Need advice on cost effective speakers

grantc79 · « **on:** 10 Aug 2014, 03:29 am »

Heres the skinny,

Selling my home, building another. I have a media room in my current home which will be a major selling point of the home it obviously needs to be up and operational for whoever buys the house.

However, I really have no intention of giving someone my HT3's, HTC, and Salk sub.

So what to replace with that would be reasonable? The room is large at 16x24 so it can't be something tiny. It needs to be something that does the setup justice but not be several thousand dollars.

I'd love to be able to put a set of mains, center, and sub in there for under 2k.

Thoughts?

Q3Di · « **Reply #1 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 04:42 am »

I want to purchase a home furnished with Salk. I don't want SubZero or Viking.

Suggest checking Music Direct, Audio Advisor or Crutchfield. Getting a brand new good looking set that would be attractive to potential buyers. The non-audiophile will not pay attention to the specs/sound quality. Are they getting free receiver and front projector too?

Good luck!

WGH · « **Reply #2 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 05:30 am »

Don't worry about it, sell the home with bare wires. Obviously a media room is important to you, to somebody else it may be a nursery or playroom. When I bought my house nothing was important because I gutted it 3 months later. I loved the house and location but nothing in it.

Wayne

JLM · « **Reply #3 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 10:11 am »

Quote from: WGH on 10 Aug 2014, 05:30 am

Don't worry about it, sell the home with bare wires. Obviously a media room is important to you, to somebody else it may be a nursery or playroom. When I bought my house nothing was important because I gutted it 3 months later. I loved the house and location but nothing in it.

Wayne

Good advice. Even if an A/V fan buys, he'll have his own ideas and either enjoy shopping for new gear or will bring his stuff with him.

Will2 · « **Reply #4 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 11:32 am »

I'm guessing you might be thinking that a prospective buyer may ask for the speakers/system to be thrown into the home and you don't want to have to say no. If that's the case, maybe call Jim and ask him if it would make sense from the sellers perspective for any of the "available for immediate delivery" speakers to be installed in your home while it's for sale - for a small fee of course. They would sound great and if the buyer wants to take them with the house you can give them the price and not have to haggle over them because they aren't yours. That sounds like the most cost-effective way to do it to me, and you're not left with speakers if the buyer doesn't want them.

maxboy00 · « **Reply #5 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 12:41 pm »

I agree with the the other posts, leave the room bare. But if your going to setup something, then I would be looking at Monitor Audio ( Bronze or Silver series) or Paradigm (Monitor series) . Why invest in more expensive, and higher quality speakers. . . like Salk, just to leave them for the new owner.

Miney · « **Reply #6 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 01:38 pm »

Assuming you'll end up negotiating price anyhow, rather than spend your cash up front on substitute equipment that the buyer might not give a rat's a$$ about, why don't you offer a closing credit of $ X to help them rebuild?

Should spur interest, and also make it clear the good stuff is off the table.

Doublej · « **Reply #7 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 01:47 pm »

While I agree with others that you should leave the room bare, if you want a speaker setup I would look into PSB, Infinity, Klispch, Paradigm, Definitive Technology, Pioneer. If monitors are OK for mains, then I would look at a Hsu.

Check out online places like Accessories4less for package deals.

Saturn94 · « **Reply #8 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 02:32 pm »

I also agree about leaving the room bare.

But if you really want new speakers in there, I'd go with Dennis Murphy's (Philharmonic Audio) Affordable Accuracy speakers. Don't be fooled by the extremely low price (the monitors are only $165/pair!!). These speakers are an audio bargain in the extreme!

Doublej · « **Reply #9 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 02:53 pm »

Danny Richie might still have a Carnegie Acoustics closeout package for you.

grantc79 · « **Reply #10 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 07:09 pm »

Appreciate the advice on what to do with the house by leaving the room bare etc though I think its kind of ridiculous

The Carnegie Acoustics setup might not be a bad option.

WGH · « **Reply #11 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 08:18 pm »

The Carnegie Acoustics would be an excellent option.

Quote from: grantc79 on 10 Aug 2014, 07:09 pm

.... leaving the room bare etc though I think its kind of ridiculous

We should explore this further, so far (depending on how the replies are tallied) 88% - 100% of the replies suggest leaving the room bare, there must be something going on we don't understand. Do you plan to sell your house as a turn key home?

