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Budget Entry Level - Dayton B652/Monoprice Setup

post #1 of 41
1/15/13 at 7:03pm
Thread Starter 
I'm trying to move away from the $30 logitech speakers and looking for some decent sound and looking to spend up to $150. my main goal is get the best bang for the buck.



Do any of you guys know if there is a huge difference between the dayton b652 and the monoprice 6 1/2 bookshelf pair ? If not i'll probably go with the monoprice because they're a little bit cheaper.


I recently had eagle tech ar508 which sounded better than anything i've owned. i accidentally broke them and now I can't go back to the tv speakers which sound horrible.



so far I've sort of narrowed it down to the following:

Would any of the following sound better a level above Dayton/Monoprice bookshelf?


Sony SS-B1000 -
Fluance SX6 - (currently $80)
Pioneer SP-BS22
Polk T15


I eventually want to work my way towards a mid range 5.1 setup. The speakers I just mentioned, would I be able to use any of them as my rear speakers?


thank you for any advice
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post #2 of 41
1/15/13 at 7:06pm
Hands-down, my choice is Pioneer
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post #3 of 41
1/15/13 at 7:09pm
Thread Starter 
They go for $90 now but were on sale for about $50 a few weeks back. I wish I had started looking into speakers back then eek.gif
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post #4 of 41
1/15/13 at 8:12pm
Thread Starter 
also how come some people chose to build a system this way instead of just buying pre-packaged logitechs etc?
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post #5 of 41
1/15/13 at 8:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lurch0101 View Post

also how come some people chose to build a system this way instead of just buying pre-packaged logitechs etc?

This is what you said >
"I'm trying to move away from the $30 logitech speakers and looking for some decent sound and looking to spend up to $150.
my main goal is get the best bang for the buck."

Most of us build a system to get better quality, and to prevent buyer's remorse.
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post #6 of 41
1/15/13 at 8:29pm
Thread Starter 
Someone suggested that I should just get the Swan M10s instead of building a system.

Do you think the studiophile av 40 are decent if bought for $100? I see they usually go for $140ish.
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post #7 of 41
1/15/13 at 8:31pm
I haven't heard the Monoprice entry. But I have extensive experience with the Daytons. There's a long thread about them on Audioholics:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/loudspeakers/83572-dayton-measured-stereophile-what-what-3.html

Briefly, the pair I bought recently were too probematic to recommend even at their dirt cheap sales price. The tweeter ouput was seriously attenuated, which just made the uncontrolled woofer breakup (the woofer runs free--no crossover) that much more apparent. They sound kind of cool when you first fire them up--a very full sound with lots of apparent detail--but then your ears start hurting. I came up with a $20/pr crossover mod that fixes the problem and produces very decent sound, but most people aren't going to want to bother with that. I would scrape up a few extra sheckles and get something with a real crossover. I also haven't heard the Pioneers, but I suspect they're a big step up.
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post #8 of 41
1/15/13 at 8:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lurch0101 View Post

Someone suggested that I should just get the Swan M10s instead of building a system.

Do you think the studiophile av 40 are decent if bought for $100? I see they usually go for $140ish.

I would rather build a system - however, if on a tight budget - then I would take the Studiophile 40 over
the Dayton speakers.
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post #9 of 41
1/15/13 at 9:17pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis Murphy View Post

I haven't heard the Monoprice entry. But I have extensive experience with the Daytons. There's a long thread about them on Audioholics:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/loudspeakers/83572-dayton-measured-stereophile-what-what-3.html

Briefly, the pair I bought recently were too probematic to recommend even at their dirt cheap sales price. The tweeter ouput was seriously attenuated, which just made the uncontrolled woofer breakup (the woofer runs free--no crossover) that much more apparent. They sound kind of cool when you first fire them up--a very full sound with lots of apparent detail--but then your ears start hurting. I came up with a $20/pr crossover mod that fixes the problem and produces very decent sound, but most people aren't going to want to bother with that. I would scrape up a few extra sheckles and get something with a real crossover. I also haven't heard the Pioneers, but I suspect they're a big step up.

What would you recommend in the $150 range. The dayton setup would cost around $75 but I can go up to $150.

Quote:
Originally Posted by zieglj01 View Post

I would rather build a system - however, if on a tight budget - then I would take the Studiophile 40 over
the Dayton speakers.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/m-audio-studiophile-av-40-red-edition $100 with $20 off with 1 day left in sale. I'm going to go check out the pioneers at best buy tomorrow and see how it really sounds.
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post #10 of 41
1/16/13 at 8:06pm
Another vote for the Pioneer BS22s with that budget. wink.gif
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post #11 of 41
1/16/13 at 8:15pm
Thread Starter 
went to best buy today and heard the pioneers and the bass was a bit too much. maybe it's because the way they have their speakers setup. also they were next to some $250 klipsch which didn't help either.

ps. walked out with a $50 BB GC for trading in old flip phones
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post #12 of 41
1/16/13 at 8:37pm
Hey, lurch. Haven't I seen you on another audio site? wink.gif
Quote:
Originally Posted by lurch0101 View Post

went to best buy today and heard the pioneers and the bass was a bit too much. maybe it's because the way they have their speakers setup.

