I have $200 for used speakers - don't laugh

It's impossible to recommend something when it is unknown what is available in your area. You should list you location in your user control panel.

Look at the Pioneer SDF-2K speakers on Ebay >
Also designed by Andrew Jones
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261137999649?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

90 % of the sound quality comes from the front L/R speakers. If they haven't got it, the system ain't gonna have it.

If $200 is your limit, I would advise you to get a pair of Polk Monitor 40 speakers and listen to them. They are less than $200 and very good value for that price.

Some day, down the road a bit, I suggest a Polk TL2 center speaker. Polk makes cheaper ones, but I don't think they sound very good.

While Pioneer speakers sound fairly good, they have low sensitivity; this can be a serious problem for lower-powered receivers. I could not recommend them for that reason.



Edited by commsysman - 12/25/12 at 6:47pm

If you want something small - then Boston Acoustics here
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/BOSMCS90B/BOSTON-ACOUSTICS-Horizon-MCS90-5.1-8in-100w-Sub-Speaker-System-Black/1.html

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pioneer-SP-BS21-LR-Main-Stereo-Speakers-and-Subwoofer-set-of-4-with-Center-/261145196838?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item3ccd777926

I agree these are not the easiest load to drive, however I have heard these speakers several times and frankly they amaze me for their pricepoint!

If you lived close, i would sell you a 5.1 set up for $200 bucks that I'm thinking of using it for the garage. It's a Onkyo HT-R960 AVR 7.1, which can play Dolby True HD and DTS-MA. The front speakers would be the Pioneer BS21, center is a Klipsch Synergy C1 (kids put hole in my prior speaker), surround back onkyo speakers (I am not sure if all 4 are good, but I definitely know that 2 are), and a 10 " onkyo sub.

I did a quick search on Craig's list in Atlanta and found these;

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/wat/ele/3497098693.html

Advent had a great reputation back then. If they are in good shape they'd be worth checking out.

Also, here's a pair of Polks;

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/ele/3460614843.html

Another good brand you can probably find used in your price range is NHT.
Edited by Saturn94 - 12/25/12 at 7:38pm

Which is more important: The amp or the speaker?

Either one missing and you don't have sound.

There is no "most important" speaker in so complete and objective a sense. When you have a center channel: most of the movie dialog is pushed through it; so the quality of that center, particularly in its ability to produce human voices, becomes one of the potentially weakest links.

OTOH, you can run without a center entirely. Then the dialog goes to the L/R speakers. Given your budget: I recommend this course of action.

Can't possibly tell you what to get as I have no idea what's available to you and am not about to start combing Atlanta's Craigslist. For about that cost I got the 2x PSB400i speakers and 10" B&W sub that I use on my computer right now.

I have a older yamaha that I got from goodwill a few months ago. it is similar to yours I think. if you decide to go to thrift stores instead of craigslist I have some warnings for you. know your brands and what prices stuff goes for. sometimes thrift stores overcharge. some salvation army stores admitted to me that they check ebay pricing before listing things. the other day I saw a klh surround sound receiver for 50 bucks. nobody bought t and they marked it to 30 a few days later. a lot of older nice stuff ends up at salvation army. The bad thing is a lot of the speakers have dry rot problems or something blown. sometimes you can get good deals on older working speakers and amps though. I did find a polk audio center channel speaker for 5 bucks a w3hile back at a thrift store. A lot of people are donating electronics to thrift stores right now for tax deductions for holidays so now would be a good time to check the thrift stores. I got lucky twice in the last two weeks. If you are willing to drive a hour or two check other nearbye towns craigslist. Maybe they have something worth driving for.

A CC speaker is important for dialogue; a subwoofer is important for good, deep bass. But without mains (front L+R), you've got nothing but a collection of speakers.

Based on a quick look through the Atlanta Craigslist site, I'd go with either of these as entry-level set-ups:
- Paradigm Titan speakers + a Polk PSW10 subwoofer*
- A pair of Polk RTi28 speakers + a PSW404 subwoofer

(*Buddy's got three different ads for a PSW10, so if he has more than one for sale, get two. They're not great subs, but a pair of them in your room should do alright. And two plus the Paradigms will fit your budget.)

he could always add a subwoofer later. if he has some good front speakers with decent bass then it will be good enough until he can afford the sub.

I agree that a good pair of towers for ~$200 would be an excellent start.

