Kabigon

I've read tons of threads on this subject but none of them really cover my needs. My budget is $200-$400. And yes, I know that $200-$400 is an extremely large range for a Sub. lol I am simply looking for the best "bang for my buck" sub so if a $400 Sub is only going to be a SMALL improvement over a $300 Sub, I would rather save the money. This Sub will be paired with a Jamo S 606 3 System so it needs to match it well in sound and it would be great if the aesthetics were similar as well. (I will post a pic at the end of the thread.) My needs are a bit unique in that my #1 priority is not a sub powerful enough to shake the walls down. I live in a duplex with another apartment right above me so I'm not going to be able to blast the system or anything. However, I still want an extremely nice Sub because there is no point in me wasting money on something that isn't worth it. My main goals are to have a Sub that is extremely precise with tight bass so that it sounds excellent for music but still has enough punch to accurately portray action and explosions in movies and games. If I can do that with $200, that is excellent. If $300 is the sweet spot for both power and precision, that works as well. $400 is the tip-top of my budget but If it is indeed going to make a huge difference over a $200-$300 Sub, then I will gladly pay the difference. From what I have read, it would be better for me to get a Sealed Sub so that it doesn't shake the walls and annoy the neighbors. However, it still needs to have sufficient "oomph" to handle home theater duties as well. The only ones I have really found in the price range to fit the bill are the Emotiva Ultra 12 and 10. Are there any other I am missing? I see that Elemental Designs has the A3S-250 which is sealed but I can't find much on it. Obviously, I really need help. lol Thanks for the help and here is a pic of the System it will be paired with. http://s7d1.scene7.com/is/image/vanns/544012176?wid=350&hei=350&op_sharpen=1

I've read tons of threads on this subject but none of them really cover my needs. My budget is $200-$400. And yes, I know that $200-$400 is an extremely large range for a Sub. lol I am simply looking for the best "bang for my buck" sub so if a $400 Sub is only going to be a SMALL improvement over a $300 Sub, I would rather save the money. This Sub will be paired with a Jamo S 606 3 System so it needs to match it well in sound and it would be great if the aesthetics were similar as well. (I will post a pic at the end of the thread.) My needs are a bit unique in that my #1 priority is not a sub powerful enough to shake the walls down. I live in a duplex with another apartment right above me so I'm not going to be able to blast the system or anything. However, I still want an extremely nice Sub because there is no point in me wasting money on something that isn't worth it. My main goals are to have a Sub that is extremely precise with tight bass so that it sounds excellent for music but still has enough punch to accurately portray action and explosions in movies and games. If I can do that with $200, that is excellent. If $300 is the sweet spot for both power and precision, that works as well. $400 is the tip-top of my budget but If it is indeed going to make a huge difference over a $200-$300 Sub, then I will gladly pay the difference. From what I have read, it would be better for me to get a Sealed Sub so that it doesn't shake the walls and annoy the neighbors. However, it still needs to have sufficient "oomph" to handle home theater duties as well. The only ones I have really found in the price range to fit the bill are the Emotiva Ultra 12 and 10. Are there any other I am missing? I see that Elemental Designs has the A3S-250 which is sealed but I can't find much on it. Obviously, I really need help. lol Thanks for the help and here is a pic of the System it will be paired with. http://s7d1.scene7.com/is/image/vanns/544012176?wid=350&hei=350&op_sharpen=1

Can you guys check this for me? It seems like an amazing dealin my opinion but I could definitely be wrong. With coupon code, I get 15% Off and a Free PA-120 Subwoofer. Total is $942 Shipped and it is a Klipsch Reference system. http://www.sounddistributors.com/buynow.asp?action=detail&prid=685&crid=243&cat_name=Search Thanks!

How good are these? I found a deal for a brand new pair @ $399 Shipped. They cost $800 a pair normally, so this is ridiculous. Need a reply quickly! Thanks.

