Okay, for my criteria:
Go man, go!
4cylndrfury:
Don't know if they'd work for you, but i'm selling these:
http://dayton.craigslist.org/ele/1927706410.html
They aren't the best speakers ever, but you can have them for $25 if you want them.
Jacques
At the risk of throwing away a deal (I call dibs!) is this a worthwhile package?
http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ele/1931043756.html
Pub, I get a paycheck in a week, so you may just get a PM...Im kinda lookin for wall mounts though, so I will have to decide when I see the monies for all my hard work. They look pretty good, and Im interested, but if another buyer comes along, dont hold them for me...birds in your bush and all that...
I checked the specs of my receiver, and it can do 6 ohm speakers....
I got a line on a set of 5 Infinity Monitor speakers for $200
2x SM115
3x SM65
Is that a reasonable price? Are those speakers any good?
A little higher than your target price, but bang for the buck Hsu Research is unstoppable. I started with one of their Subs a few years back (VTF2 Mk.3), and picked up the other channels a year or so later.
Great customer support, too; my sub developed a minor rattle, and they walked me through disassembly, turned out it was a piece of insulation-guarding plastic that had come loose and was tapping the inside of the driver, but I was delighted to have a human being on the other end of the line to fix it without having to ship it all over creation. These things push solid, beautiful sound, and the sub can remove fillings if you want it to.
scardeal wrote: I checked the specs of my receiver, and it can do 6 ohm speakers.... I got a line on a set of 5 Infinity Monitor speakers for $200 2x SM115 3x SM65 Is that a reasonable price? Are those speakers any good?
They're...... loud. They aren't the best sounding speakers in the world. Probably decent for HT, tons of impact and "slam," but Hi-Fi, they're not.
BTW: I apologize to those that i said i'd have a list for yesterday. Doing the slave cylinder on my car took significantly longer than expected. Rockauto sending me the wrong part + hack job molestation by previous owner = failure.
93celicaGT2 wrote:scardeal wrote: Is that a reasonable price? Are those speakers any good?They're...... loud. They aren't the best sounding speakers in the world. Probably decent for HT, tons of impact and "slam," but Hi-Fi, they're not.
Thanks for the update. I'm not overly interested in raw volume. I'd rather a better sounding one.
scardeal wrote:93celicaGT2 wrote:Thanks for the update. I'm not overly interested in raw volume. I'd rather a better sounding one.scardeal wrote: Is that a reasonable price? Are those speakers any good?They're...... loud. They aren't the best sounding speakers in the world. Probably decent for HT, tons of impact and "slam," but Hi-Fi, they're not.
I had a pair of SM115s about two years ago. They weren't terrible, i should clarify. They were good for rock, and rap. Kindof fell apart on anything else.
But a cheap pair of Polk R50s were a BIG step up.
Actually, look for Polk R50s. You can usually find them for $100. The cherry finish is gorgeous, and they sound pretty decent. Again, they aren't the god of speakers or anything, but they are a nice starting point.
I'm from a Klipsch family. Grew up listening to my dad's KG4's. Bought my own almost 20 years ago, I think they are KG4.5's. I have a Sony ES receiver. Absolutely fantastic sound.
My brother just picked up a pair of old KG4's for under $200. Still a fantastic speaker.
Wharfedale makes good stuff for not much coin. I had a set (can't remember the model) and was impressed by the price to performance ratio. Still, nothing that I have found for under 5K a pair beats my Celestion studio monitors. Amazing clarity, great base even out of my little 5.5" surrounds and built like a tank. I've demo'd a few other speakers since I got these and I can't beat them.
I went to the store today and demoed a number of speakers. Decided not to buy anything. I'm getting pretty snobby about this.
I made a reference cd that I thought would both tax the speakers and represent the kind of music that I listen to.
They happened to have a Yamaha system there that used the same speakers, but in black. I listened to that as a reference. It definitely had "holes" in the audio between the sub and the speakers.
Listened to the following:
Polk Audio Monitor 50's - great midrange and bass, but seemed to be lacking in the highs.
Sony SF6000 - Nice highs, but seemed to be comparatively lacking lows.
Klipsch F20 - Great sound, acceptably lacking in lows, cannot afford it.
Klipsch F30 - Great sound all around, but I couldn't afford it.
Klipsch B20 - Again, nice highs, but lacking in the lows; I'd rather the Polks
I think I'm going to go to the high-end audio place and see what they've got used.
Sorry i'm slacking on the lists. 
But what was driving the Polk 50s?
It was one of the store's higher end receivers. I think it might've been a Denon. I didn't really pay too much attention to it.
I had changed the receiver to stereo flat from whatever they had it set up for.
It seemed to lack the crispness of the highs that the Klipsch F20 and F30 had.
scardeal wrote: It was one of the store's higher end receivers. I think it might've been a Denon. I didn't really pay too much attention to it. I had changed the receiver to stereo flat from whatever they had it set up for. It seemed to lack the crispness of the highs that the Klipsch F20 and F30 had.
