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sub $150 speakers

G

~GigahurtZ

Weaksauce
Joined
May 23, 2010
Messages
100
Could anyone recommend me a good pair of speakers for under $150? I'd like a subwoofer, but that's not necessary if the speakers have great bass as it is. Looking for something stylish, but performance is definitely the higher priority. Something good for gaming and Techno, classical, and light rock music. What's out there?
 
You can try and find some Beta 20's via eBay. They are unbeatable for sub 200 price range for the set. A year or so ago they were going for $50 each shipper or so.
 
Unless you just need noise stay away from the Sherwood & MTX combo, your TV probably sounds better.

I picked up a few of those Sherwood models from CC for $50 ea before the stores went under, the worst sounding receiver i ever heard, you get what you pay for and those MTX are not any better.

Find yourself a set of the Klipsch 2.1's, in that price range they are tough to beat.
 
Ah. I never even considered combining reputable speaker brands with a good receiver. I'll give it some research though.
 
~GigahurtZ said:
Ah. I never even considered combining reputable speaker brands with a good receiver. I'll give it some research though.
Click to expand...

It's great to do because it is very versatile. I have my pc hooked up to my reciever and my hdtv and bluray. I'm not limited to just my pc, and you can always upgrade speakers later on and if your reciever supports 5.1 you can add more later on if you want to go 5.1 surround.
 
I'm using my computer with the surround sound connected to my PS3 at the moment. My motherboard claims to support "True Blu-ray Audio", and I assumed that meant at least 5.1. However, I could never get my movies or games to output anything but 2.1 with them. If I went the way of a 5.1 system for my PC alone, I would most likely have to upgrade to a dedicated sound card, right? (My motherboard is the MSI P55-GD65)
 
No, you would not need or benefit much from a dedicated sound card.
Use the optical/digital signal from your motherboard to an optical/digital input on a receiver.
 
jason str said:
Unless you just need noise stay away from the Sherwood & MTX combo, your TV probably sounds better.

I picked up a few of those Sherwood models from CC for $50 ea before the stores went under, the worst sounding receiver i ever heard, you get what you pay for and those MTX are not any better.

Find yourself a set of the Klipsch 2.1's, in that price range they are tough to beat.
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I've used that as a budget setup in the past, its definitely not an audiophile setup, but the fact of the matter is that this is a budget set of speakers. The problem i have with the klipsch's myself is the fact they are ~3" fullranges, which have pretty poor highs, compared to something like the MTX 5i's/Polk 30's where you get a true tweeter and then a 5.25" mid/bass woofer, as well as a decent enclosure which will beat pretty much any computer 2.1 speaker system on the market.

As far as the receiver, again, its not an audiophile unit, its an $80 unit that will provide decent enough sound for the price. If the OP wanted the excellent quality that comes with an onkyo or denon unit, they would not have wanted to spend a max of $150 on speakers, at this price point, its very hard to beat this combo.
 
bomberboysk said:
I've used that as a budget setup in the past, its definitely not an audiophile setup, but the fact of the matter is that this is a budget set of speakers. The problem i have with the klipsch's myself is the fact they are ~3" fullranges, which have pretty poor highs, compared to something like the MTX 5i's/Polk 30's where you get a true tweeter and then a 5.25" mid/bass woofer, as well as a decent enclosure which will beat pretty much any computer 2.1 speaker system on the market.

As far as the receiver, again, its not an audiophile unit, its an $80 unit that will provide decent enough sound for the price. If the OP wanted the excellent quality that comes with an onkyo or denon unit, they would not have wanted to spend a max of $150 on speakers, at this price point, its very hard to beat this combo.
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Klipsch Pro Media is not a full range speaker, it has a tweeter, woofer & subwoofer.

I disagree i think you would be wasting your hard earned $$$ on something that the average T.V. sounds like.
 
jason str said:
Klipsch Pro Media is not a full range speaker, it has a tweeter, woofer & subwoofer.

