Hi,

I have a $1500 budget (shhh.. don't tell me wife) to spare for my home
audio system, which will be used for both home theater and CD/MP3
listening. I already have my HDTV, DVD/CD/MP3 Player, Cable, all set
up. All I need is my speakers, and possibily a receiver to complete
the project.

I was thinking of Bose AM10 III at first, but after reading this
newsgroup, which consistently beat Bose to the floor, I'm giving it a
second thought. What speakers (with the matching receiver if required)
would you buy for the given budget? Other than sound quality, I also
want it to look nice (and small). Any suggestion would be greatly
appreciated. Thanks.

-Rick

"Rick" wrote in message
news:IiEMb.35393$na.26149@attbi_s04...
Hi,

I have a $1500 budget (shhh.. don't tell me wife) to spare for my home
audio system, which will be used for both home theater and CD/MP3
listening. I already have my HDTV, DVD/CD/MP3 Player, Cable, all set
up. All I need is my speakers, and possibily a receiver to complete
the project.

I was thinking of Bose AM10 III at first, but after reading this
newsgroup, which consistently beat Bose to the floor, I'm giving it a
second thought. What speakers (with the matching receiver if required)
would you buy for the given budget? Other than sound quality, I also
want it to look nice (and small). Any suggestion would be greatly
appreciated. Thanks.

-Rick

For small speakers/subwoofer you may want to consider the Hsu Ventriloquist
and the STF-2 (that devours $650 + shipping). You should be able to find a
(6.1)Yamaha/Pioneer/Onkyo/Denon receiver for approx. $500. Any of them will
be capable of 'matching' those speakers.

Rick wrote:

Hi,

I have a $1500 budget (shhh.. don't tell me wife) to spare for my home
audio system, which will be used for both home theater and CD/MP3
listening. I already have my HDTV, DVD/CD/MP3 Player, Cable, all set
up. All I need is my speakers, and possibily a receiver to complete
the project.

What makes you think you don't need a receiver? Unless there's something
you're not telling us about your current equipment, you do.

A few suggestions:

1. Go to Paradigm's website (www.paradigm.ca) and download their Systems
Brochure. The system built around the Atom is the least expensive I would
consider.

2. Check also PSB (www.psbspeakers.org), for what they offer built around
the Alpha.

3. Check the 11/03 issue of Consumer Reports (or pay $5 for a month's access
to their website) for a rating of multichannel receivers. (Ignore anything
CR says about speakers.) The major brands are likely to be very similar.

bob

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Rick wrote:

Hi,

I have a $1500 budget (shhh.. don't tell me wife) to spare for my home
audio system, which will be used for both home theater and CD/MP3
listening. I already have my HDTV, DVD/CD/MP3 Player, Cable, all set
up. All I need is my speakers, and possibily a receiver to complete
the project.

$1500? Just need a reveiver and speakers? You've come to the right place.

First off, the receiver. Small and useable is the key here. Shop for
an after-the-hollidays bargain. Onkyo, Denon, Harmon Kardon, Sony,
and several others all make nice receivers for under $400. A receiver
like this is a receiver. I like Denon myself, for the features. Get
6.1 if you can, as well as Dolby Digital II. Denon is my favorite because
their lowly 1604 is 6 ohm capable and does 6.1 and all the processing modes.

The 1804 is nice, too. A staple of the industry. With MSRP of 399 and 499,
finding these on sale and within your budget should be a snap.

You will need $1100-$1200 for speakers, so $300-$400 for a receiver is
critical. No more than this. Note - $2000 will nearly double the quality
of your sound, so if you are thinking of long-term quality, spend a bit
more. Maybe $500 for a receiver and $1500 for speakers.

Okay - onto the black magic. Speakers. Let's assume you have a 6.1 setup.
This is a bit easier as it allows you to shop for 6 surround speakers and
potentially use a surround for the center channel if shielded, thereby
buying in pairs and saving a bit of money. Or - you can go 5.1 and upgrade
later - your choice.

