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Tower 5.1 Package Advice

B

BaronKatz

Member
Hello There Everyone!

Looking to start a new system. :banana: I wanted two tower floor standing speakers to start with and then buy a center and rears later. I want to start with stereo and expand to a 5.1 channel surround and have many questions.

I wanted something slim and tall like the Beolab Penta, Beolab 1, or Beolab 8000 speakers. The Penta are the most beautiful tower speakers I have ever seen (they remind me a little of the Cyberpunk style of Blade Runner) and I would really like something nice and glossy black or metallic to match the Loewe Aconda I have in glossy black. I have been drooling over the A/D/S L1290 and L1590 speakers in Black with the nice metallic grill they have, BUT it seems they might be a bit bulky and big for my application and maybe even a bit too powerful?

I have a very small living room and will be merely a few feet away from the speakers themselves. I have found a lot of Danish Made Jamo speakers and even full surround sets but even though they look nice they have a cheap feel to them. Am I missing something? I thought JAMO was supposed to be fairly high end, but they don't seem it with some of their designs. These are really within my price range though...

I like the look of Martin Logans and others. Any suggestions in the $200 price range for USED speakers from the late 80s to today. I will mostly be looking on Craigslist and eBay. Here are some I have seen that I have liked but not sure about the sound quality. My only requirement besides sounding and looking good is that they are not Made in China or outsourced to other developing countries...

KEF Q50/Q70 $200
A/D/S L1290 and L1590s ($450-$500 although I am hoping to find some in the $200-$300 if I can, not sure if they will fit)

I like other ones I have seen by Dynaudio, AudioVector, etc.. I quite like the Danish designs as well as Italian and some UK. Some of the american designs such as the Martin Logans and A/D/S are great too but others like Polk Audio, Klipsch, etc... are a bit too utilitarian looking for me...

Any suggestions for specific speakers I should search for? Also I was looking for an amp to go with them. Was thinking of the Onkyo TX-NR1000 or something similar, I wanted a 5.1 Channel that would give me NEARLY the SQ of a great 2-channel (in 2 channel mode of course).

Thank you!
 
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The Infinity Primus like can be recommended. They are efficient and low cost but high quality. I've a pair of the P362s and am considering the P163s for the bedroom. The P363s are on sale at Fry's for $117 each and the P163s for $59 each. They offer center channel and subwoofers too.

Not the swankiest looking but decent enough.
 
FauxHall said:
The Infinity Primus like can be recommended. They are efficient and low cost but high quality. I've a pair of the P362s and am considering the P163s for the bedroom. The P363s are on sale at Fry's for $117 each and the P163s for $59 each. They offer center channel and subwoofers too.

Not the swankiest looking but decent enough.
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Unfortunately they are Made in China and one of my biggest requirements is that they are not outsourced to a developing country...

To top it off I would rather pay the same amount for a pair of used speakers from the 80s/90s that were 10 times the price they are now. I don't mind used at all, I bought my Loewe Aconda used and it looks and feels new even though it's about 10 years old and beats out almost any Plasma/LED on the market today and I got it for $40 for what was close to $5000 new... This is the kind of deal I am looking for. I have seen $2000 speakers from the 90s selling for $200...
 
Most speakers are designed in the original country of origin but built in developing countries, I guess China is still 'developing'
 
geespot said:
Most speakers are designed in the original country of origin but built in developing countries, I guess China is still 'developing'
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Most of the LOWER END (and some mid-range) speakers THESE DAYS, yes, but I am looking for speakers mostly from the 80s-90s or if I can afford some from the 00s that were in the thousands of dollars originally, not even hundreds. NEARLY ALL of the highest end speakers are ALL made in the country where they were designed...
 
BaronKatz said:
Hello There Everyone!

Looking to start a new system. :banana: I wanted two tower floor standing speakers to start with and then buy a center and rears later. I want to start with stereo and expand to a 5.1 channel surround and have many questions.