I disagree i think you would be wasting your hard earned $$$ on something that the average T.V. sounds like.
Click to expand...

The Klipsch set really is pretty hard to beat.

And yeah, they do have dedicated tweeters; their trademark "horn" design. They really do sound great for what you pay. Even better if you get some refurb/B stock from their website. 99$ and I couldn't find the difference between new with mine.
 
jason str said:
Klipsch Pro Media is not a full range speaker, it has a tweeter, woofer & subwoofer.

I disagree i think you would be wasting your hard earned $$$ on something that the average T.V. sounds like.
Click to expand...
An average T.V. Uses cheap 5-10W fullrange speakers, and yes, i was mistaken on the Klipsch speakers, guess i was mistaking those for a different speaker. My bets are you have no personal experiences with the MTX monitor 5i's, but they are very similar to the monitor 30's in sound, which are regarded as a very good set of budget bookshelf speakers. One thing that i highly recommend doing is buying a 3khz crossovers for these speakers...the stock capacitor that is used inline really hurts what these speakers can achieve.
NoForgiveness said:
I'm a big fan of the X-540s. Surround sound, sub-woofer, strong enough to boom a whole room. Under $100.
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The X-540's have pretty rubbish sound, most computer surround sound systems do, especially at that price.
pharoah said:
these with this,and add a sub later
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Wouldnt come within a mile of that setup,as those speakers are pretty rubbish for anything except maybe movie watching, i've not come across a mylar dome tweeter that i've liked,as they are cheap tweeters, so you'd want to replace those, and then by that time you would want to add a crossover, and by that point you've put more money into the speakers than what you paid for them. and that amp isnt really anything to write home about.
 
well my advice is go back to computer forum where they recommend pos plastic speakers.that amp is way better than that pos receiver u posted.ask me how i know i have both,and this amp stomps that pos receiver in the ground.
 
Those T amps are a good choice for efficient speakers and i have heard nothing but good things about them.

My son has a set of 6 1/2" MTX bookshelf speakers i bought him a few years ago, nothing special, cheap 7/16 particleboard box and the tweeters were warrantied 2 times though the new set seems to be holding up, unless they revamped the whole product line and threw a little quality in i would not expect the set you recommended to sound any better.

On the used market $150 could get you some decent sounds, just something to consider.
 
pharoah said:
well my advice is go back to computer forum where they recommend pos plastic speakers.that amp is way better than that pos receiver u posted.ask me how i know i have both,and this amp stomps that pos receiver in the ground.
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Well said.....Bookshelves are vastly superior to computer speakers, even with a T-Line amplifier.
 
yeah t-amps sound fantastic id take quality over quantity any day.but my t-amp will jam with my klipsch bookshelf speakers "not computer speakers" but for the price range the op listed.the t-amp and a set of these would be close to audiophile quality sound.
 
bomberboysk said:
The X-540's have pretty rubbish sound, most computer surround sound systems do, especially at that price.
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Don't sound like rubbish to me! All computer speakers sound much better with a system-wide Equalizer setup, which I have with the Creative panel.

It's not insane sound, you're not gonna get insane sound, obvious from the wattage ratings, but it gets pretty nicely loud. Enough for my room anyway.
 
pharoah said:
well my advice is go back to computer forum where they recommend pos plastic speakers.that amp is way better than that pos receiver u posted.ask me how i know i have both,and this amp stomps that pos receiver in the ground.
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I love how pharoah you are recommending cheap dayton speakers, when i recommended pretty superior MTX speakers and now you are calling those "POS Plastic Speakers". If you had any audio experience you would know that those dayton speakers with mylar dome tweeters are pretty poor.

The biggest flaw with the MTX speakers as i have already said is the lack of a crossover, if you add a 3khz or 3.5khz crossover, the sound quality is VASTLY improved.