You want real MDF construction, rubber surrounds, decent 2-way speakers
with 4 inch minimum drivers(6 inch preferred for the low-end), and good
binding posts. This gets rid of Bose and most of the home theatre in a box
solutions.

Let's work backwards. Subwoofer. This is the crown jewel of the system.
It doesn't need to be huge, either, or go super-low. A good 8 inch sub will
get the job done for about $400. That leaves you about $100 per speaker
for the rest of them, plus some leeway. You are optimally looking at
surrounds that go down to 50hz or lower to have realistic impact and
effects.

My favorites:
Ascend acoustics. $1100-$1200 for a full 5.6/6.1 system that will do
very good sound for not a lot of money. Their site seems to go up and
down, though - anyone got info on this?

Mirage also makes good speakers. Figure $250 a pair times 3 sets, plus
a subwoofer. Maybe $200 a pair plus larget front towers.

KEF makes a great line of small speakers. The Cresta line are good,
solid performers. They also make a 5.1 surround system that while
expensive, has a small visual footprint and is a snap to install due
to integrated mounts.

My favorite, though, are Tannoy. They sound clean and polished and
represent a good value for the money. There are a couple of places that
advertize on Audiogon.
http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.p...ull&1077471203
This seems to be an excellent deal. These are Tannoy's budget line,
and are all shielded, so place them as you'd like.

- 1 pair MXm3 towers for the fronts
- 2 pair MXm1 for the surrounds.
Roughly $900-$1000 for the system after discounts. This is a superb system
,though you'd need a sub to be added, likely bringing the budget up to
$1800 or so with the receiver. Note - this is a 6.1 system, so it's
worth a couple hundred more, IMO.

Swapping the surrounds for MXm1s is also good, and you could always go
smaller:

1 pair MXm2 - fronts - good for stereo sound.
2 pairs MXm1 - 6.1 setup. Roughly $700 plus a sub - doable on your budget.

I think the 1 and 2 make better center channels than their "center" speaker.
I am a fan of small towers for the front in any case. I'd listen to a pair
in person and make a decision. I find the MXm3s to be good speakers.

For small speakers/subwoofer you may want to consider the Hsu
Ventriloquist
and the STF-2 (that devours $650 + shipping). You should be able to find
a
(6.1)Yamaha/Pioneer/Onkyo/Denon receiver for approx. $500. Any of them
will
be capable of 'matching' those speakers.

Sorry, I meant to provide the link: http://hsuresearch.com/products/
Also, Gateway computers now carries the Hsu line so you may be able to
audition them at one of their brick & mortar outlets.

Take a look at www.norh.com for the speakers also. They have many
different options. The drums aren't easy to place for most but are
incredible looking and sounding. They also have great customer service
and deliver worldwide.

Joseph Oberlander wrote:
Rick wrote:

Hi,

I have a $1500 budget (shhh.. don't tell me wife) to spare for my home
audio system, which will be used for both home theater and CD/MP3
listening. I already have my HDTV, DVD/CD/MP3 Player, Cable, all set
up. All I need is my speakers, and possibily a receiver to complete
the project.


$1500? Just need a reveiver and speakers? You've come to the right place.

First off, the receiver. Small and useable is the key here. Shop for
an after-the-hollidays bargain. Onkyo, Denon, Harmon Kardon, Sony,
and several others all make nice receivers for under $400. A receiver
like this is a receiver. I like Denon myself, for the features. Get
6.1 if you can, as well as Dolby Digital II. Denon is my favorite because
their lowly 1604 is 6 ohm capable and does 6.1 and all the processing
modes.

The 1804 is nice, too. A staple of the industry. With MSRP of 399 and
499,
finding these on sale and within your budget should be a snap.