I wanted something slim and tall like the Beolab Penta, Beolab 1, or Beolab 8000 speakers. The Penta are the most beautiful tower speakers I have ever seen (they remind me a little of the Cyberpunk style of Blade Runner) and I would really like something nice and glossy black or metallic to match the Loewe Aconda I have in glossy black. I have been drooling over the A/D/S L1290 and L1590 speakers in Black with the nice metallic grill they have, BUT it seems they might be a bit bulky and big for my application and maybe even a bit too powerful?

I have a very small living room and will be merely a few feet away from the speakers themselves. I have found a lot of Danish Made Jamo speakers and even full surround sets but even though they look nice they have a cheap feel to them. Am I missing something? I thought JAMO was supposed to be fairly high end, but they don't seem it with some of their designs. These are really within my price range though...

I like the look of Martin Logans and others. Any suggestions in the $200 price range for USED speakers from the late 80s to today. I will mostly be looking on Craigslist and eBay. Here are some I have seen that I have liked but not sure about the sound quality. My only requirement besides sounding and looking good is that they are not Made in China or outsourced to other developing countries...

KEF Q50/Q70 $200
A/D/S L1290 and L1590s ($450-$500 although I am hoping to find some in the $200-$300 if I can, not sure if they will fit)

I like other ones I have seen by Dynaudio, AudioVector, etc.. I quite like the Danish designs as well as Italian and some UK. Some of the american designs such as the Martin Logans and A/D/S are great too but others like Polk Audio, Klipsch, etc... are a bit too utilitarian looking for me...

Any suggestions for specific speakers I should search for? Also I was looking for an amp to go with them. Was thinking of the Onkyo TX-NR1000 or something similar, I wanted a 5.1 Channel that would give me NEARLY the SQ of a great 2-channel (in 2 channel mode of course).

Thank you!
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lotsa conflicting requirements. One idea is JBL L5s. IMO far better sounding than the old L100s and up. USA made, simple and very well constructed. All cast basket drivers. It combines the output and dynamics of the older stuff with a nice balanced smooth response that rewards good components. They can get away with crappy source material if that's all you can find, but they shine with good recordings and up-stream gear. Best looking black ash veneer I've ever handled. Not at all cheap or plastic-y. They put a lot of effort into the crossovers and proper time-alignment, and the Ti tweeters they used are very sophisticated and well implemented, they sound much better than the same exact tweeters as used in my L20s, due to a proper x-over. They actually outclass my Heil AMTs in my opinion. Can be had for 2-400 dollars a pair. They actually go for cheaper than their value in drivers still lol.

Last "good" consumer speakers I've seen from JBL, with the exception of their crazy Everests, K2s and the ones TitaniumDome raves about over on the harman site :P

No one ever does, but I would politely suggest you reconsider looking at some Chinese hi-fi. It does exist, and most of the American/European made speakers either use Chinese drivers or source them from companies that design and/or build there. There's no difference but price and pride from a MIT-schooled engineer in China and a MIT-schooled engineer in LA :)
 
austi15 said:
lotsa conflicting requirements. One idea is JBL L5s. IMO far better sounding than the old L100s and up. USA made, simple and very well constructed. All cast basket drivers. It combines the output and dynamics of the older stuff with a nice balanced smooth response that rewards good components. They can get away with crappy source material if that's all you can find, but they shine with good recordings and up-stream gear. Best looking black ash veneer I've ever handled. Not at all cheap or plastic-y. They put a lot of effort into the crossovers and proper time-alignment, and the Ti tweeters they used are very sophisticated and well implemented, they sound much better than the same exact tweeters as used in my L20s, due to a proper x-over. They actually outclass my Heil AMTs in my opinion. Can be had for 2-400 dollars a pair. They actually go for cheaper than their value in drivers still lol.

Last "good" consumer speakers I've seen from JBL, with the exception of their crazy Everests, K2s and the ones TitaniumDome raves about over on the harman site :P

No one ever does, but I would politely suggest you reconsider looking at some Chinese hi-fi. It does exist, and most of the American/European made speakers either use Chinese drivers or source them from companies that design and/or build there. There's no difference but price and pride from a MIT-schooled engineer in China and a MIT-schooled engineer in LA :)
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The JBL L5's are a great suggestion and look good too. Any others that people have?