As far as the receiver goes, i have used them in budget setups before, and as i said, of course its not the best you can get, but it is a relatively decent amplifier. User reviews generally don't lie:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=252-125&vReviewShow=1

96redformula said:
Well said.....Bookshelves are vastly superior to computer speakers, even with a T-Line amplifier.
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Granted the speakers are decent bookshelves...i wouldnt go near that cheap dayton set, sort of a shame when dayton puts out some really nice products.

pharoah said:
yeah t-amps sound fantastic id take quality over quantity any day.but my t-amp will jam with my klipsch bookshelf speakers "not computer speakers" but for the price range the op listed.the t-amp and a set of these would be close to audiophile quality sound.
Click to expand...

I personally can't say much either way on the insignia speakers, but for the price, i would recommend the OP go with a set of Polk 30's if he were to use a T-line amp.

NoForgiveness said:
Don't sound like rubbish to me! All computer speakers sound much better with a system-wide Equalizer setup, which I have with the Creative panel.

It's not insane sound, you're not gonna get insane sound, obvious from the wattage ratings, but it gets pretty nicely loud. Enough for my room anyway.
Click to expand...

Well, they are better than you will get from say, $5 amplified speakers, but they are nowhere close to what you will get from a good set of bookshelves or floor standers. Wattage ratings really arent what concern me personally, i prefer quality over quantity.
 
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superior lmao mtx i think not.just like when people buy mtx car audio its junk.want the real deal get jl audio for a car.not into audio lmao if the age u list on computer forum is correct i was into audio before u was born.which is obvious when u recommend mtx,and sherwood.they was awesome years ago,but is total trash now.as for me i wouldnt use either.i use klipsch bookshelf speakers,and a home built sub from a jl audio speaker.
 
I am an owner of that receiver in fact i bought two of them, one for my basement and one for my son.

Had the Sherwood hooked up to a range of speakers including Altec Lansing Valencia 846A, Klipsch Chorus II, Klipsch KG4 and those 6 1/2" MTX speakers. First of all it has no power, it barely drove the efficient Altecs and the lows drop off quick in frequency, My Chorus II's sounded good with it but the lack of power was evident.

I think i overpaid @ $50 but thats just my opinion.
 
pharoah said:
superior lmao mtx i think not.just like when people buy mtx car audio its junk.want the real deal get jl audio for a car.not into audio lmao if the age u list on computer forum is correct i was into audio before u was born.which is obvious when u recommend mtx,and sherwood.they was awesome years ago,but is total trash now.as for me i wouldnt use either.i use klipsch bookshelf speakers,and a home built sub from a jl audio speaker.
Click to expand...

For starters, i wouldnt touch MTX for their car audio, their home audio stuff is pretty decent, especially the higher end stuff(if you own a set of 5i's or know someone who does, spend $10 and build yourself a cheap 3k crossover, you'll see a world of difference). If you seriously think those dayton speakers are at all decent...well, then maybe you should buy a pair and dissect them, there is no internal bracing, and they are 3/8" particleboard, they have a relatively poor audio range as well.

Last of all....there's no space in computerforum,and it seems to me that since you can no longer back your opinion with facts you would rather just try to discredit me instead.

Would i buy a sherwood receiver? Heck no, i have my money invested in Onkyo and Denon stuff, but for a smaller cheaper setup, it has a relatively good feature set for the price, although as long as you are running low enough wattage speakers that dayton T amp is a great option.
 
have you ever built a crossover ,or a speaker?have u ever designed a circuit and built a working thing from the circuit you designed? have you ever had formal electronics training,or schooling? well ive had and done all the above.and like i mentioned i dont have nor would i have any of that stuff.i did buy one of those sherwood receivers for almost nothing myself when circuit city went out.they are trash let me repete TRASH!your very statement low wattage speakers on a t-amp.that has nothing to do with anything.the speakers efficiency,and impedance do.it doesnt make any difference if the speaker can handle 10 or 1000 watts.the t-tamp can run em.
 
