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Speaker recomendations for a newbie

R

retro_fan

New Member
I know this is a bit of a loaded question. I know that all speakers sound different so I would like to hear some recommendations that will grow with my system.

Right now I have a Realistic STA-85 receiver, with a Realistic LAB-420 turntable, and a Dual 1225 that I just finished getting working again with some cheap Onkyo bookshelf speakers from a surround sound speaker set from goodwill that I got so I could tear apart and use the speakers for some cigar box guitar amps I wanted to build. I don't mind how it sounds and my setup has been ok, but I want to upgrade to something other than entry level speakers.

I mostly listen to punk, rock, classic rock, and some pop. I noticed some cheap bose 201's and 301's on the goodwill site locally and thought about them. After reading on here bose is not well liked, so I was looking for some recommendations that would sound good for the music I listen to.

I am also not opposed to building a speaker kit(like from parts express) if I get more value for the the buck. I have built cabinets for some guitar tube amp projects I have worked on in the past. I am also looking into building a tube Hifi amp down the road.

Thanks in advance!
 
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What is the budget? I think that might help. Thousands of speakers out there to choose from. Plenty of kits on line if you want to go that route as well. Human Speakers is a great resource for all things EPI and also they sell some kits. Just depends on how much you want to spend. You might even like something vintage like a Dynaco A25 for example. But you literally have thousands of choices. I am partial to two way speakers with an 8" woofer and a dome tweeter. Still a smaller footprint but decent bass response.

I was never impressed with Bose either. Look for dome tweeters...
 
Very loaded question. Considering the original post, I would guess budget is limited. As coonmanx said there are plenty of kits available for a decent price. The Parts Express kits are often bargains and are tested designs (as are the Pi kits). My suggested approach for used is to check what's local on Craig's List then research what you find. Local thrifts can be sparse pickings in many locations.
The "right" speakers for you depend on your preferences in addition to your budget. With used you can usually at least audition them before buying, though perhaps not under ideal conditions.
 
Sorry I should have added a top end price. I would say $300 - $400 would be the top of my range at the moment. I am looking for bookshelf speakers right now. I will build or buy some towers in the future. I know from building guitar amps that the speaker you need for the amp is the one you need to buy, if you settle then you don't have the tone you want, so if I have to spend more I will.

The more I think about the more I would rather build something either from a kit, or buying everything and doing it myself. I love a good project. The parts express kits look like a good place to start. The Samba MT, BR-1, or the TriTrix MTM kits look like they might be a good place to start.

Thanks for all the responses.
 
retro_fan said:
I know this is a bit of a loaded question. I know that all speakers sound different so I would like to hear some recommendations that will grow with my system.

Right now I have a Realistic STA-85 receiver, with a Realistic LAB-420 turntable, and a Dual 1225 that I just finished getting working again with some cheap Onkyo bookshelf speakers from a surround sound speaker set from goodwill that I got so I could tear apart and use the speakers for some cigar box guitar amps I wanted to build. I don't mind how it sounds and my setup has been ok, but I want to upgrade to something other than entry level speakers.

I mostly listen to punk, rock, classic rock, and some pop. I noticed some cheap bose 201's and 301's on the goodwill site locally and thought about them. After reading on here bose is not well liked, so I was looking for some recommendations that would sound good for the music I listen to.

I am also not opposed to building a speaker kit(like from parts express) if I get more value for the the buck. I have built cabinets for some guitar tube amp projects I have worked on in the past. I am also looking into building a tube Hifi amp down the road.

Thanks in advance!
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The Boss 301 is actually one of their better offerings, if not expensive you might find you really like them.

That said, if you can stretch your budget $25 I highly recommend the Jamo C103. They originally retailed for $1800 but there's a flipper on eBay with some new in box for $425.

They were part of Jamo's flagship line and came in three finishes, he has them in high gloss black like mine. Would love to get a pair in the real mahogany veneer, very schveet.

They're a bit bigger than your typical bookshelf these days with a 7" midbass so should be just what you're looking for. They're rear ported so if intending to put them on a shelf then I wouldn't recommend them, they really need stands.

06-IMG_1393.jpg

a pair of 12" subs work great for this also lol
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If I were in your shoes and really wanted to build and get a great product, look at the Hitmakers and Overnight Sensations from the included link. https://meniscusaudio.com/

These are impressive kits (I have no affiliation) and if starting out, these would be on my list.

As stated by other posters though, your budget will likely get you decent used or new.
 
turnitdown said:
If I were in your shoes and really wanted to build and get a great product, look at the Hitmakers and Overnight Sensations from the included link. https://meniscusaudio.com/

These are impressive kits (I have no affiliation) and if starting out, these would be on my list.

As stated by other posters though, your budget will likely get you decent used or new.
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Thanks for that link and info. They have a lot of great kits on there.
 
Grenadeslio said:
The Boss 301 is actually one of their better offerings, if not expensive you might find you really like them.

That said, if you can stretch your budget $25 I highly recommend the Jamo C103. They originally retailed for $1800 but there's a flipper on eBay with some new in box for $425.

They were part of Jamo' s flagship line and came in three finishes, he has them in high gloss black like mine. Would love to get a pair in the real mahogany veneer, very schveet.

They're a bit bigger than your typical bookshelf these days with a 7" midbass so should be just what you're looking for. They're rear ported so if intending to put them on a shelf then I wouldn't recommend them, they really need stands.

