# $1,500 Budget.....5.1



## slim j (Nov 30, 2005)

Hey,

I am looking to upgrade my 5.1 HT. Actually, just the 5 speakers because I am going to keep my current sub (15" Dayton). What do you reccomend? I'd rather buy than build. 

I have been looking at the Jamo 60X series quite a bit. Amazon had them on sale. Any other reccomendations? I would like to have a dipole rear surround if possible.


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## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

check out Accessories4less


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## slim j (Nov 30, 2005)

Is canton good stuff?


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## metanium (Feb 2, 2007)

On woot.com the item of the day is a pair of Energy bookshelves for $85 shipped. I know these are far-below your budget and don't include dipoles, but they were a good deal.


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## bhg41088 (Nov 5, 2006)

Could do a few pairs of these:
Parts Expressayton BR-1S Shielded 6-1/2" 2-Way Monitor Kit Pair


Or 3 of these:
Parts Expressayton RS722C Speaker Kit Cherry
And 2 of these:
Parts Expressayton RS621C Speaker Kit Pair Cherry

That would be $1300, and more than likely far better than most things in that price range. You have to assemble them, but that is nothing like building them.


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## Get_Zwole (Nov 15, 2008)

Ascend Acoustics some of the best speakers for the money. i rock the cmt 340's in my house.


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## smokinkane (May 17, 2007)

av123.com has a great line, my father as the x series with a tc1000 15" for the lowend sound incredible.


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## ItalynStylion (May 3, 2008)

I really like my HSU research bookshelves and center. For the price they ar fantastic.


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## Inferno333 (Mar 29, 2006)

I know they are hated here, but check out eD.

$900 with the package builder. 5.0 system

2x A6-6T6 towers
3x A6-6T6 MTMs

That's a lot of speaker for the money.


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## ItalynStylion (May 3, 2008)

^I agree.....not bad at all. I went with my bookshelves because they were even cheaper and were more compact.


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## Trizzly (Sep 9, 2008)

HB-1 MK2 by HSU Research....


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## BlackLac (Aug 8, 2005)

Inferno333 said:


> I know they are hated here, but check out eD.
> 
> $900 with the package builder. 5.0 system
> 
> ...





ItalynStylion said:


> ^I agree.....not bad at all. I went with my bookshelves because they were even cheaper and were more compact.


x3

I have an eD 7.1 setup and I think it sounds great for the money. They are a little on the laid back side, just so you know.

If you don't want their speakers, their HT subs are extremely highly regarded.


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## Get_Zwole (Nov 15, 2008)

http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340m/cmt340m.html

2 of those and the center with the 170s for surrounds around 1100 for 5.0. Then you can get a good price on a sub from ED thats what i did and these speakers blow my dads 1000 dollar polk towers out of the water in SQ.


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## ocuriel (Oct 7, 2005)

Infinity Primus or Beta are pretty highly regarded and very affordable. Crutchfield has good prices on the Primus line with free shipping.


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

I use all Yamaha at home - Currently running their "budget" series - but the EF series is very nice. For your budget, the NS-777, NS-C444, and NS-333 would work perfect. (Can you tell that is my dream system)


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## jimbno1 (Apr 14, 2008)

Emotiva Audio :: Audiophile Quality Audio Electronics and loudspeakers for home theater and music at Factory Direct Prices; Multi Channel Amplifiers, Sound Processors, and Award Winning Speaker Systems is worth checking out. I have considered the surrounds myself. They are switchable di-pole/bi-pole. The speakers are 4ohm though so you need a stout amp. I am waiting for their UMC-1 processor to be released. It looks like the UMC-1 plus the XPA-5 amp will be finding a home in my basement. I know $1400 for the processor and amp is a lot, but compared to a high end Receiver I think it is a bargain. I doubt I can find a receiver which will do 350W x 5 into 4 ohms outside of a Sunfire or something similar for $3K+.


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## dmazyn (Apr 29, 2008)

I second av123.com products. 