Maybe a local AV company would like to furnish the room for the open house and do demo's by appointment. Letting potential buyers use whatever is in the room is a recipe for disaster. If I was unsupervised I would say to myself "Let's see what this baby will do". If I blew a woofer I would think oops, sorry and sneak out the door.

thunderbrick · « **Reply #12 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 08:18 pm »

While I'd definitely take my good stuff I wouldn't leave it bare. Show the house with Klispch, Def Tech, PASB or similar so people can expect to move in and be operational as soon as possible. Make it a feature of the house instead of an unfinished room. The wife ain't gonna want the hubby spending free time redoing the man cave/HT for the first few months.

Hell, buy used stuff from your AC buddies! You might even find you like it well enough to take it to your next place.

Edit: 22 years ago I moved into a house that needed work, but we brought it for the potential listening room. I'm STILL at it! Although the *ahem* new administration has a lot to do with that.

charmerci · « **Reply #13 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 09:29 pm »

Denon receiver -

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavr1513/denon-avr-1513-5.1ch-home-theater-receiver-3d-ready/1.html

The Pioneer SPF52 and C22 center channel SPBS22 surrounds (they often go on sale) with the Dayton sub-1200.
http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-sub-1200-12-120-watt-powered-subwoofer--300-629

Sounds decent, won't break the bank.

Mudslide · « **Reply #14 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 11:36 pm »

Quote from: grantc79 on 10 Aug 2014, 03:29 am

Heres the skinny,

Selling my home, building another. I have a media room in my current home which will be a major selling point of the home it obviously needs to be up and operational for whoever buys the house.

However, I really have no intention of giving someone my HT3's, HTC, and Salk sub.

So what to replace with that would be reasonable? The room is large at 16x24 so it can't be something tiny. It needs to be something that does the setup justice but not be several thousand dollars.

I'd love to be able to put a set of mains, center, and sub in there for under 2k.

Thoughts?

It's a bit difficult to know what you want. Didn't you JUST finish the house you're in? And don't you have your Salks up for sale? Can't you tack the price of the speakers on to the house price?

In any event, I think you'd be hard pressed to beat a setup of Philharmonic Affordable Towers. They have Dennis Murphy mods wrapped in them and sell for a lousy $275/pair. Just add the fore mentioned monitors if you wish. Unless your buyers are audio hobby participants, these would likely be the best speakers they've ever heard.

btimm · « **Reply #15 on:** 11 Aug 2014, 12:04 am »

Selling your home with a "bare" media room is no more ridiculous than selling a home without kitchen appliances, or a laundry room without a washer and dryer.

Designated media rooms are a luxury for many and not a priority for most when buying a home. Should the media room sell your home, the buyer will most definitely have their personal preference for speakers etc.

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #16 on:** 11 Aug 2014, 12:09 am »

Myself, I'd forego the sub and concentrate on the mains. These look promising...

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=126118.msg1350486#msg1350486

sfox7076 · « **Reply #17 on:** 11 Aug 2014, 12:17 am »

Leave it bare. You are throwing cash away. It's like Wayne pointed out. People just toss stuff, gut the place, etc.

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #18 on:** 11 Aug 2014, 12:18 am »

OTOH, if bass / a sub is a priority, I'd consider a used pair of Kef LS50 and that should leave enough in the budget for a half decent used sub.

Another possibility is the stand mounts with BMR drivers by Cambridge Audio. These have a reputation for sounding much better and bigger than they should for the size and money. That will leave you with even more money for a great sub like a Rythmik Audio servo sub.

grantc79 · « **Reply #19 on:** 11 Aug 2014, 12:53 am »

Alright,

1: I'm a realtor, real estate investor, and home builder.
2: The house is a 1.5 story home and the media room is located above the main living area, it is cheap footage to build. We call them bonus rooms because of this.
3: Bonus rooms above main living areas cost a fraction of what the actual main living area square footage costs to build.
4: Bonus rooms are typically worth less than what actual living area is worth.
5: A finished media room makes a bonus rooms value on par or above normal living footage value.

By my estimates having the room finished with a projector, screen, seating, etc the room as a working media room is probably worth to the right buyer about 60 dollars PSF more than if it were just bonus footage.

The room is roughly 750 SF which means about a 45,000 difference.

All that being said I have spoken with Dennis and I'm getting some of his affordable accuracy speakers for up there, I believe they will do perfect.