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Selecting the right speakers on a budget.

tmsears

tmsears

Active Member
Long time reader, first time poster.

I am not an aficionado by any means, so I thought I would explain my predicament and ask the pros for advice.

I recently hooked my system up after a year hiatus and have finally arrived at the conclusion that my Infinity SM-82's are, for a lack of a better term, too bright and fatiguing. I like good, clear high end but not harsh. These speakers seemed to do OK in the past, but I have never been 100% happy with them. They were what I could obtain at the time.

My System, for reference, is a Yamaha M-4 amp, C-6 pre amp, with a lightly modded Technics SL-1210mk2 and a Rotel RCD-855 for playback. I listen to just about anything except rap (no offense).

As a reference for how things "sound" to me, I used to have a pair of Grado 225's I loved and I have Klipsh computer speakers that I have enjoyed for over 10 years now.

I have the been researching some speakers available near my area and within my $200 budget:

Pair of "Large Advent Speakers" - Have new foam surrounds; inverted, "fried eggs " present - $125

Pair of DLK1's - Have had crossovers re-capped, drivers tested, and cabinets re-finished - $100

Pair of DCM Timeframe TF-600's - woofer's have rubber surrounds, "socks" in good shape - $150

Pair of Advent Model /3 speakers - owner says surrounds don't go bad, grills near mint - $80

Pair of Boston Acoustics A100's - new surrounds, nice condition - $190

Two pairs (was part of a quad system) EPI Model 100's grills, surrounds, etc. in good condition - $100

Youtube vid:

I do not know why they sound bad on the vid, no telling. Please tell me they don't normally sound like this.

Please note that in all cases, I have not had the chance to audition any of these speakers. The trip to the city is 2 hours for me, so I won't know until then.

I know that this is an eclectic lineup; it's what's available in my area.

I would like to know everyone thoughts on these speakers, but the two big factors are:

1) they need to play well with my system
2) they may have top be placed closer to the wall than I would like to have them due to space reasons. if any of these sound worse than the others would closer to a wall (4-6"), that would be a consideration. I know that the placement is not ideal;I am trying to make room for them but it is not guaranteed.

Thanks in advance! :bowdown:



PS, going to pick one of these (hopefully) this Tuesday so any timely help is much appreciated! -tmsears
 
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I own the Large Advents, the Boston A100's, and the EPI 100's. They are all good speakers but personally, I'd jump on the EPI's.. Because of my tinnitus, I tend to shy away from very bright speakers. I listens to my EPI 100's for hours in a row with no fatigue. Just be sure that they have the original woofers and tweeters.

If you can get all 4 for $100, this is definitely the best budget option. If you only need one pair, you can always sell the other pair to recoup some of your investment.
 
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colohiker said:
I own the Large Advents, the Boston A100's, and the EPI 100's. They are all good speakers but personally, I'd jump on the EPI's.. Because of my tinnitus, I tend to shy away from very bright speakers. I listens to my EPI 100's for hours in a row with no fatigue. Just be sure that they have the original woofers and tweeters.

If you can get all 4 for $100, this is definitely the best budget option. If you only need one pair, you can always sell the other pair to recoup some of your investment.
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My mistake, they are $150. do you still think it would be a good deal?
 
Still not a bad deal but at that price, the Large Advent's and the DCM Timeframes would also be worth checking out. I haven't heard the Timeframes but if they half as good as the Timewindows, they might be worth a listen. One issue with the Timeframes might be placement. According to the manual, they need to be 4-8 inches from the back wall which is barely in your range. http://www.dcmspeakers.com/manuals/TF600.pdf

Of course, you still have the option of selling two of the EPI's to lower your cost. FWIW, while the Boston Acoustics might fit the bill, $190 seems a little high unless they are in immaculate condition.
 
I've had all the speakers listed.

The SM-82 can be bright and fatiguing on a nutural amp.

Get the large Advents.

Every time I rotate some OLA or NLA into use I am amazed at how good they sound.
 