I am selling off some computer components that I no longer need in order to finance my new sound system. Someone offered me a trade of 2x Polk R50 Floorstanding Speakers for my XFX HD Radeon 6870. (It's an AMD graphics card for anyone unaware and I'm asking $200 for it.) I don't know much about the R50's, however. It's a decent deal if they're in great shape since he will be paying for shipping but how good are those speakers? I'm familiar with the Monitor 50's, but I could buy them brand new for $184 Shipped from NewEgg. The R50's, though, are around $360-$400 for a new pair at the cheapest I have seen them. Can you guys give me some opinions on the R50's and whether or not they're worth $200? Thanks!

Well, that definitely changes everything with no sub. lol I actually should have realized this before. When I had my Klipsch Promedia 2.1's, I couldn't even turn it up 1/4 of the way with the sub turned almost all the way down without the neighbors banging on their floor. When I was sitting down in front of the computer, it sounded extremely low and reasonable. However, when I stood up, you could hear the bass reverberating through the walls and floor. No matter how low I turned the sub down, that thing had some ridiculous punch. How much will the sound quality suffer without a sub, though? I mean, with the $200-$300 I was planning to spend on one, I can definitely upgrade the rest of my setup. What would be the best route to go sans sub, then?

Like I said, I would love to buy some high quality used audio equipment for dirt cheap prices. The receiver especially I would like to find used or refurbished. I have no problems being patient and waiting as long as it is reasonable. I don't plan on waiting 6 months to buy 5 speakers only to save $100 or something like that. The main problem is I don't know what I am looking for. I only know a little about these speakers I have mentioned and researched. Therefore, if a good deal does come along, I probably won't even notice it. lol Maybe if it's a Klipsch or Polk item, but still highly unlikely. The fact that the CL community in my area is so scare and terrible just compounds the problem. I haven't really found any good deals on ebay and when you do see something appealing, it always costs like $50 to ship it. I'm more than happy to take advice and find deals but you guys gotta teach me how to do so. haha I am lost in the audio world.

Here is the best 5.1 Polk Setup I have come up with to fit my budget: Polk Monitor 70 Floor Standing Speakers x2 Polk Monitor 40 Bookshelf Speakers x2 Polk PSW505 Subwoofer Polk CS2 Center Channel Speaker How would this system sound? And what would be the Klipsch competition in the same price range? Most of Klipsch' single speakers seem too high-priced for my budget. The cheapest floor standing speakers are $550/pair (RF-42 II), cheapest sub is $300 (Synergy Sub12), cheapest bookshelves are $280/pair (RB-41 II), and cheapest Center Speaker is $230 (RC-42 II). This is going by new retail prices, of course. So, assuming I can't find a deal on the Klipsch speakers, how would this Polk System perform? Referring back to the Klipsch References on CL that Youth linked, would it be worth it to buy those older models and try to find the matching speakers?

Are the Polk R50 Towers and R15 Bookshelves any good? I actually found a nice deal on those with a CS 2 Center Speaker which I am familiar with and know is nice. I've read a lot on the Monitor Towers and Bookshelves by Polk but I have never heard of these. http://lynchburg.craigslist.org/ele/2189040996.html http://lynchburg.craigslist.org/ele/2189013044.html http://lynchburg.craigslist.org/ele/2189027521.html

How much would it cost me total to finish a 5.1 Reference System? I would still have to buy 2 more bookshelves and a sub. Are those speakers really that amazing? I have never heard of them, but the RB-51's retail for $400 and the RC-52 for $350. If I can get a $750 set of speakers for 1/3 of the price, it might be worth the trip. lol It says "or best offer" so I might be able to get him down to $270 or so. My only other question is are those the same model that are posted on NewEgg? That guy said he has had them for 2 years and the ones on the egg have a "II" beside their models. (i.e. RB-51 II and RC-52 II) I'm not sure how long ago this particular model goes back but I just want to make sure it's possible to find matching speakers and that those are as good as the newer ones. Is two years a long time in the life of those speakers? I've never dealt with audio much before, as I said, so I just want to be sure. I don't want to buy anything that could potentially break down on me or completely crap out due to age.

