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Starting From Scratch

Well, this won't suit everyone, but I'm listening to a set up that sounds absolutely amazing right now and it can be had for well within you grand budget. Shoot, you'll have money left over.

First, AR5s. Ever since I got my LST2s I've wanted to hear a pair of these. A friend bought some and I did new surrounds and caps for him, and cleaned the AR pots. These speakers are mind boggling. They just do everything right.

Okay, so I'm not the first person to say AR5s sound great and are a fantastic value when you look at the price difference vs. AR3s. But this next bit may get some funny looks. If you just want really good sound and aren't worried about impressing anyone- the $25 20 WPC T Amp from Parts Express sounds, well, unbelievable when you consider what it costs. But honestly, I can't fault the little thing at all. It sounds much better than my original Sonic Impact T Amp. I guess it's the extra power, but where the original was noticeably light in the bass department, this little guy is not.

So there you have it. Keep an eye out for a deal, and the ARs can be had for $200. About another $100 in parts to make them tip top again. Then the $25 amp- order it when you order the foam and caps and you won't have to pay shipping. Just over $300 for some outstanding sound.

Just an alternative to think about!

Take care,

Ed
 
Hmm, been awhile since Ive had 25s in the house here..Ive got 35s which are a little different sounding.
I would want to say the Dynacos are very well suited for something like classic rock or acoustic stuff, a fairly mellow sound that pleases alot of ears. They do have a 3 position adjustment to suit the room and or ears. The pair I had seemed maybe a little midbass forward (the vent def doing its job) . Comparing those and the DM 12s..in the same ballpark, though I think the B&Ws are well suited for any program material, I dont think the Dynacos would be so cool for techno or defmetal.

How would you know if the receiver needed work? Buying anything used involves a gamble. Auditioning the piece evens the odds alot. If you have to buy without, in the case of online sale or whatever..then give a listen and see whats going on..channel dropouts and scatchiness, and out and out not working on some functions can very well be due to dirty controls and switches, thats where the deoxit comes in. Clean everything that moves and re listen. Out of the last 50 things that came around here, 4, maybe 5 actually were defective , the rest ranged from good to go, to needing cleaning and then good to go.
 
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Wonderful advice all around guys. I really appreciate it. I'll get my financial ducks in a row and get a concrete budget working, at which point I'll post back and start getting ready to start this system.

In other news, I was at the local Goodwill today in search of hi-fi gear. There wasn't a single receiver, mostly old VCRs and CD changers. However, there was a corner of speakers, so I wrote down the models.

Thanks guys.
 
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Nobody knows about those speakers?

I think I'm going to commit to the Marantz 2226B as my receiver for now. Would this be a good idea in your opinion?
 
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The Marantz is a fine choice.
Dont know anything about modern speakers really, though I should think Energy would have something tasty, and they are generally well regarded and fairly reasonable pricewise.
 
Sounds good, thank you.

They don't have to be modern. I just meant more in terms of comparable speakers to the DM12s in terms of sound and size. You mentioned the Dynacos earlier, but they are quite large physically compared to the DM12s, so they won't be a good fit. It's kind of daunting to search "speakers" on CL.

Also, there are a pair of Boston Acoustics A60 speakers on CL asking 100. They look pretty neat, and someone recommended them in this thread. Are they any good?

UPDATE: Turns out the A60s are damaged and broken =(. In the process however, I discovered a pair of BA VR20 speakers asking 149. These look quite good, and reviews seem complementary. Comparable to the DM12s?
 
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I'll second grillebilly's Boston Acoustics recommendation. Tremendous value for little cost, and DIY refoams are easy. The A series is well regarded--bookshelf models are A40, A60, and A70 and floorstanders are A100, A150, A200 and A400--but the later T series is also good and flies under the radar.
 
Oh, just saw your post re the A60s. Generally you want to pay half to full "value" on the A series. So for example, you'd want to pay from $25 to $50 or so on A60s in good shape. I paid the following for my BAs:

A60: $15, thrift
A70: two pairs, one $30 and the other $50, both CL
A100: $95, CL

All but the A100s needed a refoam, which I did myself.
 