Yep, that's the old horn vs. dome tweeter scenario. Some people like horns, some like domes. Personal taste. 
I'm glad I'm finding these things out before plunking down money on a pair or more of speakers.
This is a timely conversation, I've been shopping for an entry level 2 channel home theater/music for a small living room.
Keep the ideas coming.
93CelicaGT2 said: Sorry i'm slacking on the lists.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm still waiting indignantly for my free advice from the internet.
alex wrote:93CelicaGT2 said: Sorry i'm slacking on the lists.I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm still waiting indignantly for my free advice from the internet.
Polk Monitor 10s, offer him $100, they look pretty good. You'll need to build stands for them. (Cant back at a 3.5 degree angle to mimic the factory stands for time-alignment.): http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ele/1908365115.html
Adcom GFA-535II amp. "60wpc." I assure you it will be MORE than enough to drive the Polks. Offer him $150. http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ele/1934163915.html
OR: Pioneer SA-9100 Integrated amp. $125. http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ele/1939512575.html
If you go with the Adcom, you'll need a preamp. There was a Carver or two on ST Louis CL. You could grab either of them for $100.
Or if you want to stretch the components budget a smidge, get this: http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ele/1880117558.html Phase Linear Amp, preamp, and tuner for $500. Great gear, decent price, could probably talk him down a little.
In terms of jacking your MP3s through any of this, you can either do the quick and dirty route of just getting an 1/8th inch to left/right RCA "Y" adapter, or you can get a cheap DAC. I'd suggest the DAC. That said, depending on how compressed your MP3s are, they may never sound "warm."
If you want to stay cheap, the Monitor 10s + Pioneer integrated amp would be a great way to go. If you want to splurge a little, go with the Monitor 10s + Phase linear setup. But, the Pioneer would leave you some money to grab a decent DAC with, i imagine.
Thanks man. Certainly gives me a direction to look in. I appreciate that.
What do you think about this set up? http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ele/1906808499.html I'd try to pull some of the components out, since I have a decent turntable, and really no use for a tape player. Maybe keep the CD player in the mix.
Price is a little high. I'd offer $300. The only pieces in there really worth anything are the integrated and the Carver piece.
That preamp is decent. That's actually also a decent turntable. If you get that setup, i'd A/B compare your turntable against it and see which you like better.
The casette deck is a throwaway.
The Polk Monitor 4s are decent sounding, but not great, and won't fill a decent sized room too well. The minimum you should be looking at from a vintage Polk standpoint is some Monitor 5s or 7s.
From a strictly sound standpoint, the Monitor 10s are still a better option, at least in my opinion.
If you wanted to part that entire setup out, you'd probably get (estimated ballpark prices)
1) Yammie Integrated (or just keep it) $75-$100
2) Carver Preamp $100-$125
3) Audiosource EQ $30
4) JVC cd changer $50 at best
5) Pioneer turntable $50
6) Polk Monitor 4s $40-$50
7) Kenwood casette deck $10
93celicaGT2 wrote: Price is a little high. I'd offer $300. The only pieces in there really worth anything are the integrated and the Carver piece. That preamp is decent. That's actually also a decent turntable. If you get that setup, i'd A/B compare your turntable against it and see which you like better. The casette deck is a throwaway. The Polk Monitor 4s are decent sounding, but not great, and won't fill a decent sized room too well. The minimum you should be looking at from a vintage Polk standpoint is some Monitor 5s or 7s. From a strictly sound standpoint, the Monitor 10s are still a better option, at least in my opinion. If you wanted to part that entire setup out, you'd probably get (estimated ballpark prices) 1) Yammie Integrated (or just keep it) $75-$100 2) Carver Preamp $100-$125 3) Audiosource EQ $30 4) JVC cd changer $50 at best 5) Pioneer turntable $50 6) Polk Monitor 4s $40-$50 7) Kenwood casette deck $10
Good info, thanks. I might try to part some of this rig out (like the Polks and the Carver), since I'm also thinking of putting together a smaller system for our spare bedroom that now does duty as the 'media' room. Being a smaller and 'softer' room, seems the Polks might do okay.
I only like my turntable because I popped for a good Grado cartridge and stylus. Other than that...it spins.
I'll give you $30 for the Audiosource EQ if it's the kind that has the red leds on the sliders. I probably won't actually use it, but it would look pretty on my rack.
Here's a good deal:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1417959&posted=1#post1417959
Sansui AU-717 integrated. That and the Polk Monitor 10s would have you in a NICE place.
If you're interested, i can run up and pick it up and ship it out to you.
Quite possibly. Let's talk next week - I should have a little spending money after I sell my Model A.
BTW, do you like the Monitor 4's for a small system in a smaller room? I might do that Pioneer integrated amp you linked to with the Monitor 4's upstairs in the media room - that is, if you don't tell me they're crap.
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