If he can find them, I'd even recommend a pair of older Paradigm 7se or 5se MkII speakers (the latter being essentially re-badged 7se's). They're wonderful-sounding speakers that can play pretty loud, and dig surprisingly deep for their size. And they shouldn't run more than $150 for a pair in excellent condition.

(I owned a pair of 7se's for ~20 years, and I currently have a nice pair of 5se MkII's in my home office. Love 'em! )

I currently use a set of Klipsch Fortes I bought for $200 One of the best additions I have for my setup.
The sound nothing like the newer Klipsch if you can find them, or any other heritage series, in that price you will have a great start to a sound system.
Edited by remodeler - 12/27/12 at 10:16am

Well for a full 5 speaker set for 200 bucks...your best bet by far is JAMO. On Amazon for 120-140 delivered.

Unless space is an issue and you want bookshelf that is the way to go...

I still don't get why some people spew these rumors about 90% of the sound comes from the L/R...

How did you quantify the amount of sound? so if 10% comes from the surrounds does that mean 1/10 of the movie had sound in the surrounds? I don't see how you would quantify it ?

They all are. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In terms of cost figure to spend about the same for the L/R/C, more for the sub as it also contains an amp, less for the surrounds. That's a good course to take to a point. If one plans on getting a sub later then there's no point in buying towers. The difference between towers and bookshelves is in the lows, and once you get subs you no longer need the extended lows of towers. For the same price you will get a lot better results above 80Hz from bookshelves than towers, so they're a better long term investment.
Edited by Bill Fitzmaurice - 12/26/12 at 7:02am

I'm in Douglasville (a little west of Six Flags on I20). I have a pair of Swans Diva 2.1s and stands I'd let go for $200. These are excellent bookshelf speakers for HT (very neutral, full sound). They would make a great start to a system you can build over time. They're currently selling for $449 new. I also have the matching C3 center and stand I could let go for $200 as well. PM me if you're interested.

Oversimplified (and it's not actual multiples: there're lots of logs involved; and there are modifiers like horns and ports) : volume = surface area * excursion * frequency.

If you have a large room, odds are you need a high volume at the speaker (volume decreases -6db for each doubling of distance in an average room). If you want that high volume at a low frequency, you'll need a large driver (and/or ridiculous excursion).

A subwoofer usually has a large driver.

In a system with a sub, the non-sub needs to perform to somewhere just below the crossover point. Performance below that is irrelevant as the main speaker is not asked to do it; and that performance you are not using comes at a price. All else being equal: bookshelves are the better bargain in any system with a subwoofer.

If you have a sub that's what's moving the air. If you don't you need towers to move it. You don't need both.

I like big speakers myself, but some systems in the house I have used bookshelf speakers and a sub. it does sound pretty good. I have a cerwin vega sub satelite speaker system in one room. it sounds pretty good. I also like the big bass sound from my sansui speakers though with 12 inch woofers in them. if you want big old speakers without a sub look for a pair of cerwin vega speakers with 12 inch or 15 inch woofers in them. the prblem with used vegas is the sellers want a fortune for them most the time and the woofer surrounds might be wearing off soon cuz they are so old. people say that old 12 inch technics speakers sound good for deep bass. the problem with them is most of the time that I find them used the dustcover is bent in or the woofer surrounds are falling off. i usually see them for 20 a pair at thrift stores.

I have a pair of polk rti70 sitting in a closet and a room with the exact same dimensions as yours. You're welcome to come over for a listen.

Norcross/Peachtree Corners area.

There isn't a reason to laugh.we are here to help you.

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I would probably jump on these. At 90db that will be a little easier to drive with your receiver, keep in mind they can handle up to 250w though. If nothing else, take your reciever with you and drive down and hook em up and listen to them.

Looking for used deals in your price range, and when you don't know speakers all that well, can be tricky (and risky) business. I would suggest your two best options are:
A: a sale/deal on a new 5.1 package (will probably be satellites and sub)
B: two better qualtiy front LR speakers you can expand into a 5.1 system later.

The used polk rTi towers are a good example of option B. Plus it will be easy to find/add matching components for another year or two.

This is a good example of option A ...
Because you have an older receiver without HDMI I'll suggest another option A. It's just a little above your budget ($270) but includes a more modern receiver. (When it comes to hooking up newer gear, like your cable box or blu-ray deck, to legacy gear like your reciever you could easily spend an extra $50 in cables before you know it.)
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/DENDHT1312BA/DENON-DHT-1312BA-Home-Theater-System-w/Boston-Acoustics-Speakers/1.html