good value for money speakers and amp??

[tommy_t]

Hi,

I am new to the whole home audio scene so i need a bit of help

I am looking for set of speakers and matching amp and i am also on a budget of about 200 to 300 dollars for the speakers and whatever (preferably second hand to save money) i have to pay for an amp (hopefully similar $$$).

Obviously i am not going to get awesome quality for this but i would like the best i can get.

I have bought a jaycar sub amp ( http://www.planetaudio.com.au/forums/showt...p=2227#post2227 (http://www.planetaudio.com.au/forums/showthread.php?p=2227#post2227) ) and am about to buy a sub to suit it.

So now i am looking for two tower speakers (i am not really interested in surround sound) to go with it.

so far i have had a look on ebay and have found these 2 options

1 - very cheap so im suppose nasty - however it does come with 5 speakers http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...5767895855&rd=1 (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14993&item=5767895855&rd=1)

2 - a kit set which i could make up when i make the sub box up -
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...item=5752503853 (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14993&item=5752503853)

coudl you guys make any recomendations about theses or other speakers and or where to shop

also, if you could guide me in the right direction with amps i would be very appreciative (i currently have no idea)

Thanks for your help
Tom

[Aslan]

Mate, the accusound delta's are a damn fine speaker..........if you can pick up a genuine kit for that sort of money they're an absolute bargain......... go for it.............otherwise $200-300 wont get you far at all in the way of decent brands.

[tommy_t]

Ok, i found some other speakers, was just wondering any of you guys had heard of these brands etc

1: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...item=5765600873 (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67918&item=5765600873)

2: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...item=5765601847 (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67918&item=5765601847)

Also, those Delta 890's... they dont come with any sort of box, so i would have to make my own... would they still sound as good, and how hard would it be to make a decent box. (it says they come with instructions)

Thanks
Tom

[mondie]

Tommy,

Both of thise auctions were for speakers that are just chinese rip offs of the real thing. They look convincing but l am sure they would sound terrible and be poorly made if you were to actually see them in person. Way better of to find some nice second hand speakers. Ebay is a good source as is the Trading Post.

[shiny_car]

if you have a sub, then consider bookshelf speakers. these will usually end up higher quality for the same kinda money. it'll be a matter of tuning the sub to blend nicely: gain and LP xover filter.

do factor in decent stands for bookshelf speakers, which will cost around $100~200 new. otherwise secondhand, and many retailers would have some old, secondhand gear around to sell cheaply.

:)

[speedworks]

Originally posted by mondie
Tommy,

Both of thise auctions were for speakers that are just chinese rip offs of the real thing. They look convincing but l am sure they would sound terrible and be poorly made if you were to actually see them in person. Way better of to find some nice second hand speakers. Ebay is a good source as is the Trading Post.I brought a pair of the EX650 series from Aussiehifi and have found them to be quite nice although they are my first set of good speakers for the price i havent been able to fault them yet. mine came with optional 3 years warrenty in and are the originals from the warrenty stuff i sent in. There is another brand that is making simmilar looking speakers under a different name and i think they are the chinnese rippoffs. i must admit though i havent pulled the drivers out to see what is realy in there.

[56oval]

I have a pair of Axis LS38s floor stander 92.5db @6ohms used them with a valve amp good condish finished in a mahogany swirl timber $400 I,m in vic call me on 039742-1864 .

[norpus]

Originally posted by speedworks
I brought a pair of the EX650 series from Aussiehifi and have found them to be quite nice although they are my first set of good speakers for the price i havent been able to fault them yet. mine came with optional 3 years warrenty in *and are the originals from the warrenty stuff i sent in. There is another brand that is making simmilar looking speakers under a different name and i think they are the chinnese rippoffs. i must admit though i havent pulled the drivers out to see what is realy in there.
I was a sceptic before also Mondie but I agree with you speedworks - these speakers really do look nice and sound fine for HT. I just bought a set of 5 for a mate this week and set them up this weekend - he's rapped. They were the QX900 and got the whole set delivered for under $350.
Dream HIFI in melbourne also have same/similar speakers from same Chinese factories.
The DX800 below are very similar to the QX900 but with bigger 2x 8" woofers - and sold for $251 for the set of 5. Incredible value and just fine for Tommy's needs (he'll impress the hell out of his mates)

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1 (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5776738127&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1)

Having been to China recently and purchased Rolex lookalike watches for $2 (yes they go and yes they fool most people), I am not quite so astounded now at what price the Chinese can produce gear for these days. Gees, those watches would have been produced for less than a buck!!, and they are fine! (I bought 6 in the end hehe)

[tommy_t]

hey guys

i bought a set of QX1000's from the brisbane guy for just under 400.... i also bought a marantz sr4000 amp second hand off ebay for 400 delivered and i have to say for 800 bucks its a friggin good system...

thanks
Tom

[Tom J]

Hey
Sorry to bring the topic back from the dead so long after it died, but I happened to find it while searching google and thought I'd add my comments.

