School me on speakers please :D

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ManyCowsMoo

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 3, 2005
Messages
348
Hey guys, so my birthday is coming up on Jan 19 and I want to buy myself a decent set of speakers. Right now I'm rockin' on logitech x-640 5.1 computer speakers. I wanna' upgrade to some bookshelf speakers and a standalone subwoofer. However, I've never used a non-prepackaged speaker set so I don't know if I need anything aside from the actual speakers and the subwoofer.

So my questions are: What can I get for about 200$ total? I'd like a decent set of bookshelf speakers, just stereo is fine, 5.1 would be nice but not necessary, and a cheap subwoofer. Bass gives me a headache so cheaping out on the subwoofer is cool. Do I need an amp or something to hook it up to my computer? My room is pretty big so space isn't an issue.

Thanks for the help :)
 
ManyCowsMoo said:
Hey guys, so my birthday is coming up on Jan 19 and I want to buy myself a decent set of speakers. Right now I'm rockin' on logitech x-640 5.1 computer speakers. I wanna' upgrade to some bookshelf speakers and a standalone subwoofer. However, I've never used a non-prepackaged speaker set so I don't know if I need anything aside from the actual speakers and the subwoofer.

So my questions are: What can I get for about 200$ total? I'd like a decent set of bookshelf speakers, just stereo is fine, 5.1 would be nice but not necessary, and a cheap subwoofer. Bass gives me a headache so cheaping out on the subwoofer is cool. Do I need an amp or something to hook it up to my computer? My room is pretty big so space isn't an issue.

Thanks for the help :)
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I think a cheap woofer is a horrible idea. If bass gives you a headache, a cheap woofer is going to give you migraines.
 
$200 isnt going to get you much unless you go second hand.
Even then, thats a small budget.

Forget the sub for now and get some larger speakers (second hand of course!).
Get a sub later if you think the bass isnt enough and when you have more cash.

I got a used REL Strata II sub for £200 ($400 ish) a few years ago. they were around 3x that price new. Now thats what I call a bargain.You dont need to spent that much on a sub but you get the idea that $200 isnt going to get you much unless you are very lucky.
 
I wouldn't go that far saying you cannot get decent speakers for $200.
Parts-Express still has Dayton HTS-1200B and Dayton SUB-100 on sale, less than $200 for both. That's pretty decent system, but you'll need a AV receiver for additional $150-200.
 
Polk R50's ($50 from Fry's last I checked) would make it fairly possible. I'd check garage sales and eBay for a cheap reciever if you want any hope of staying around $200. The best bet for a cheap sub is the Dayton 10in ($100), but if you get it at the same time it will make getting a reciever difficult. You might be better off getting the R50's and reciever now, then getting a sub down the road if you feel it is necessary.
 
Hmm, I guess I can live without a sub... unless maybe there's someway to use the sub that came with my logitech x-640s? The Polk R50s sound like a good deal; what's a good receiver to go along with them so that it all adds up to about 200-250?
 
ManyCowsMoo said:
Hmm, I guess I can live without a sub... unless maybe there's someway to use the sub that came with my logitech x-640s? The Polk R50s sound like a good deal; what's a good receiver to go along with them so that it all adds up to about 200-250?
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You would have to use the subwoofer out on your reciever....and disconnect the bookshelves, though you might get crossover overlap (i dunno if you can fix this on your reciever)

Go demo'ing.....though i would look around into Harmon Kardon, pioneer (not that great IMO), and maybe Yammaha
 
I picked up a Harmon Kardon AVR 146 for $250 off Amazon, and I know H/K sells refurbed ones directly for $200. I bought it mostly because my parents are getting a HDTV for christmas, so I figured I'd switch with them so they get HDMI switching and a newer format.

The ten minutes I had it hooked up to assure it worked sounded phenominal, especially for un-burnt-in speakers with no rubber feet or proper positioning (not to mention FM radio being the source).

It's worth a look and think. I know Onkyo has some cheap refurb models as well, might look there as well.
 
Check you local Craigslist and Audiogon periodically and you can find some good deals. I saw a pair of B&W Series 80 Matrix go for $200 locally ($800 on Audiogon, ~$4,000 back in the 80's) and they are damn good speakers for $200 and you wouldn't need a sub. So good deals are out there, you just have to be looking at the right time.
 
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