That T amp seems pretty neat but 30 watts would be an extreme tease, and 75 or 100 watt speakers with that amp seems like a square peg/round hole type of situation, to me. I'm running my 35 watt Klipsch computer speakers through my 100 watt/channel receiver right now and it is much less than ideal. Leaves a lot of want, but it'll have to make do for now.

Also do yourself a favor and don't buy the newer Klipsch Pro-Media 2.1's, as I think someone suggested, they are simply not worth it anymore. Unless you can find the older ones, you know, the ones that actually have a powered sub. Oh snap!
 
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pharoah said:
have you ever built a crossover ,or a speaker?have u ever designed a circuit and built a working thing from the circuit you designed? have you ever had formal electronics training,or schooling? well ive had and done all the above.and like i mentioned i dont have nor would i have any of that stuff.i did buy one of those sherwood receivers for almost nothing myself when circuit city went out.they are trash let me repete TRASH!your very statement low wattage speakers on a t-amp.that has nothing to do with anything.the speakers efficiency,and impedance do.it doesnt make any difference if the speaker can handle 10 or 1000 watts.the t-tamp can run em.
Click to expand...

Yes and Yes, but no to "formal training", i do however have a small side business dealing with small run electronics products, such as pcb etching, soldering such as OpAmp replacement and Recapping, etc, as well as working with alot of IC circuits, so i'm pretty qualified in the area of electronics. I would go ahead and show disrespect as well, but i try to follow the forum rules.

And when i was referring to wattage, i was referring to minimum operating wattages specified by the manufacturer, in the case of the dayton speakers, they no longer produce the B652's, so no specs are available from their website, but the effeciency ratings on a cheap set of speakers is never that great, as instead of a crossover they generally make use of an inline capacitor.

And again, i have said it multiple times already and you apparently havent been reading, i never said the sherwood was a great receiver, apparently just can not read what i've been posting.You are here talking about "TRASH", i would like to know why you recommended those Dayton speakers that are absolute rubbish, explain why you recommended such poor speakers, i've used them, and i don't care what amp or receiver you pair them with, they are absolutely horrid.
 
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let's not derail the thread. opinions are like assholes... everyone has one. audiophiles sometimes have two. heh
 
OP: If you want good quality sound and you want to buy new, I have to agree with pharoah.

The Dayton T-Amp and the Insignia speakers will make a great starter setup. Bass wont be heavy, but it should be of good quality. Later on you can add a small subwoofer.
 
I am going to grab that T-amp and give it a try on some Infinity Beta 20's and JBL Northbridge outdoor speakers. It would solve a problem I have with the receiver only being able to use the home theatre speakers, now I can power the outdoor speakers without having to switch the actual cables in the back of the receiver.

I didn't see many people using it on mid-high end speakers, lets see how it goes..

Here is the speakers I have mounted outdoors, but I am going to test them on infinity beta 20's too.
http://www.jbl.com/EN-US/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?PID=S36AWII&accT=1&tsT=0&ovT=1

http://www.infinitysystems.com/home...ser=BET&Language=ENG&Region=EUROPE&Country=GR
 
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96redformula: Keep in mind its about 5 wpc of clean power. If you want more grunt, look into getting a vintage stereo receiver or integrated amp.
 
450 said:
96redformula: Keep in mind its about 5 wpc of clean power. If you want more grunt, look into getting a vintage stereo receiver or integrated amp.
Click to expand...

Yeah I know it's not like a HTPC receiver, but I really don't have room for another receiver and I don't really need to blast them as they are outside. I will update when it comes in, one review said he powered JBL 2500 bookshelves with them, which are very similar to the beta 20s.

Currently I am using a wall bracket and manually changing the speaker wire from inside speakers to outside speakers when I want my PC audio outside. This would make it so I can have both the same audio inside and out.