Well, I have my heart set on surround sound. 2.1 is fine, but I game a lot and watch a lot of movies so I really want the surround for it. I'm planning on doing something similar to your suggestion, though. Money comes in slowly when you're in college and only working part time so I can't plan on building a $2,000 system and expect that to happen anytime soon. I'm hoping to stay in the $700-$800 area, maybe nearing $1,000 once I am finished. Right now, I'm mainly interested in picking up my Sub, Center, and Surround Speakers. I *should* be able to get those in conjunction with my Receiver to have a full 5.1 setup off the bat for around $500-$700. Then, I'll save up as quickly as possible for my 2x towers to full complete the 7.1 setup. I live in an apartment and my bedroom is far from enormous so I really have no use for anything beyond that. I am definitely interested in high quality audio, but I don't want to dedicate every dime I save toward a sound system for the next few years. hehe

The first link you posted Youthman looks extremely nice. Unfortunately, it takes around 3.5 hours to ge to Knoxville from here so by the time I spent $300 on the speakers, drove for half a day there and back, and paid for food and gas to do so, I just don't think it would be worth it in the end which is unfortunate. The others are mainly the same story. Charlotte is over 4 hours from here so it wouldn't be phisable, either. I told you guys, it's tough on CL around here. haha If you're into Electronics at all, you basically have to either buy new, use ebay, or find them for sale on a forum. It sucks. lol

I am scavenging through CL everywhere within a 3 hour driving radius from me for Klipsch and Polk Audio Speakers to no avail so far. I can't find anything. As far as I can tell, these are two of the highest quality companies so I would like to be able to put together a system from one of these two brands. Are there other comparable brand(s) that I should check for as well? A lot of them don't even list the model of the speakers which is frustrating. It will just say something like "Polk Speakers....4 satellites, 1 center, 1 sub." Or some shit like that. Why wouldn't you list the model?....lol

Wow, you found some amazing deals. lol Impressive. What inhibits me with CraigsList is that I live in an extremely small area so very few people actually use it. I've browsed through it a few times and didn't really see anything appealing. Most of it looked like it had been mistreated and beat to death as well. My zip code is 24273 if you don't care to browse a bit for me. I can drive within an hour or so to pick something up if need be. If I can get a $1,000 System for $500, then I'll gladly make a trip. Are there any notorious refurb or used speaker sites that you know of? I can't really find any that have good deals on nice speakers. Thanks a lot for the help. I really do appreciate it.

Thank You so much for the replies! Are there any problems with buying from a site like Stephen linked? That is definitely much cheaper than I've seen that receiver new. I believe Amazon has them for $247 shipped new, though. I honestly have nothing against used equipment if it is in great condition. I'd rather have high quality gear that has been used a bit than garbage that is brand new. What I can possibly do is buy a 7.1 Receiver since they seem to be the same as the 5.1 and just upgrade as I get some extra cash and feel the need. I can buy the Receiver, Sub, Center, and 4 satellites and then buy two nice floor standing speakers when I can afford to. The only problem is I'm not sure which speakers would fit the bill well there. I would still like to stay near my original budget for these 6 speakers + Receiver but be in a brand that has reasonably priced floor standing speakers that I can upgrade the front to and really make a difference. Onkyo actually has some 7.1 HTIB and 7.1 Surround Speaker Systems that can be had for $400-$500. That seems like a lot of performance for the price, but I'm not sure. I had the Promedia 2.1's not long ago (I actually bought them refurb and they were in great shape) so I would like to go with Klipsch, but I don't believe it is viable in the price range. What do you guys think in regards to the speakers? Would it be better to buy a full system like the Onkyo or buy separate speakers and piece them together? I just have a hard time seeing anything that would be worth the while compared to the Onkyo HT-S7300 HTIB or Onkyo SKS-HT540 + Nice Receiver. I can get both of those for $450-$500. Thanks for the help!

I am planning on building a Surround Sound System w/ ~ $700-$800 Budget. I had a set of Klipsch Promedia 2.1's which were incredible, but the high's were a bit harsh on the ears. The quality, however, was impecable. I have around $500-$600 to spend right now and this is what I am considering: (Please let me know if there are any better options. ) 7.1 Receiver (Not sure which brand is best here but looking to spend $250 Max on it.) Klipsch HD 500 5.1 Surround Sound System After that, I will have to find 2x separate matching speakers to purchase in order to complete my 7.1 System. What do you guys think of the HD 500 System and are there any better options out there for equal price or cheaper? Thanks for the help! -- Kabi