Jump to content

Budget surround speaker suggestions

dylan43270

I am a little dissapointed in my satellite speakers in my 7.1 surround sound setup. I built my system in a hurry, and just got some cheap sony surround sound system from craigslist for $60. I cannot barely hear them over my 2 Onkyo tower speakers (old ones that were passed down from my dad, amazing sound) and my Klipsch center speaker. Any good suggestion for a decent satellite speaker, or other alternative?

 

 I know I am mixing up brands, which is generally frowned upon, but it has worked for me so far.

Internets Machine: Intel 4690k w/ Be Quiet! Pure Rock 4.7Ghz. MSI Krait z97. 16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport Ram. MSI GTX 970 SLI 1520mhz. 500GB Samsung EVO 840  & 3TB WD Blue Drive. Rosewill 1000w Modular PSU. Corsair Air 540

My Beats Yo: Desktop:SMSL SA-160 Amp, KEF Q100 w/ Dayton 100w Sub Theater: Micca MB42X-C x3, MB42X x2, COVO-S x2 w/Dayton 120w Sub Headphones:  HIFiMan HE-400i, PSB M4U2, Philips Fidelio X2, Modded Fostex T50RP, ATH-M50, NVX XPT100, Phillips SHP9500, Pioneer SE-A1000, Hyper X Cloud 1&2, CHC Silverado, Superlux 668B

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

In my forum post here, i had a simmilar question, as i wanted to upgrade my 2.0 speaker system (two big towers) to surround sound. The user Ian_Balisy recommended the Dayton Audio B652-AIR. I'm still searching for speakers since these are not available in Europe, and shipping and import would nearly triple the price for me, but they have great reviews around the net. Here is his original reply to me:

There're always going to be trade-offs when putting together a budget surround sound system. My suggestion for you is don't blow your budget on the speakers. As a musician, audiophile and one-who-has-spent-too-much-money-on-audio-equipment, I can tell you with certainty that between a pair $100 speakers and a $400 pair there is usually very little difference. This is simply a product of the individual components not being cheap for really good speakers, and there is very little in terms of better components (tweeters especially) until you hit about $500 for a pair of speakers. In a blind listening test a friend of mine chose a $40 pair of speakers I own over the $375 pair he had just bought... he was devastated and in denial for a while, but he honestly thought the cheaper ones sounded better.

 

You are much more likely to notice better build quality in reasonably more expensive receiver that is better able to drive your speakers than a $50 price difference in the speakers. You're headed the right direction in terms of picking out used speakers, I 100% support this in most cases. However, since you're looking specifically for rear surround (which is used primarily for detailed ambiance tracks, footsteps, wind, etc.) I would suggest these: Dayton Audio B652-Air. I have there predecessor and they are an incredible value. While most speakers below $500 will have cheaper tweeters that are prone to harshness and often color the high frequencies (because they are made to emphasize explosions and dialogue), the Dayton Audio B652s are excellently balanced and fairly neutral in sound, which is great for detailed surround channels.

 

For a center channel, I would suggest the Dayton Audio CCS-33B for matched timbre and tone to the rears (this is actually more important than pairing front and center because center and rear audio channels are more similarly configured). Bic Venturi also makes good center channel speakers but they are more expensive. All the Dayton Audio speakers are wall mountable.

 

Keep in mind, I suggest these speakers because I honestly believe they are the best value under $500 per pair. However, I also suggest these speakers so that you can spend your current budget well. It's easier (and certainly more satisfying) to replace your surround speakers or center channel in the future when you have more money to spend than it is to replace your receiver. Additionally, remember that your receiver is handling all the electricity and signal going out to your speakers and should be of high quality. No company makes a cheap receiver without cutting some corners. In that light, I would recommend a Denon receiver. They are outstandingly well built, last forever, never have power handling issues, and my personal experience has been nothing short of stellar. Without have spent $150 on speakers, your receiver budget should be around $450.

 

Also, don't worry about getting a sub right now. If your front tower speakers are performing well in the low ranges, a subwoofer will only muddle the overall sound of your system.

 

As per your picks, never ever buy Bose speakers. They are way overpriced and have a very distorted sound profile that makes anything but action scenes in movies sound less than satisfying. Also, frequency range doesn't really mean anything in terms of quality. The quality of the sound you hear is in the quality of components used, not the specifications to which they were made. Monitor Audio Radius are fine speakers but won't outperform the Daytons I suggested and cost more. Dantax speakers are ok, but the build quality is not confidence-inspiring and they can sound harsh.

 

Hope this helps, sorry I wrote so much. Audio is a passion for me!  ;)

 

Hope this helps at least a bit

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

A pair of Dayton B652's and a Lepai LP-2020A amp should sound great and do the job for around $60, and you also can add a sub woofer later if you want.

 

Speakers - http://www.amazon.com/Dayton-Audio-B652-Bookshelf-Speaker/dp/B002RMPHMU

Amp - http://www.amazon.com/Lepai-LP-2020A-Tripath-Class-T-Amplifier/dp/B0049P6OTI/ref=pd_sim_e_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0YF5H0KNTWPN5EAT6X8S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×