I originally purchased a pioneer VSX-D514 for $437 on sale from JB hifi (actually i layby'd the superceded (hence why it was cheap) VSX-D512 at that price, which was sold before I went to pick it up a month later, and got the new model for the same price). After looking around a little for cheap speakers I decided I'd try ebay, and finished up purchasing the DA-660 package for $315 in October last year. For the money obviously it is a good deal, and the sound quality while not up to the $7000 Jupiters in Mondie's pic, would certainly compete with $2-3k 5-speaker surround systems I have heard from Dali and the like. A little flat in the upper midrange, and a lack of bass (certainly intended to be aided by a subwoofer) volume, but even for $2k these would be a decent buy. The bass extension is there, but the main degrading point is a wide yet lack of depth to the soundstage. Instruments' angle from the listener can be "pointed" to in space but their distance from the listener are a little less defined.

A few weeks ago I decided enough is enough with my cheap 10" dick smith sub and got the dream sw-200 sub. For roughly $70 more than I paid for the DSE sub, there was a 10 fold improvement. Aesthetically it is great with black piano finish, a large solid base and shiny (oooh ahhh) chromed/SS supports. The low 20Hz (-3dB pont) bass extension is very clear on first listening and a lot of bass in acoustic songs is felt in the ears, rather than heard. At higher volumes the sub has no problem in rattling the air in my chest, while still keeping a clear, tight and controlled tone. Placed in the corner of my HT room it allows a deep, tight bass response that certainly isn't "boomy" or loose. Of course for the $215 odd I paid you wouldn't expect much, and it will certainly exceed any expectations placed on it. Obviously if you want to compare a $2000 top brand sub to this the better product will be clear, but it is on a somewhat even par with subs I have personally heard at around the $1k mark.

I found that the sub was a little more powerful in respect to my speakers, and I kept having to turn it down to keep the balance right, sacrificing that wall rumbling punch I enjoy that comes at higher volumes to avoid running my amp hard all the time. In an attempt to fix this I purchased the DX800 speakers from the same seller, with 92dB efficiency as opposed to 90dB. The improvement was clear, the system is much more balanced with bass not drowning out the rest of the sound. The DX800, also built in the same factory as the Pure Acoustics brand, do sound better than the original DA-660 I had. Better soundstage, clearer voices through the centre speaker, and a great finish to boot. Also, all the DX800 speakers have reasonable quality gold-plated binding posts, the DA-660 fronts have lower quality, but still gold plated binding posts, with spring clips on the centre and surrounds.

For a total amp/sub/speakers cost of just under $950 (DVD player, interconnects and cabling of course are on top of this) I would challenge anyone to find a better system. Powerful bass, big, full sound, excellent looks, and a good quality all around, you really could not do any better for under $3000 minimum.

Well now I've written half a book on a month old topic, I'll finish by mentioning the build quality of the above. The pioneer pretty much speaks for itself, but obviously the build quality of the Dream brand is going to be pretty suspicious. Overall it is quite good - aesthetically the finish on both the speakers and sub is excellent. The strength of the cabinets is quite surprising - one surround speaker fell off a fridge (don't ask) about 6 feet and hit solid concrete below it and survived with a small chip in the front gloss and a dent on a top rear corner. An old teac speaker I had dropped three feet in the same place and completely fell apart, so I suppose their build is sufficiently strong.

Finally, how can they be built so cheap? Well, if you consider the small amount of wood, veneer, metal and paper and crossover components that are actually present in a speaker, the materials cost is quite low, even for expensive speakers. Being Chinese built allows for extremely cheap materials and labour costs, and when you consider all this it is quite easy to see how they can be built so cheap yet still retain some quality. For example, 80% of the build cost of a Dynaudio speaker is in labour. If you make the same speakers in a low-income country such as China, the labour cost is minimal, and materials cost, as shown by the $2 Rolex ripoffs mentioned earlier, is also extremely low. The difference in cost between a $2k and a $10k speaker isn't so much in the cost of parts and labour, which might include slightly more expensive crossover components and a 1/4" thicker MDF, but moreso in the philosophy of paying more for a better sounding product.