Specifications state:
2 x 15 watts RMS, that should be plenty if I get 10+ true watts

EDIT: After second thought, I am going to try out the Pyle 2x70W mini-amp with the bass/treble controls
 
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After reading this thread, I picked up the t-amp and Insignia NS-B2111 combo, and I'm really impressed. The speakers were a bit larger than I expected, but the sound great, and it clears the old logitech sub out from under my feet.

I have a pair of Definitive Studiomonitor 350's I compared them too, and they aren't quite there, but at an 80% discount, they hold up extremely well.
 
daddy-o said:
After reading this thread, I picked up the t-amp and Insignia NS-B2111 combo, and I'm really impressed. The speakers were a bit larger than I expected, but the sound great, and it clears the old logitech sub out from under my feet.

I have a pair of Definitive Studiomonitor 350's I compared them too, and they aren't quite there, but at an 80% discount, they hold up extremely well.
Click to expand...

Oh, I forgot to update this thread. The Pyle PCA3 2x75w($55), 2x15RMS 1% THD was perfect for my 3-driver outdoor speakers, I don't think T-amps would have been enough for higher end multiple driver speakers.
 
How do you guys feel about these options?

M-AUDIO AV30s vs. Behringer MS20s

$104 shipped vs. $100 shipped (newegg)
$97 shipped vs. $100 shipped (amazon)
I might find them cheaper but the point being they are about the same price.

AV30 comes with cables | MS20 no cables except power
AV30 looks cheap | MS 20 sexy as hell
15 watts vs 10 watts
1/8" headphone vs 1/4" headphone jack
analog vs analog + digital

The Behringers have better reviews on Newegg.


http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/StudiophileAV30.html

http://www.behringer.de/EN/Products/MS20.aspx

They are both obviously great speakers but I'm leaning hard toward the Behringers.
 
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There must be something wrong wit those Pyle specs. 1% THD is already clipping, lol. Most speakers have 2-3 times the power output at 1% THD vs their power band (usually 0.01 to 0.1% THD). So that's like a 6-8 watt amp.

It's 5lbs, so I guess that's about right for a Class A/B amp.

The T-AMP should be superior I believe. From what I've heard, Tripath adds even-order harmonic distortion to the output to give it a "warm" quality when it gets pushed to clipping.

The average musical score has about a 30db dynamic range, and I believe tchaikovsky's adagio has a 50db dynamic range. That means if your average listening level uses 1 watt of power, the peak transients in the song would require 500W. Obviously if you have a t-amp, the even-order distortion they've added to the output will reduce your perception of distortion.
 
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what bookshelf speakers would you recommend with the Dayton T-Amp you list above King of Heroes?
 
ymee said:
what bookshelf speakers would you recommend with the Dayton T-Amp you list above King of Heroes?
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Ick, sorry it took so long to respond to this. I haven't used passive speakers in a while, but when I did I used these:

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=n82e16882290094

Which I bought at a local Sound Advice. I used them with the DTA-1 version of the T-amp and they sounded decent. I still use them for my television. Another popular and cheap choice back in the day were these:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Insigni...air)/7705307.p?id=1138085354138&skuId=7705307

Though if you're getting a 50 watt per channel amp, you'd probably want to spend some real money rather than searching for bargain basement stuff. I don't really know alot about passives in that category, but I've heard that the Paradigm Atoms are a good choice. Speakers by Energy in general tend to get high marks. You may want to stop by Best Buy and see if you can give them a listen since they carry that brand:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olstemp...dioSP&sp=+currentprice+skuid&usc=abcat0200000
 
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I have to throw my hat in the ring for the Sherwood receiver, it's no $500 Yamaha or anything of the sort but it gets the job done and sounds pretty decent.

Best Buy also sells a rebranded Sherwood under it's Insignia brand... I like this particular model because they are one of the few new units left in the world that actually have a phono input.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Insigni...&skuId=9693507&st=insignia receiver&cp=1&lp=1
 
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