want to buy a pair of speakers and be done with it - any of the options listed would be a good option. If you have a lot of space want the ability to expand and upgrade your setup in the future, you would want passive stereo speakers and receiver to begin with. Then, depending on how much space you have and how much volume you're looking for, you can consider getting a subwoofer, center, or surround channels.

Passive speakers usually offer better value (they sound better versus similar priced active speakers), have more flexibility, but takes up more space. If that sounds like too much and you want to just buy a pair of speakers and be done, I'd just grab a pair of active bookshelf speakers. And if you are looking for that extra volume and "umph", you definitely want a subwoofer as well. Really though, what speakers to recommend really depends on your needs, how much space you have, how much volume you can get away with, and what the long-term intentions are for the setup.
Click to expand...
You can get beastly centers, mine from rbh is the same depth and width as the towers and is the same except for the largest woofers in the towers.
 

BIC Venturi DV62si for 275 a pair​

BIC Formula Wireless 475-Watt 12” F-12 Front-Firing Subwoofer $678​

or​

Acoustech PL-200II – 1000W for $649​


That puts you right in that area of a Grand. If this is for a PC setup... If it's for a Home Theater, I would still seriously consider the BIC speakers. They have several options.
https://www.bicamerica.com/
 
FSCDiablo said:
I use them in my living room and not on PC, but I like my SVS Prime Wireless Pros and SB2000 sub if your budget is $1800 or so.

https://www.svsound.com/products/prime-wireless-pro-powered-speakers
https://www.svsound.com/products/sb-2000-pro

Can go more or less expensive on the sub choice depending on your taste. I haven't needed them but they get raves for their support if you want to call them for recommendation or help. Free shipping, 45 day trial, and free return if you don't like them. If you get piano gloss make sure to put a pad under them to keep finish like new if you might return them.
Click to expand...
DUDE

This is what i went with and i must say when I load up my paid porn videos the SVS speakers and Sub 2000 Pro. I am hearing sounds i never heard before...Oh and it works great for my TV shows.
 
Right on, hope they work out for you. Took me a little bit to dial in the sub but once done the setup sounds great.
 
Legendary Gamer said:
If this is for a PC setup... If it's for a Home Theater, I would still seriously consider the BIC speakers. They have several options.
Click to expand...

A Consumer Reports write-up led me to BIC America bookshelf speakers in 1992. I'm still using them. Never wanted more or found them lacking. The V52s I picked up in the 90s ($65 each) are still running great and run the 3.1.2 rig in the study. I have the newer DV62s in the main 5.1.2 rig in the living room. (haven't tried their subwoofers- which are reportedly also good)

Very happy with BIC Amercia, and I've heard Klipsch, JBL and Polk bookshelf equivalents. The fact that they're relatively inexpensive is just icing on the cake.
 
Saturn_V said:
A Consumer Reports write-up led me to BIC America bookshelf speakers in 1992. I'm still using them. Never wanted more or found them lacking. The V52s I picked up in the 90s ($65 each) are still running great and run the 3.1.2 rig in the study. I have the newer DV62s in the main 5.1.2 rig in the living room. (haven't tried their subwoofers- which are reportedly also good)

Very happy with BIC Amercia, and I've heard Klipsch, JBL and Polk bookshelf equivalents. The fact that they're relatively inexpensive is just icing on the cake.
Click to expand...
Agreed, I wish I had found them much earlier. I had gone through at least a half dozen speakers before finding the right fit for my home theater and my den. BIC seems to hit the mark for performance and price is just amazing on them for their performance.

I have a PL-28II Center that just destroys everything out there for performance with it's Dual 8" Drivers and Horn. I have a DV32 Center in my den for my PC rig that has simply been amazing over the years and the crown jewels of my main Audio Setup are

BIC America RTR-EV15​

https://www.amazon.com/BIC-RTR-EV15-Eviction-Bi-Ampable-High-Efficiency/dp/B003H3L76I

I picked up these absolute monsters when they only cost 200 a speaker and they completely blow anything I have ever had away. Have em as my mains in my home theater and I don't think I can even run Atmos speakers and hear them over these bad boys. I'm just going to run those extra channels into them as bi Amps.

Very happy with the BIC America speakers. If I had the money I would replace everything I had with them.
 
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Edifier is not a good decission, also the pc crap.
The SVScombi is not that bad especially if u like the aggressive tweeter ( idont like) Combine it with a DSP and u will have something for life.
 
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