EDIT: Jesus, just realised how much I wrote. Sorry! I'm sick and it's a Sunday night so I didn't have much better to do :p

[stazed]

From what I have heard, the problem is that the sound is slightly altered across the entire spectrum of reproduction.

However, I disagree that they are a good buy even at $2k.... for the money you have paid I would agree that such a product is streets ahead (unless you buy intelligently, second hand), but once you start getting over the $1500 mark I feel that there are smarter choices to be made.


you really could not do any better for under $3000 minimum.[/b]

Sounds like a challenge to me!!

Once I have finished my system (within a week) I'll post up the specs and we can see how well we have both done. :)


I haven't meant to knock your purchases, I agree that for the money you've spent you literally couldn't get the same quality and sheer numbers of speakers... but they aren't good enough to compete with a $3000 or even a well-built $1500 second-hand system.

[Tom J]

Stazed it really depends how intelligently you buy ahah :D

Some people sell 6 month old, $4000 speakers for $1k just to get rid of them, while others will sell 2 year old, $2000 speakers for $1300 with scratches. Well, at least try to sell them. If you shop around second hand you could get something amazing at a low price out of the trading post, possibly ebay.

But I meant if you intend to buy new, the $1k I have spent on speakers/amp/sub would be unbeatable by few systems up to $3k. If you go second hand, you could probably spend $1500 on speakers/sub/amp and get some good quality older speakers for sure. Just depends if you want new warranties and the like.

[stazed]

Originally posted by Tom J
Stazed it really depends how intelligently you buy ahah :D

Some people sell 6 month old, $4000 speakers for $1k just to get rid of them, while others will sell 2 year old, $2000 speakers for $1300 with scratches. *Well, at least try to sell them. *If you shop around second hand you could get something amazing at a low price out of the trading post, possibly ebay.

But I meant if you intend to buy new, the $1k I have spent on speakers/amp/sub would be unbeatable by few systems up to $3k. *If you go second hand, you could probably spend $1500 on speakers/sub/amp and get some good quality older speakers for sure. *Just depends if you want new warranties and the like.

Hehe buying new and second hand makes it a little more complex....
Some of the stuff I've bought is brand new with warranty, other stuff is second hand. Just depends how you do it. And of course, you have to like the sound of what you're purchasing!

[Tom J]

You have to like the budget of what you're purchasing as well :)

I work part time (well, casual) at Target and as I'm in year 12 this year I've reduced my hours to a third what I was doing for a couple years so my budget for anything is pretty small at the moment haha :D

I bought a 68cm flat screen, dvd player etc with my "AV budget" if you could call it that. The rest has gone on guitars, guitar equipment, clothes, bikes, alcohol (far too much of it) computer parts...the list goes on.

So for what I was prepared to spend I got something I like the sound of, look of, and general value-for-money. I figure at my wage all up I've spent around 150 hours worth of money, and it will certainly give me over 150hrs of fun/entertainment over the time I have it, so hey I figure it's worth it :)

[fury]

(Please note i've only skimmed over this whole thread, not entirely read it :p)

For $300...
I'd recommend a DSE 2x80wrms (8ohms) stereo intergrated amp, and a pair of the DSE 5" Bookshelf speakers.
This stuff has caused a big stir in the lower end market (there's a 400 page thread on the amp alone on OCAU forums), and i currently own the amp and must say it is fantastic for the price ($199 rrp i think, can be had on special for $148)...
And the speakers have been described to be on par with some $400 speakers, and much nicer sounding then the dream/pure accoustics stuff on ebay. (these have an rrp of $89 or so, and are currently on special for $39!).

Great sounding combo which can be had for under $200 if you wait for DSE to have their specials...
I'm actually considering purchasing a pair of the DSE bookshelves to compare them to my current speakers (and my Dream Accoustic (Ebay brand) bookshelves, which for $36 arent as bad as people make out).


(no i dont work at dse, but when the above stuff is on sale it is awesome value for money).

Good luck with it!

