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How many speakers

A

AudioNewb

New Member
My neighbor has a really nice sounding stereo. I asked him what he had he had a center channel 5 surround ones and a subwoofer. He said the problem with my setup is that i only have 2 speakers. I think 2 speakers is enough. I think the problem is that my speakers are candle speakers.

How many speakers do you guys reccomend i run for playing vinyl
 
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I have two speakers (and two subwoofers, but still just two channels) on the system I use for vinyl. Multichannel systems are not required for stereo.
 
AudioNewb said:
My neighbor has a really nice sounding stereo. I asked him what he had he had a center channel 5 surround ones and a subwoofer. He said the problem with my setup is that i only have 2 speakers. I think 2 speakers is enough. I think the problem is that my speakers are candle speakers.

How many speakers do you guys reccomend i run for playing vinyl
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Your neighbor doesn't know what he is talking about. Great sound is more about the quality and synergy of the components, not the number of speakers. I have stayed away from multichannel because I have found the task of setting up a good sounding multichannel system much more difficult and expensive than a quality 2 channel.
 
For vinyl records, 90% of what you find are going to be Stereo (i.e. two-channel) recordings. (let's not worry about mono or quad records for now.)

Anything more than two speakers for listening to a stereo record is completely unnecessary and will likely ruin the stereo effect you will hear when you sit yourself directly between/in front of two good loudspeakers.

As mrt2 refers to, getting a good-quality 5.1 set up (or 7.1, or whatever you prefer) is going to cost you a lot more and be a lot more difficult to achieve. You can go shopping in the thrift stores or on Craigslist and find used stereo equipment that was top of the line in the day that will beat the snot out of anything moderately priced today.

I am using 29 year-old Klipsch La Scalas that I've just finished rehabbing and the final cost was 1/6 of what it would cost to buy a new pair of Klipsch's. They are very nice speakers that show me the good and bad in recordings, and when I need them to, can make the neighbor's car alarm go off.

I would encourage you to look at vintage equipment - that's where you'll get your biggest bang for your buck. And who knows, you might fall in love with it and get to join the club of obsessed stereo junkies (quite a selling point, eh?)
 
A 2 channel system is really all you need. Most music is released in stereo, not 5.1, though there are some titles that are. I nicely set up 2 channel system will blow away most 5.1 systems IMHO. 301's are ok speakers, but I would look at something from Polk, Mission or others for even better sound in bookshelf speakers.
 
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for music and vinyl, you want a 2 channel system.. now how many speakers you compose that of is a completely different question... We all have our own ways of building a two channel system...

Myself, I use 6 seperate drivers each in their own box... 3 per side.. other will use two, 2way, 3way or 4way boxes.

Other will use two speakers, then add a sub woofer. a 2.1 system....
 
When I listen to vinyl, my receiver automatically only sends the output signal to my main left and right speakers</li>
<li>Um, I have to credit the guys on here for showing a little restraint in not giving your grief about a selection of Bose 301s. I would look elsewhere before buying some Bose 301s. If you're looking to buy new speakers, you can get a lot of speakers that will far outperform those 301s for a lot less money. There. I said it.

But two speakers is fine for 2-channel (stereo) music. I have a 5.1 system that I run in different ways depending on what sort of music I'm listening to.

For instance:

- If I listen to vinyl, my receiver automatically plays it through 2 channels
- If I want to listen to two-channel CDs, I put the input selector knob over to the CD position.
- If I want to listen to that same CD, but in a ProLogic simulated surround format, I put the selector knob over to the DVD setting. It's the same device plugged into the same input, but I can program how my inputs and outputs behave based on what position the selector knob is in.
- If I watch a movie or want to play either a DVD-A or multi-channel SACD, I put the selector knob in the DVD position.

It works pretty well for me. And as cool as all this vintage gear is, it lacks the programmability that my receiver has. I love my vintage Sansui, but I totally dig my relatively new AVR.
 
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I have to comment on the 301's... especially if they are older 301 speakers... they really don't sound that bad, and they sound a LOT better than a lot of the crap out there today at stupid prices... Don't let others around here that have never listened to a pair of 301 speakers give you grief... around here if it says Bose, too many like to tell you they blow. Many without ever hearing a pair...

Hook up what you got.. give it a listen. If you don't like it, then consider something else. You only have to make you happy, and screw what others think.
 
