Looking for Cheap FLoorstanders

xluben · « **on:** 30 Jan 2006, 07:42 am »

I just got a Marantz Model 2240B reciever and I'm in the market for some tower speakers to go along with it. My requirements are:

-Frequency response down to ~40Hz (I don't want to use a sub)
-Cost no more than $300 (including shipping)
-Not interested in buying used onine

Right now I'm looking at the JBL E60

Is there anything better that fits my (very low) price range?

Thanks!

Merle · « **Reply #1 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 08:51 am »

I'm not positive but I believe the JBL's are $299 each. If thats the case, I'd highly recommend you look into the Infinity Primus 360 which can be found for $600 a pair. If your budget is truly $300 for the pair, and you don't want to buy used, well, good luck.

Merle · « **Reply #2 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 08:56 am »

Just saw that www.onecall.com has the E60 on clearence for $125 each. Go for it.

fredgarvin · « **Reply #3 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 12:53 pm »

My son in law bought the JBL and to me it sounds hollow and muffled. The Athena's at Best Buy, where he bought the JBL's, sound quite a bit better, I am not sure of the price.

xluben · « **Reply #4 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 05:38 pm »

The JBL E60's are $137 each at B&H Photo with free shipping. I know my price range is probably too low, but that's all I can spare at the moment.

That price at onecall.com is great, but they are out of stock and the cheapest shipping is $86.60 making the total $326.50

The Athena's in my price range would be the AS-F1's. They look nice and have similar specs to the JBL's (but only 2-way instead of 3-way). The only problem is I can only find them at places with high shipping rates. They are $200 each at Best Buy and online they're as low as $120 each, but shipped the lowest is about $350 a pair.

Do you know if Best Buy carries both the JBL's and the Athena's in store? I'd like to go listen to them if possible. Also, how do the JBL's rate on bass? I'd like something that isn't too light on the bottom end.

kfr01 · « **Reply #5 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 05:44 pm »

At that price I would frankly go used rather than bottom barrel new. A floor standing speaker with decent bass under $300 for a pair new just isn't going to be good. If you insist on going new I think you'd be -very- happy saving for another month or however long it takes and doubling your budget to $300 per speaker. I think that extra $300 will carry a significant amount of value. Remember, speakers are the biggest determining factor of sound. Your front speakers should be your number one priority when it comes to sound, in my opinion.

woodsyi · « **Reply #6 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 05:54 pm »

If you are in the area wouldn't this be better?

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1143418346

IMHO, I think you can score a good deal on a pair of used floorstanders if you look for a local deal where shipping is problematic for the seller.

Carlman · « **Reply #7 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 05:57 pm »

Years ago, I had some old Klipsch KG series speakers that had tremendous bass.
I saw these on Agon: http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1143817789

Here's more info on their site:
http://www.klipsch.com/product/product.aspx?cid=134&dmore=True&rmore=False

If you want to rock the neighborhood with big sound, these will do it. If you want refinement and delicacy, these will dissapoint.

-C

xluben · « **Reply #8 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 06:05 pm »

Well, if I can find any used speakers locally (Minneapolis, MN) I'd be willing to check them out, but I don't want to buy used if I don't even get to see it first.

I don't think that doubling my budget is really possible for me. I am in college and have no money at the moment. It would either be $300 all-purpose floorstanders or just keep my 2.1 setup (satellites from Panasonic SCH-HT75 HTIB and RCA 12" 200 watt sub all hooked up to my Marantz reciver). Right now I have a lot of sloppy bass, and I like bassy music, but I'd like something a little more controlled without loosing a lot of punch. My sub doesn't really perform much below 40-45 Hz, so I think floorstanders would go nearly as deep while hopefully having tighter bass.

I looked on Best Buy's website some more and it seems they only sell the Athena AS-F2 which are $285 each, but it looks like they carry the JBL's that I'm interested in. I'd like to be able to go to Best Buy sometime and give them a listen, so I can decide for myself whether or not I think it's worth the $300 over my current setup. If I don't like how they sound I'll probably just stick with what I've got until I can afford better speakers.

EDIT: Those Klipsch KG's seem to fit the bill pretty well, but I can't even imagine how much it will cost for shipping from someone on Audiogon and how cheaply it will be packaged

toobluvr · « **Reply #9 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 06:26 pm »

Quote from: xluben

Well, if I can find any used speakers locally (Minneapolis, MN) I'd be willing to check them out, but I don't want to buy used if I don't even get to see it first.

...

If you insist on buying new that is your perrogative. But I really think you are being silly and overstating the risk of buying used.......especially at your price point!

I've been buying used on AG for many, many years now, and at a MUCH higher price level than you are at, and have had great success. I've done many deals and have never been burned. In general, the AG community is one of honesty and integrity.

Buying used provides tremendous bang for your buck, and allows you to own something of a higher caliber that you normally could not afford.

The comments and advise that precede mine are sound. I urge you to heed them. You will not get much by buying new at your budget. You will get MUCH better sound by going used. Buying used on AG is really not as scary as you seem to think it is.

Good luck....

xluben · « **Reply #10 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 07:18 pm »

How much do you think someone would charge me to ship a pair of floorstanders?

toobluvr · « **Reply #11 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 07:28 pm »

Quote from: xluben

How much do you think someone would charge me to ship a pair of floorstanders?