I got 5 of the rocket speakers and could not be happier with them. The build quality is amazing for the price and they come wrapped in cotton bags with cotton gloves 

Check out the B stock out of box area they have great deals all the time.

Below is just the center I have.


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## big daddy russ (Jan 25, 2007)

slim j said:


> Is canton good stuff?


Canton has some great speakers. But like B&W's, they're moody and prefer certain characteristics in their sources. Very tight and controlled-- some would even say bright. I wouldn't go that far, but characteristically they're somewhere between the Canadian brands (PSB, Energy, Paradigm, etc.) MB Quart, and Jamo-- and they can come across as harsh if you don't pair it up with the right components. Sounded phenomenal hooked up to my Pioneer Elite receiver (which tends to lean towards a "warmer" sound) and off a Marantz 8001 (which tends to be a bit more light and airy), but I didn't like it as much off a Sony ES component setup. Was a little too harsh for my taste. I actually almost bought some Cantons to balance out my receiver. 

Of course this is all just one man's opinion. The only way to find out if you like them is to order a set, hook them up, and see if they fit your taste.

I'm guessing you're looking at the Accessories4Less website? They *did* have a Karat series MTM center speaker that was going for $180 (I want to say it retailed for $600) right before Christmas. That was one of the best deals I've ever come across on speakers. If they still have it, you could do three of those in an left/center/right setup and get some entry level Canton dipole/bipoles, and come in around $800 for a $2500 setup.


As far as other speakers in your budget, I'm with everyone who mentioned Onix (av123.com) speakers. I absolutely love them and have never heard of anyone who didn't. Some of my favorite loudspeakers. I'd compare their sound to Monitor Audio, which happens to be my favorite loudspeakers. Actually, you could get into the Silver series of Monitor for around $1500, and could do a Bronze setup for less.

Another brand I'd check out is Swans (home theater speaker systems | swan diva | dana). Another speaker marketed with online retail. At the price points, they're neck-and-neck with Onix.

I've never actually heard Ascend, but I hear good things about them.

You could also always go another route and buy used. Audiogon.com always has good stuff, and most of the people on there take care of their gear.

Good luck and remember that you can usually return it if you don't like it. Let us know what you wind up with.


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## ocuriel (Oct 7, 2005)

chithead said:


> I use all Yamaha at home - Currently running their "budget" series - but the EF series is very nice. For your budget, the NS-777, NS-C444, and NS-333 would work perfect. (Can you tell that is my dream system)


Not a fan of yamaha speakers. I had the NS-C44 center channel. I hated it. Entry level Definitive was much better.


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## ntimd8n-k5 (Nov 11, 2008)

I also vote for av123.com products. They have a huge selection in different price ranges. I used to use their older ELT setup and it was good, but have since switched to the rocket line and I think they sound amazing. They have excellent customer service also.


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## m3gunner (Aug 6, 2008)

ocuriel said:


> Infinity Primus or Beta are pretty highly regarded and very affordable. Crutchfield has good prices on the Primus line with free shipping.


x2

And watch the clearance stuff on Crutchfield... I was able to pick up 6 of the Primus 150s for about $60 each... Stereophile recommended speakers.


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## Tonyguy (Nov 15, 2007)

i love Paradigm speakers for the price range. Bump for a company that manufactures its own drivers.


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## subwoofery (Nov 9, 2008)

1,500$ you say? 

Axiom's Products - AxiomAudio 
M22 v2 for fronts 
QS8 v2 for rears 
VP150 v2 for center 
Total 1,418$ 

http://av123.com/component/option,com_virtuemart/page,shop.browse/category_id,21/Itemid,37/ 
X-Statik 5.0 sale 
X-Statik for fronts 
X-Omni for rears 
X-Voce for center
Total 1,499$ 

Products > Speakers 
ERM-6.2 LCR Monitor for fronts 
ERD-1 Surround Speakers for rears 
ERM-6.3 LCR Monitor for center 
Total 1,446$ 

If I were to choose any... the Axiom system would get my vote. 

Hope that helps, 
Kelvin


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