You will need $1100-$1200 for speakers, so $300-$400 for a receiver is
critical. No more than this. Note - $2000 will nearly double the quality
of your sound, so if you are thinking of long-term quality, spend a bit
more. Maybe $500 for a receiver and $1500 for speakers.

Okay - onto the black magic. Speakers. Let's assume you have a 6.1 setup.
This is a bit easier as it allows you to shop for 6 surround speakers and
potentially use a surround for the center channel if shielded, thereby
buying in pairs and saving a bit of money. Or - you can go 5.1 and upgrade
later - your choice.

You want real MDF construction, rubber surrounds, decent 2-way speakers
with 4 inch minimum drivers(6 inch preferred for the low-end), and good
binding posts. This gets rid of Bose and most of the home theatre in a box
solutions.

Let's work backwards. Subwoofer. This is the crown jewel of the system.
It doesn't need to be huge, either, or go super-low. A good 8 inch sub
will
get the job done for about $400. That leaves you about $100 per speaker
for the rest of them, plus some leeway. You are optimally looking at
surrounds that go down to 50hz or lower to have realistic impact and
effects.

My favorites:
Ascend acoustics. $1100-$1200 for a full 5.6/6.1 system that will do
very good sound for not a lot of money. Their site seems to go up and
down, though - anyone got info on this?

Mirage also makes good speakers. Figure $250 a pair times 3 sets, plus
a subwoofer. Maybe $200 a pair plus larget front towers.

KEF makes a great line of small speakers. The Cresta line are good,
solid performers. They also make a 5.1 surround system that while
expensive, has a small visual footprint and is a snap to install due
to integrated mounts.

My favorite, though, are Tannoy. They sound clean and polished and
represent a good value for the money. There are a couple of places that
advertize on Audiogon.
http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.p...ull&1077471203
This seems to be an excellent deal. These are Tannoy's budget line,
and are all shielded, so place them as you'd like.

- 1 pair MXm3 towers for the fronts
- 2 pair MXm1 for the surrounds.
Roughly $900-$1000 for the system after discounts. This is a superb system
,though you'd need a sub to be added, likely bringing the budget up to
$1800 or so with the receiver. Note - this is a 6.1 system, so it's
worth a couple hundred more, IMO.

Swapping the surrounds for MXm1s is also good, and you could always go
smaller:

1 pair MXm2 - fronts - good for stereo sound.
2 pairs MXm1 - 6.1 setup. Roughly $700 plus a sub - doable on your budget.

I think the 1 and 2 make better center channels than their "center"
speaker.
I am a fan of small towers for the front in any case. I'd listen to a pair
in person and make a decision. I find the MXm3s to be good speakers.

NAD or Outlaw receiver.

Paradigm or PSB speakers & sub at your price point.

If music is more important than movies, just buy five Atoms instead of the more
expensive center and rear speakers, plus a sub, of course.

Recently, I discovered a "new" brand - Sherwood Newcastle. Not too many
people came across this brand, but I'm telling you that it is very good.

You can have a 7.1 receiver for a little over USD$600.00 and man, it rock
your house, so you still have about USD$900.00 to spend on a 5.1 speaker
system, for budget like that, I would like to recommend "AAD", same company
who own Soliloquy, only the AAD was made in China. You might not be able to
buy the C800 (1 tweeter and 4 drivers, cost about USD$750.00), but the
other bundle is pretty reasonable as well. Good thing about C800 is it give
you enough bass, you don't even need a subwoofer.

That is my opinion.

Lawrence Leung

If your looking for a discrete clean looking system with allot of power
and great sound. Go to www.roundsound.com . These speakers are great
and you will not be dissappointed.

"DOA" wrote in message
...
If your looking for a discrete clean looking system with allot of power
and great sound. Go to www.roundsound.com . These speakers are great
and you will not be dissappointed.

What home audio system is for $1500 or less there?

Those Nucleus micro speakers with the subwoofer or less then 1500
dollars.