[Mike.L]

Tom get on the bay and have patience for 300 youll get a nice amp/receiver thats for sure, and from a local seller, so postage costs dont eat into your budget.... if i had only 300 to spend thats where i would look

[stazed]

Originally posted by el_hefty
Tom get on the bay and have patience for 300 youll get a nice amp/receiver thats for sure, and from a local seller, so postage costs dont eat into your budget.... if i had only 300 to spend thats where i would look

Very true, I'll reveal some little details about what I've bought now:

Amplifier:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1 (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7526550884&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1)
That's what I call a steal!
I was looking at buying this from HiFi Corp in Bella Vista back 7 months ago for $950... now I'm glad I didn't!
Sitting in my bedroom right now, very good buy.

Front Speakers:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1 (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5786275935&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1)
This one really surprised me. I bought a set of Ocean One bookshelfs back at the same time 7 months ago for $450 for the pair. The Ocean Two's are the model up, these are the large floorstanding versions.... just picked them up for 1/5th of what I paid for the bookshelfs!

If you know what you're looking at you can get a steal... Luxman made some of the best audio gear back in the 1970's, and were renowned for their high quality gear.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...ssPageName=WDVW (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=109835&item=5786483830&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW)

However they were bought out in the 1980's by Alps (who own Alpine) and became renowned for poor quality products with short lifespans. Now they have returned to making products that compete with the high end of home audio, but have lost the confidence of the market and have the stigma of a poor quality product.

Either way, I'm now listening to DTS and Dolby Digital recordings through some top notch gear.

What's my home audio setup cost? All up I've spent under $800 and have one of the highest quality systems I can cram into my tiny room. Running all Luxman gear. I can't complain....

But you have to know what the stuff is worth.
Hope you enjoy what you've bought :)

[Tom J]

I once considered that DSE 2x80w amp for my room, but that was quite some time ago and I thought 2x80w was next to nothing haha before I knew that 80w would get quite a respectable volume with any 90dB-ish speaker..

Stazed that's not much money for your setup, gw :D I knew about the low quality Luxman gear but didn't know about their earlier endeavours. A friend had bought some Luxman stuff back in the 80's and it lasted a few years before falling apart electronically.

On another note, did you ever manage to get that PS2 console working? Cheap price if it didn't cost much to repair.

[stazed]

Originally posted by Tom J
I once considered that DSE 2x80w amp for my room, but that was quite some time ago and I thought 2x80w was next to nothing haha before I knew that 80w would get quite a respectable volume with any 90dB-ish speaker..

Stazed that's not much money for your setup, gw :D *I knew about the low quality Luxman gear but didn't know about their earlier endeavours. *A friend had bought some Luxman stuff back in the 80's and it lasted a few years before falling apart electronically.

On another note, did you ever manage to get that PS2 console working? *Cheap price if it didn't cost much to repair.

Cheers, haven't spent much and it sounds brilliant.

I bought the PS2 to pull it apart! :D
I was wondering if it was possible to detach the CD drive and connectors, and mount them all in a DIN-sized slot for car audio. However, I realise now that it's going to be difficult soldering the ribbon cables - the tracks are about 1/3mm wide and about 1/10th mm apart, about 40 in an inch wide space! :shock:

So yeh, will be putting it back up on eBay tomorrow, I've had my fun.

[Tom J]

Hahaha, you're a stingy bloke :D

What exactly was wrong with it? Might cost $30 to get it repaired if you haven't ripped it into a small unidentifiable pile of metal already :p

[stazed]

Originally posted by Tom J
Hahaha, you're a stingy bloke :D

What exactly was wrong with it? *Might cost $30 to get it repaired if you haven't ripped it into a small unidentifiable pile of metal already :p

Well, after some advice from a friend, the idea might still be going ahead.

Stingy? hehe you kind of missed my point - I didn't mean just use the CD drive etc as a headunit - I meant link them all back to the PS2 unit itself, which could sit somewhere else in the car. Currently, people install the PS2 somewhere, then run all the connection from there. I was hoping to try and install all the connections/drive for the PS2 all in one DIN-sized slot for super easy access straight from the dash, then put the PS2 wherever you want, it wouldn't be important. Kind of like how some DVD units have the screen and the "brain".

:grin:

But shhh this is top secret :wink: And yes, it is going to be fixed!

Sorry for thread hijack :razz:

[Tom J]

lol no I got what you meant, I just thought it was stingy buying a second hand broken one instead of just getting a working one :p

[stazed]

Originally posted by Tom J
lol no I got what you meant, I just thought it was stingy buying a second hand broken one instead of just getting a working one :p

Haha I've got a working one too :grin:

But that'll only get destroyed if this whole dealio will work lol :-P