View attachment 2320694

a pair of 12" subs work great for this also lol
View attachment 2320695
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Those speakers look amazing. Thanks for bringing them to my attention. With the $150 shipping they would be pretty far out of my budget. At the moment I am pretty set at building some speakers. It looks like a fun project.
 
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retro_fan said:
Those speakers look amazing. Thanks for bringing them to my attention. With the $150 shipping they would be pretty far out of my budget. At the moment I am pretty set at building some speakers. It looks like a fun project.
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shipping is only $69 to me here in Florida, he's accepting offers he might be willing to work a deal you can't refuse, never hurts to ask. I purchase a lot on eBay and more than once I've had a seller knock off the shipping charge.
 
Good luck on your audio journey! You will find it will have plenty of twists and turns which is fine as long as you continue to move forward.

Craigslist and thrift stores can be a surprisingly good source for getting good speakers and either directly or indirectly, in the case of my Von Schweikert VR2's, is how I acquired all of my speakers. Bose speakers can often found in either of those places but because they are a recognized brand by the general public they are overpriced relative to other speakers. In addition their sound quality is just not up to the level of other speakers that you can find well within your budget. Reading some of the threads here in the Speaker forum is a great way to acquaint yourself with brands and models that you might be able to find on the secondary market in your area.

If you are looking for new speakers there are some great budget speakers out there by companies such as Elac, Paradigm and Klipsch among others to choose from that are within or little stretch outside your budget.
 
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There are a pair of Genesis Physics Model 2 speakers listed on you local Craigslist. I have a pair and can highly recommend them. The ones for sale look like they have been refoamed. No affiliation.
 
colohiker said:
There are a pair of Genesis Physics Model 2 speakers listed on you local Craigslist. I have a pair and can highly recommend them. The ones for sale look like they have been refoamed. No affiliation.
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I really wanna check out a pair of Genesis speakers in my future!!!!

retro_fan said:
I know this is a bit of a loaded question. I know that all speakers sound different so I would like to hear some recommendations that will grow with my system.

Right now I have a Realistic STA-85 receiver, with a Realistic LAB-420 turntable, and a Dual 1225 that I just finished getting working again with some cheap Onkyo bookshelf speakers from a surround sound speaker set from goodwill that I got so I could tear apart and use the speakers for some cigar box guitar amps I wanted to build. I don't mind how it sounds and my setup has been ok, but I want to upgrade to something other than entry level speakers.

I mostly listen to punk, rock, classic rock, and some pop. I noticed some cheap bose 201's and 301's on the goodwill site locally and thought about them. After reading on here bose is not well liked, so I was looking for some recommendations that would sound good for the music I listen to.

I am also not opposed to building a speaker kit(like from parts express) if I get more value for the the buck. I have built cabinets for some guitar tube amp projects I have worked on in the past. I am also looking into building a tube Hifi amp down the road.

Thanks in advance!
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Look into older Design Acoustics PS9/PS10 they usually will need a woofer re-foam but I really like them and more importantly I have them paired with an STA-85 and they sound amazing.. They are an awesome bookshelf like speaker with an 8 or 10 inch woofer in a small package..

My setup :

IMG_2910.jpg

The STA-85 runs the Design Acoustics PS9s

21-06-29 20-25-38 2740.jpg

IMG_E2852.JPG
 
Genesis are indeed nice speakers. You could always get something like that and then do a kit build later.

One of the things that I noticed about those Pi kits is that they include no cabinet. So you would have to either make a cabinet or find a cabinet that would work. I built some speakers using Celstion Ditton 110 cabinets. They make a wonderful canvas on which you can paint...
 
A couple of things

Check out this long running thread for CL updates you never know you might spot something albeit used you like withing your price range

https://www.audiokarma.org/forums/i...list-portland-or.64998/page-170#post-14986778

Maybe introduce yourself here to other local Portlandians (not sure if that is an actual term) good way to meet like minded folks.

https://www.audiokarma.org/forums/i...land-oregon-clubs.749706/page-5#post-13604360

retro_fan said:
I am also looking into building a tube Hifi amp down the road.
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Nice!!! you also might want to consider resto/modding so keep your eyes out for the much beloved and popular "Magnavox" they sold tons of them back in the day, with the right skill set easy to work too.

One last thing Welcome to AK!!
 
colohiker said:
There are a pair of Genesis Physics Model 2 speakers listed on you local Craigslist. I have a pair and can highly recommend them. The ones for sale look like they have been refoamed. No affiliation.
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Thanks for pointing those out. At the moment those are to big for my music room. I need to stick with something I can put on my shelves.
 
Dswankey said:
A couple of things

Check out this long running thread for CL updates you never know you might spot something albeit used you like withing your price range

https://www.audiokarma.org/forums/i...list-portland-or.64998/page-170#post-14986778

Maybe introduce yourself here to other local Portlandians (not sure if that is an actual term) good way to meet like minded folks.

https://www.audiokarma.org/forums/i...land-oregon-clubs.749706/page-5#post-13604360



Nice!!! you also might want to consider resto/modding so keep your eyes out for the much beloved and popular "Magnavox" they sold tons of them back in the day, with the right skill set easy to work too.

One last thing Welcome to AK!!
Click to expand...

Thank you for the heads up on the Magnavox amps. I have seen a few of those consoles for sale. I will have to see if I can find a working one.
 
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