I have run Bose 301s (vintage, series II) and they are a good performer if you are aiming for a dispersed sound. My favorite use was for parties or get-togethers or for backround music while doing other things, and for this they did not disappoint.

Later models are not as promising.

However if you sit down in a general location for listening, you can do better.



What's your target cost/budget, what size/room constraints are you dealing with, what gear are you using, what type of music, how much low end are you looking for, do you need to be concerned about neighbors or roomates in regards to playback disturbance, and are you aiming for new or used speakers?
 
similost said:
I have to comment on the 301's... especially if they are older 301 speakers... they really don't sound that bad, and they sound a LOT better than a lot of the crap out there today at stupid prices... Don't let others around here that have never listened to a pair of 301 speakers give you grief... around here if it says Bose, too many like to tell you they blow. Many without ever hearing a pair...

Hook up what you got.. give it a listen. If you don't like it, then consider something else. You only have to make you happy, and screw what others think.
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I refoamed a pair of 301s and thus had to listen to them to verify the repair... my ears hurt.
 
If memory serves, the earlier 301s didn't have foam surrounds, so either the ones the poster refoamed and disliked were later ones, which don't seem as popular, or the woofers had been replaced. Maybe out of phase also -- my experience of them has mirrored the usual view -- easy to listen to in a casual way, perhaps one of Bose's best efforts.
But there are a ton of used speakers out there, and because the general public has heard of Bose, 301s will probably be expensive relative to similarly good speakers.
As to the buddy who says more is better -- would he agree that 10 Kias is better than 1 Mercedes?
 
Nat said:
If memory serves, the earlier 301s didn't have foam surrounds, so either the ones the poster refoamed and disliked were later ones, which don't seem as popular, or the woofers had been replaced. Maybe out of phase also -- my experience of them has mirrored the usual view -- easy to listen to in a casual way, perhaps one of Bose's best efforts.
But there are a ton of used speakers out there, and because the general public has heard of Bose, 301s will probably be expensive relative to similarly good speakers.
As to the buddy who says more is better -- would he agree that 10 Kias is better than 1 Mercedes?
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They were older, woodgrain vinyl veneer, probably from the mid 80's.
 
2,5,or7

Hi, I agree with the rest, if youre playin vinyl, 2 good quality speakers are all you need. I really dont have an opinion about bose, other than that they do what they are meant to do very well. You must be usin a decent amp if you are playin vinyl, so i would suggest a nice vintage pair of quality speakers. For the 250 to 300 you will be payin for the bose, you could buy a lot better speakers on craigslist or by raiding your local goodwill stores. Also by telling your friends and fellow workers you are looking for a good set of speakers could yield some outstanding results. I would look for jbl, klipsch, or altec. Building a 5.1 or 7.1 gets very expensive, but worth it if u like quality sound while you are watchin your favorite movie. Val kylmer, as doc holiday in tombstone when he challenges ringo by the big oak tree, sounds like you are there with them. lol Im yer huckleberry
 
AudioNewb said:
candle is a brand of speakers they sound very thin and dull. I was looking at gettting some bose 301s or somenthin
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I wouldn't. I don't recall these being all that great in the day.

But I will concede I hate Bose for what it has become and I will not own anything with that name on it.

True story. About 4 years ago when I was shopping for a car, test drove a new car. Saleswoman is touting the features of the vehicle, notes the car I am looking at has a Bose stereo installed. Her jaw just about dropped when I told her I would like to buy the car, but only if they were willing to replace the Bose stereo with something else.
 
AudioNewb said:
How many speakers do you guys reccomend i run for playing vinyl
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4 speakers on 2 channels most recievers can fix that...

i upgradet to 4 orthoacoustic speakers, its almost as a live concert,
you cant really tell where the sound is coming from.
differences alot from 2 speakers, you are immersed in sound..
 
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mrt2 said:
I wouldn't. I don't recall these being all that great in the day.

But I will concede I hate Bose for what it has become and I will not own anything with that name on it.

True story. About 4 years ago when I was shopping for a car, test drove a new car. Saleswoman is touting the features of the vehicle, notes the car I am looking at has a Bose stereo installed. Her jaw just about dropped when I told her I would like to buy the car, but only if they were willing to replace the Bose stereo with something else.
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I had a caddy that had a Bose system in it, and it was the most rocking stock stereo I've ever had in a car..
 
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