It depends on the size and the weight of the item, and the distance shipped.

You can get a quick and dirty estimate right on AG.
Just goto the ad and click on "plus shipping" in the upper right corner.
In the page that comes up, just plug in your zip code.
The quotes returned are estimated UPS.
If the weight is accurate, then the quote will be fairly accurate.
In my experience, FedEx and USPS will be a bit cheaper.

Alternatively, you can go directly to the carrier's website and price it up in there. All you need are the 2 zip codes, and dimensions/weight of the box.

Keep in mind that on AG, all parameters of the sale can be negotiated...including s/h costs. Doesn't hurt to try to get seller to cover them...or at least a fraction of them.

buckeyefanandy · « **Reply #12 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 07:53 pm »

Where do you live? I have a pair fo Chapman T-7 speakers that I can let go cheap. And a pair of DCM Timeframe 400 that would be very cheap.

Both are floorstanding speakers that perform way above the $$$.

The DCMs are not that heavy the Chapmans are heavy.

If you live anywhere near Ohio I could meet you.

yeldarb · « **Reply #13 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 08:00 pm »

www.tsto.com

Wharfedale Crystal 40. I never listened critically to these with really good equipment, but I recommended them to a friend and he's happy. They are inexpensive.

JeffB · « **Reply #14 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 08:07 pm »

There are some things you might try before giving up on your existing setup.
If you are in a small room, you might have trouble getting good bass with a subwoofer. Nonetheless, if you can play around with positioning it you might improve the sound. Say placing it so it fires the long way across the room and placing it along the side wall instead of a corner.

You might try turning it down. There is a strong tendency to want to turn subwoofers up too loud, because you want to hear the bass. However, there is frequently not that much deep bass information in music. You could be listening to a piano and only the last couple of notes on the piano would involve the subwoofer. The sound should be almost un-noticed. You just want it to add a little weight to the music.

You need to play a variety of styles of music to help dial in the right volume.

I can't imagine a 12" subwoofer not playing down to 25Hz.

You could play with the cross-over setting. If your room is 14 feet across, then 1140/14 = 80Hz where you are likely to have a big increase in bass response. If you set the subwoofer to say 70Hz crossover, then the satellites might not even play down to 80Hz. There would be a small hole in the music, but the room resonsance would be gone.

I just don't think you are going to beat that sub for bass response in your price range. I would experiment some more.

What are your Panasonic satellite speakers like? The only Panasonic satellite speakers that I have heard didn't sound very good. This could easily be your weakest link. But I don't really know what you have here.

I have also heard that JBL model at Best Buy and was not impressed. It just sounded dull and lifeless.

goosala · « **Reply #15 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 08:11 pm »

How about a pair of Athen Technology floorstanders? They only run you $600 a pair.

Red Dragon Audio · « **Reply #16 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 08:53 pm »

I strongly agree with toobluvr about purchasing a used set of speakers from Audiogon.com

I have had great success with zero problems(check out my personal feedback under 'heavystarch').

NHT ST4 FULL RANGE FLOOR STANDER

One speaker that gives you tremendous bang for the buck at new or used prices is the NHT ST4. It is $1000+ new but you can get them used for around $500-$600.
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1142705942

It is a stretch but it will give you much better performance than most anything in that price range. It was a remarkable achievement and has all the qualifications you need.

System Type 3-way system, upper chamber-acoustic suspension, subwoofer chamber vented
DRIVERS:
1' Fluid cooled neodymium magnet structure tweeter with NHT's proprietary aluminum heat sink.
Mid-Woofer 6.5" polypropylene, high excursion.
Woofer 8" polypropylene, long throw.
Magnetically Shielded Yes, except 8" woofer.
Frequency Response 31Hz- 22kHz +/- 3dB
Crossover Frequency 2.6kHz, 135Hz
Sensitivity 86dB (2.83V at 1M)
Impedance 8 ohms nominal
Inputs 5-way binding posts
Recommended Amplifier Power Minimum 15 watts/ch Maximum 200 watts/ch
Dimensions 38"H x 8"W x 12"D
Weight 47.5 lbs. each
Finish Black high gloss piano lacquer[/list:u]

Carlman · « **Reply #17 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 08:55 pm »

I agree with JeffB.. keep the sub and try a new pair of monitors. I'd suggest a pair of Usher S-520's. Best for the money I've heard at about $300.

They go down to 55Hz and the sub could easily be crossed over at 70 for a nice complimenting bass.

They're small and tough so they'll handle a multitude of rooms, several moves (which you tend to do in college), and are just all around great sounding speakers you can keep for a long time.

BTW, JeffB, where did you get the 1140 number? What's the formula you're using?

Thanks and good luck,
Carl

JeffB · « **Reply #18 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 09:28 pm »

1140 was just off the top of my head. I may have gotten it wrong. It is the speed of sound in air. However, this speed various with temperature and humidity so you might see 1135 or something similar depending.

Try this link, plug in 80F and 75F.
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/HBASE/sound/souspe.html

kfr01 · « **Reply #19 on:** 30 Jan 2006, 09:28 pm »

You're in school? You should have time to try a DIY project. A diy project will offer the highest bang for the buck when it comes to speakers. There are plenty of great diy designs on the web that would cost less than $300 for the pair if you have access to some tools....

If not, these might be decent too:

http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-bin/item/MORDMS904BL