They could easily have some kind of loudness set or EQ cranked up. Best Buy is not know for having their speakers setup well, and since people don't usually characterize the Pioneers as being bass heavy, blaming Best Buy seems the best option. (lol)

I would imagine Best Buy would let you return them (I think they do), so you could always get your amplifier first, then get the speakers and see how they sound in your home.
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post #13 of 41
1/18/13 at 7:48am
Thread Starter 
yes haha you told me to come here and ask biggrin.gif


I was able to pick up Pioneer SP-BS21-LR for $40 from newegg. Is there a huge difference from Pioneer SP-BS21-LR to Pioneer SP-BS22-LR ?

I know that lepai 2020 is not the best choice for an amp but will it provide some decent sound with the SP-BS21 ?


thanks
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post #14 of 41
1/18/13 at 10:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lurch0101 View Post

yes haha you told me to come here and ask biggrin.gif


I was able to pick up Pioneer SP-BS21-LR for $40 from newegg. Is there a huge difference from Pioneer SP-BS21-LR to Pioneer SP-BS22-LR ?

I know that lepai 2020 is not the best choice for an amp but will it provide some decent sound with the SP-BS21 ?


thanks

That's a fantastic bargain for those. Your "$60" set with the Lepai and the Pioneers will outperform many (if not all) $150 desktop multimedia speakers in SQ.
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post #15 of 41
1/18/13 at 10:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lurch0101 View Post

yes haha you told me to come here and ask biggrin.gif


I was able to pick up Pioneer SP-BS21-LR for $40 from newegg. Is there a huge difference from Pioneer SP-BS21-LR to Pioneer SP-BS22-LR ?

I know that lepai 2020 is not the best choice for an amp but will it provide some decent sound with the SP-BS21 ?


thanks

I think the BS22 sounds better but you're not gonna get a pair for $40. Paired with the Lepai 2020A+ amp you've got a nice setup for $60-$70.
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post #16 of 41
1/18/13 at 4:26pm
Thread Starter 
I'm torn between the lepai 2020 and the Lepai LP-A68 (comes with remote). all the reviews say 2020 sounds a little bit better but I really need a remote to control the volume for the tv. i've been googling "t amp" "tripath amp" etc but theres like nothing that comes with a remote for under $50. yes there are 2.0 receivers for like $80+ but i'd rather just get a full fledged receiver down the road (2-3 months to complete 5.1). any suggestions ?

thanks
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post #17 of 41
1/18/13 at 5:07pm
I'm listening to my Lepai 2020 right now with a couple of Jamo A340 speakers here at work. Sounds real good for my purposes.

Well, if you need a remote then get the LP-A68.
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post #18 of 41
1/19/13 at 12:16pm
Thread Starter 
So I saw a deal for the polk psw10 for $60 and I bought it. I know it has port chuffing problems but I wont be playing anything loud and its in small to a medium sized room(nyc size). seems like a good buy...now i just need an amp.
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post #19 of 41
1/19/13 at 3:53pm
That's kind of a "one-note" subwoofer. Although, there isn't anything out there for $60. If it's an option, I would return that sub and take a look at the budget subwoofer thread in the subwoofers forum.
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post #20 of 41
1/23/13 at 1:50pm
Thread Starter 




I just received the speakers and the amp. So i plugged in the wires + to + and - to -.

these wires are going from the amp to the speaker. when I turn the amp on the sound is very very low and if i turn up the volume the amp makes a clicking sound. if i go past "12 o clock" dial no sound comes out of the speakers at all. can it be a faulty amp? i haven't received the sub yet which comes in tomorrow.

what am I doing wrong?

thank you
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post #21 of 41
1/23/13 at 1:57pm
Hmmm Make sure no strands of wire at the receiver end are touching each other. It sounds like a partial short. There's certainly no problem with the hook-up you show in the pic.
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post #22 of 41
1/23/13 at 2:31pm
Thread Starter 
unooked and hooked everything back in and still having the same problem :/
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post #23 of 41
1/23/13 at 3:58pm
I find that above 12 o'clock on the dial (others say good to about 1 o'clock) that the Lepai starts to distort. You should be able to hear it fine well before then.

In addition to checking for shorts, do you have a different cable you can try for connecting to your source? And what is your source?
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post #24 of 41
1/23/13 at 4:24pm
Thread Starter 


i tried using these cables. also tried a couple of different power supplies.


lets say I leave the dial at 10 oclock and turn up the volume from my iphone, it starts to make a clicking noise and the volume goes in and out. the volume is low as in you literally have to be a foot away at most to be able to hear anything.

i'm using this 16 gauge wire
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post #25 of 41
1/23/13 at 8:05pm
Definitely sounds like something inside is not working. Some kind of short.
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post #26 of 41
1/26/13 at 12:17pm
Thread Starter 
got another amplifier yesterday and pretty much the same problem :/

going to best buy to pick up a receiver like this one from best buy in final hopes.
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post #27 of 41
1/26/13 at 12:20pm
Have you tried putting your iPhone volume on 85-90% of max, and then slowly turning up the Lepai?
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post #28 of 41
1/26/13 at 12:24pm
Thread Starter 
yep, tried all sorts of combinations. do you know if this receiver will work for the pio?
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post #29 of 41
1/26/13 at 12:35pm
All I can say is that I've never seen anyone on here recommend an Insignia receiver. Ever. eek.gif

The Sherwood receivers available on Amazon is what I would look at for around $100. Although your best bet is to look on your local Craigslist and see if there are any used Pioneer, Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo, or Kenwood receivers.
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post #30 of 41
1/26/13 at 12:37pm
Thread Starter 
the receiver is just so I can test the speakers again before sending them back. was just going to buy the receiver, bring it home and return it the next day.
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