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I don't think I'll be able to refoam a speaker to be honest.

There aren't any other Boston A-series on CL at the moment, but I'll keep looking.

Any other recommendations meanwhile?
 
Dude, believe me, you can. I have ten thumbs and I managed just fine. If you can scrape old glue off and put new glue on, you're most of the way there. Plus, there's tons of tutorials on the web, plus we can walk you through it here at AK.
 
Well alright. Could you describe what I'll have to do or point me to a tutorial relevant to the B & W A60s?
 
OutlandMetro said:
Well alright. Could you describe what I'll have to do or point me to a tutorial relevant to the B & W A60s?
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You're conflating the B&W speakers (which I know nothing about) and the Boston Acoustics A60s.

Either way, though, replacing foam surrounds is a pretty universal process, I think. Here's a random video how-to I just found: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uao7wSRU8ms

I usually reference a step-by-step on another site, but I have it bookmarked on my home computer and can't remember the website right now.

It's easy! The only thing is to make sure you source the correct surrounds. First get some speakers, then do a google or AK search for a source for the proper replacement surrounds, or start a thread asking that question.
 
OutlandMetro said:
There aren't any other Boston A-series on CL at the moment, but I'll keep looking.

Any other recommendations meanwhile?
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What area are you in? There is a pair of JBL 4408's in my area for 80 bux. These are very nice small 2 ways that sound much bigger than they are.
 
goldwax: Yeah I meant the Boston Acoustics A60's. That sounds easy enough, if I can't find a working pair I'll consider doing what you suggested.

Paul: Looking at CL, there isn't a lot of great stuff.

As for a receiver, I'm still not sure. People seem to like the Marantz and qualify it's sound as "warm" and "spacious", both of which are good; but I haven't heard many comparative descriptions of other models.

Yamaha CR receivers are quite a bit cheaper, but I've heard almost nothing about their sound in relation to the Marantz; same goes for Pioneer.

Have I mentioned I appreciate all this hand-holding? I ask these questions because I don't really know what I'm doing. So please forgive me if my queries are annoying or repetitive, I'm trying to make my purchases with the best knowledge beforehand.
 
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Alrighty, with the immense help of my fellow AKers, I have my first draft of the setup ready.

Thanks all!

EDIT: Almost forgot to ask. What is the difference between the Boston Acoustics A70 and A70T? A bit puzzling, as they look quite similar.
 
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Well, judging by the lack of responses from you guys, I think this setup is a winner.

Thanks all for the HUGE help you have been helping me choose a system. Much appreciated!

Thanks again,
John
 
Could you recommend some decent bookshelf-size speakers
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b&w dm110 or b&w dm110i..
detailed..smooth as butter..decent low end and not too bulky..oh and no foam surrounds to rot...so they should still sound as good as new if they have been well cared for..
they were a best buy budget model in the 80s but don't be fooled by their price(approx £50 on the used market for a well preserved pair)
...these speakers will withstand some very serious source component upgrades in the future...
(put aside £10 - £25 towards a pair of decent quality , rigid, pre-owned spiked stands to get the tweeters up to ear level if placing them on the floor..it makes a real difference to the sound of almost all bookshelf speakers)
the celestion DL-4 and DL-6 are also very good competitors to the b&w's
 
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I'll put those on the radar.

I'm still not sure about which speakers to get. Some people say the Boston Acoustics are the ones to have in terms of sound quality, and others say the B & W are a better value and higher quality. I don't really quite know which one is the better choice at the moment.

I've heard that the B & Ws don't play nice with low wpc receivers, is there any truth to that?
 
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I've heard that the B & Ws don't play nice with low wpc receivers, is there any truth to that?
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not really true with their entry level offerings...
they were designed to be used with amps between 25 to 50 watts per channel...and tend to be around 89db-91db/watt/per metre efficient...seldom dropping below a 6 ohm load...
so they will give decent volume with a few solid watts unless you want 'party' volumes which are not really what they are designed for..
 
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