Googling EPI speakers I might have found the ones you are looking at. If so, they have been listed of over a month so he might be willing to take less for them. That being said, they also look that they are earlier versions which might have rubber surrounds. If so, they might need to be replaced even though look okay. Others have had different experiences but all the EPI's I have owned have need new surrounds because of stiffening or cracks in the rubber. EPI woofers may be the easiest speakers I have ever refoamed but it will still cost you an extra $15-20 dollars and your time to do them.

If you buy the EPI's or the Large Advents, you will want to replace the capacitors if they haven't already be done. Even replacing them with cheap, nonpolar electrolyte will help (asking which caps are "best" will usually get you multiply pages of responses) .
 
What city are you near? AK members are everywhere, and many of us have too many speakers. I live n Norman, OK, myself and don't mind saying so 'cause you till can't find my house unless I want you to. With me you'd have a few choices in excellent condition, though I have no ads posted anywhere as I don't feel the need to sell. Not that I expect you are near me (though feel free to PM me if so)... the point is there are thousands like me hanging out here.
 
TCM TF600's are nice speakers but hold out for a pair of TF700's they are a better speaker, made before DCM started to cut corners. The Advent Large are nice. Also if you see a pair of Advent Legacy speakers they are very nice and can be found very cheaply. Another couple of very good sounding speaker you can get on a low budget: Polk Monitor 10, Dynaco A25.
 
Another vote for the OLA's
IMO they just sound great ! I think they would pair well with the Yamaha gear.
Good luck.
 
I would snag the EPI if they have the original drivers. I own a pair of the Original Large Advents, Boston A150 and Epicure Model 2.0. All sound good, but I would rate the Epicures as number 1 because of the silky smooth Burhoe inverted dome tweeter, the Bostons a close second, and the Advents third. IMO, the price for the Bostons is a little high though.

If you can listen before you buy, definitely do that, and bring a favorite CD or record that you are familiar with.
 
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Another vote for the Large Advents. They have great Bass, detail and are not fatiguing IMO. Nice Yamaha gear btw.
 
Well, texted the guy about the large advents last night and asked if they were available, said yes . texted this afternoon to get directions.... He sold them this morning. :(

That figures out to be my luck; get hyped about something and end up a dollar short and a day late. o_O

So, that leaves the rest.. I got a email from the guy offering the Advent /3 asking if I still wanted them at the $85, he has a buyer wanting them at $125 but is willing to honor the phone price he quoted me.

Kinda iffy on the /3's as I read somewhere that they take a lot to drive them but not a lot to distort them?
 
musichal said:
What city are you near? AK members are everywhere, and many of us have too many speakers. I live n Norman, OK, myself and don't mind saying so 'cause you till can't find my house unless I want you to. With me you'd have a few choices in excellent condition, though I have no ads posted anywhere as I don't feel the need to sell. Not that I expect you are near me (though feel free to PM me if so)... the point is there are thousands like me hanging out here.
Click to expand...
I currently live in the metropolis that is Hugo,OK. I will spare you the sob story of why, but hopefully it is temporary.
 
UPDATE: The DCM Timeframe TF-600's, DLK1's and as already posted, the Large Advents, are now all sold, today.
Odd timing seeing some of these postings were half a month to 2 months old...either that or I have incredible bad luck. :dunno:
 
Of those listed, I've only had Large Advents and EPI 100s. Both are very good, but I prefer the 100s -- I still have the 100s, but sold the Advents.
 
Speakers are the weak point of most people's setups.......as in they can not be adjusted like the rest of our Equiptment. We find them, rebuild them and check them out just to see if we are able to obtain a better sound. It would be nice if there was a facts sheet on the actual capabilities of each speaker, receiver, cartridge, and turntable.....

It's cool to compare and talk about what we prefer by way of our experiences, but....for the top of the line receiver with a high frequency range and very low distortion, which speaker actually enhances sound the best ?
 
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