My reservation about China is not just in quality but I am against outsourcing for the "race to the bottom" that it creates and many other reasons, more political, economic and ethic than anything. I know small independent makers who got burnt because they weren't getting what they were promised and I've talked to people from big companies that did sourcing and buying from China and they all tell me the quality control there is just simply appalling. Again I don't care to discuss this in depth but if you look at nearly ALL high end equipment from the highest end Canon cameras, to Arri film cameras, to Loewe televisions, to high end cables from Kimber and Nordost, to AudioVector, Vienna Acoustics, Dali and even some Klipsch as mentioned below they are all high end and NOT outsourced for MANY reasons...

ThomasB98908 said:
Klipsch. Made in Arkansas I believe. Not sure where thier parts come from though.
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Many of the Klipsch models are still built in the USA as you say, some of the lower end ones are outsourced. For the price though, I would rather buy something used that was higher end 15 years ago than a new one now...
 
How about NHT? I had the big ones and they are still be the best surround speakers I have had. The smaller towers would fit you better. I also use the center and it is very good.
 
There's a couple of issues you should consider here. First, sounds like you want used speakers from before the home-theater era. Given the HT receiver you intend to use, I would go with something more contemporary, just my opinion. That Onkyo a whole lot of receiver, btw, a great one, but it's 7.1 -- not a problem, of course, but matching a 5.1 amp to a 5.1 system might save you some $$ without sacrificing sound quality, just saying. Finally, you want to come in under budget, but that's going to be hard if you don't want them built in Asia. If you want American you are going to have to pay for it, them's the rules of capitalism: you can have your cake and eat it too, but it's going to be really hard to get there.

OK, enough of the concerns. At your price point, I would recommend either Klipsch or Pioneer. I just installed a 5.1 system starting with the Pioneer SP-FS52 (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Speakers/Home+Theater+Speakers/SP-FS52). I gotta say, the whole system WAY outperforms it's meager price. The smallish, sleek floorstanders set me back all of a whopping $260 and that was the most expensive bit. For a smaller space like mine (~20'x11') they sound amazing. I'm totally stoked, all I can say.

Of course, you're looking for something vintage, which means you may find speakers of a higher pedigree if you're lucky. But you'll also likely be mixing and matching from several sources to put the full 5.1 together. Make your economic decisions wisely.
 
JoeESP9 said:
Magneplanar speakers; Made in the USA! Sold in China!
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These speakers look amazing and are the perfect size in some ways (although they might be too wide). They are a bit too expensive though, even used they seem to fetch way above my price range?

DougMac said:
$200 won't get you much, even used.
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Depends where I'm looking. I have seen a lot of Klipsch, a lot of the KEF Q50/70s, a lot of Polk Audios, and others that are made in the USA or Europe for the $200 range on craigslist. I even saw some VectorAudio $1000 speakers for $100... So it IS possible, I just need to know WHICH models to look for.

Kahoona said:
How about NHT? I had the big ones and they are still be the best surround speakers I have had. The smaller towers would fit you better. I also use the center and it is very good.
Click to expand...

I have a pair of NHT Bookshelves that were made in the USA from the early 90s. They don't sound that great unfortunately :-(. I am not even sure which models were made in the USA since they outsource so much now...

dolphyisgod said:
There's a couple of issues you should consider here. First, sounds like you want used speakers from before the home-theater era. Given the HT receiver you intend to use, I would go with something more contemporary, just my opinion. That Onkyo a whole lot of receiver, btw, a great one, but it's 7.1 -- not a problem, of course, but matching a 5.1 amp to a 5.1 system might save you some $$ without sacrificing sound quality, just saying. Finally, you want to come in under budget, but that's going to be hard if you don't want them built in Asia. If you want American you are going to have to pay for it, them's the rules of capitalism: you can have your cake and eat it too, but it's going to be really hard to get there.

OK, enough of the concerns. At your price point, I would recommend either Klipsch or Pioneer. I just installed a 5.1 system starting with the Pioneer SP-FS52 (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Speakers/Home+Theater+Speakers/SP-FS52). I gotta say, the whole system WAY outperforms it's meager price. The smallish, sleek floorstanders set me back all of a whopping $260 and that was the most expensive bit. For a smaller space like mine (~20'x11') they sound amazing. I'm totally stoked, all I can say.

Of course, you're looking for something vintage, which means you may find speakers of a higher pedigree if you're lucky. But you'll also likely be mixing and matching from several sources to put the full 5.1 together. Make your economic decisions wisely.
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The pioneers you mentioned, for that price they are probably made in China. Yes I was thinking mixing and matching might not be great, but most 5.1 Channel systems are not that great at my price point. That is why it is MUCH more economical to buy the components separately. Design is quite important for me and I would prefer rounded rather than squarish speakers and ones that are not too wide as I don't have much room.

That said I appreciate your comment on the Onkyo. Yes that model is a bit out of my price range so I wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions. You say that the speakers I am looking at are before surround sound but I have seen MANY 5.1 channel receivers with dolby prologic from that era. Granted I want something newer with optical and coaxial inputs and POSSIBLY analog 5.1 input...

The reason I wanted that Onkyo is because it uses those cards and weighs 50LBS and looks amazing. It OOZES quality... MOST of the 5.1 receievers I have seen look cheap or utilitarian (like the B&Ks)...
 
Cards?

Most of the posters here buy speakers and other gear based on the sound of said gear. That is, we actually listen to something before buying it.

Is the Marantz NR 1403 ($399) within your price range? If it is you could do a lot worse.
 
JoeESP9 said:
Cards?

Most of the posters here buy speakers and other gear based on the sound of said gear. That is, we actually listen to something before buying it.

Is the Marantz NR 1403 ($399) within your price range? If it is you could do a lot worse.
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It is but it is made in China. Again, I would rather buy something that is 10 years old, made in Japan, US, UK, Denmark, etc... and buy it for $200-$300 when it cost $1000-$2000 new for example. Rather than buy something inferior for $400 new that is made in China and not to my taste in both build quality (which for me is just as important as sound quality) as well as other factors.

I need a few suggestions to be able to find something on craigslist, go and listen to it, if I like it then buy it. First I will look at the design and build quality, then I will go and listen to it.

FYI, just discovered Linn speakers and Amps, etc... The quality, design etc.. are AMAZING although it's a bit out of my price range, even used, I have found some Tukan speakers and others that might be just a tad over my price used. But I want full floor standing speakers, not bookshelves...
 
My JM Lab Chorus 715s are made in France and sound great. I have two, but they were designed as part of a HT system. They aren't quite the style of the Pentas, but WAF has been good. Now, they are called Focal.
 
I bought this center channel speaker made by AudioVector. Is this any good? http://www.ebay.com/itm/121079838387?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 I bought it for $50 when it was originally a $1000 speaker. I don't like the look of it that much, but I could always paint or lacquer over the scratched wood to make it a sleek black...

Does anyone have any experience with AudioVector? Would it be best to/should I now buy a matching speaker set to it or will it be OK to use another speaker set since the center channel is mostly only used for "voice" in movies...

Oh and how would it compare to this Jamo I bought for my dad for around the same price: http://www.ebay.com/itm/181081156828?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

I really don't understand Jamo, their speakers sound decent, although many are really plasticky, some of the older higher end ones even sound excellent, but their price points always were, and are mid-fi vs. hi-fi... It's always been a kind of poor mans B&O for me... Any thoughts?
 
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Anyone? I just want a list of speakers to look for that meet my requirements, even if normally they sell for $400 used for example I might find them for less. I am sure there are many... If I have a list I can start searching Craigslist and eBay until I find something...
 
Magneplanars, ADS, Dynaudios, Linn, and similar are not home theater receiver friendly to drive. As in you will need much more amp than that to drive one pair correctly mind a surround set.
 
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