[Mike_Boulanger]

Trying to help my mother find a new speaker set for $1000 or so. She currently has a HT in a box Sony HCD FX500. Looking for better sound, and I figure speakers are the first step.


Here is the current unit (or looks exactly like it anyway):
http://www.crutchfield.ca/ProductDet...ode=158DAVFX5H


I currently have AV123 Rockets and have been very happy, but haven't been following AV123 for years so I'm not sure how their current speakers are.


I stopped by their forums, but it seems to be completely locked ?? with no posts except AV123 employees for months. Not sure if this is a bad sign or what.


In any case, I was considering the ELT525 5.0 set for $599:
http://www.**********//index.php?pag...mart&Itemid=37


...then going with a sub for $300-$400.


Any opinions on this set or anything else I should be considering? I see a lot of good posts about Energy speakers, but have never heard any first-hand.


Also, the Sony sub is passive - the head unit has a normal amplified speaker jack for the sub, so I'd be looking for a sub that would work with this setup.


Thanks in advance for any help...

 

[m_vanmeter]

I think AV123 has been having some internal issues lately - other threads may address this better.


What kind of speakers were you thinking about ? small, bookshelf, towers, on stands or off, on wall or off, black or wood veneer, size of subwoofer, size of room these are going in, etc. Far too many choices without filtering down the results.

 

[ack_bk]

What size room? Is this mostly for home theater usage, or music?


Lots of choices here.

 

[samsurd2]

FWIW, here's the manual ( http://www.docs.sony.com/release/DAVFX500.pdf ). It says that the speakers that come with this system are rated at 3 ohms...something to consider. Also since this system has proprietary speaker connections, you have to do some splicing to connect "normal" speakers to the head unit. Just sayin'...


Frankly, for $1,000 you could put together a pretty nice component system. As an example, it would cost ~$573.00 to reproduce my current speaker set up which includes:


FL/FR/SL/SR: Polk Audio R150 x 4, $99/pair x 2 = $198, http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107R150...50.html?tp=186 , free shipping

Center: Polk Audio CSR x 1, $99, http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107CSR/...SR.html?tp=189 , free shipping

Subwoofer: BIC Acoustech H-100, $269.99 + $2.95 shipping, http://www.overstock.com/Electronics...6/product.html


I'm sure that there are other speakers that will fit the same bill. That would leave over $400 to get a good receiver (Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer, Marantz, Sony, Harman Kardon all have models in this range) and the cables you'd need. Again, just sayin'...

 

[raistline]



Quote:
Originally Posted by samsurd2 /forum/post/16823887


FWIW, here's the manual ( http://www.docs.sony.com/release/DAVFX500.pdf ). It says that the speakers that come with this system are rated at 3 ohms...something to consider. Also since this system has proprietary speaker connections, you have to do some splicing to connect "normal" speakers to the head unit. Just sayin'...

This brings some real light to your situation, especially the whole proprietary speaker connections. Since that is the case you will be most likely be trying to drive large speakers through a tiny little 26 guage speaker wire..not a good idea IMO.


I think your best bet is to take that 1000 dollar budget and buy a receiver like the Onkyo TX-SR507 for around 300 to 350. Then spend about 250-350 on a sub and the rest on front speakers. Afterwords buy the matching fronts and surrounds.


Another option would be to buy the receiver and then a 700 dollar 5.1 set from Energy or TSC.

Like this one :

http://www.amazon.com/Energy-RC-Micro-Surround-Speaker-System/dp/B001RQ2CXO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1247599794&sr=8-1



Either way, you will be better off with a receiver and speakers.

 

[afrogt]

The AV123 deal is a great price, but you're gonna need something alot better than the Sony HCD FX500 receiver to power those speakers.

 

[s44]

How big is the room? Will she be OK with towers?


AV123 has been in financial crisis for months. There have been issues with certain customers not getting what they paid for, and an issue with the amps on the MFW-15 (a great value, if it works) failing. They have closed the forums and run big sales (like the current one) to try to straighten things out -- we'll see if it works. I wouldn't order anything they don't have indisputably in stock, and I'd wait a while to see if the new amps are reliable...


Starting with a good budget AVR like the Onkyo 507 is a good idea, though.

 

[alphaiii]



Quote:
Originally Posted by s44 /forum/post/16824586


How big is the room? Will she be OK with towers?


AV123 has been in financial crisis for months. There have been issues with certain customers not getting what they paid for, and an issue with the amps on the MFW-15 (a great value, if it works) failing. They have closed the forums and run big sales (like the current one) to try to straighten things out -- we'll see if it works. I wouldn't order anything they don't have indisputably in stock, and I'd wait a while to see if the new amps are reliable...


Starting with a good budget AVR like the Onkyo 507 is a good idea, though.

The problems with AV123 center around the following:

1) pre-paying for items that aren't in stock, and then them not shipping until long after the original ETA


2) pre-paying for products still in production (or even pre-production), and not receiving them in a timely manner, or not receiving refund after canceling the pre-order


3) buying b-stock/used goods directly from MLS/Graham company instead of through AV123 and not receiving them or a refund


4) electronics problems - bad amps for MFW-15 and ULW/LFW, problems with X-head (although this is one thing they seem to be actively addresssing)


Personally, I wouldn't get near their subs or electronics right now, despite the fact that it does seem they have been very good about warranty repairs. Nor would I even think about pre-paying for anything, whether it be a rocket package that is set to arrive in a month or something that's still in production.


As far as buying directly from AV123...I just did it again last week, and received my speakers a few days later. No issues whatsoever. I bought 2 pairs of ELT525M...they were in stock, shipped quickly, and arrived in perfect shape.


When it comes to AV123 right now...you should be aware of the issues going on... But they do make good products for the money, and they are running some big big sales right now (for what reason, or how they can afford to sell so cheaply - we could all speculate on this)...


As s44 already pointed out... the best bet is to only buy something that is in stock. The only other thing to consider is whether it's worth buying from a company that no one can say for sure will be around for the next 3 years to honor their warranty. Some are convinced AV123 is on the way out...others disagree.

 

[alphaiii]



Quote:
Originally Posted by afrogt /forum/post/16824104


The AV123 deal is a great price, but you're gonna need something alot better than the Sony HCD FX500 receiver to power those speakers.

Agreed.... The ELT's are not very efficient, and they need a little juice...

 

[seagul]

One option is to hold out on the sub and buy a better receiver instead. Just a thought. With the sales going on now is the right time to buy.


Overall I would not worry about ordering from Av123. No one has had any problems getting their speakers. The company as far as everyone knows is not in financial difficulty. The issues have mainly been around the MFW amps, Mark, and some spit spats here and there. The new amps are in and they work great, Mark seems to be in check, and the spit spats for the most part are getting resolved.

 

[Tutmos]

No mention of SVS?

 

[Mike_Boulanger]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'm trying to "help" from about 1000 miles away, so seeing a copy of that Sony manual was helpful!


I'm going to try and get them to increase their budget a bit and get a new receiver and DVD player in there.


I appreciate the back story on AV123 - very helpful information. I am curious about this comment:

Quote:
The issues have mainly been around the MFW amps, Mark, and some spit spats here and there.

What was the issue with Mark? The owner, right?



Thanks again!

 

[s44]

 see here

 

[Mike_Boulanger]

Wow, crazy stuff. I bought my Rockets years back, still love them, and everything was great at that point. I also bought a set of their tiny speakers - don't remember the name, but they were Bose-size. To be honest I thought they sounded awful, and I couldn't believe everyone was praising them. I ended up returning them, got a refund, and shortly after I believe they were discontinued.


I moved and my Rockets were damaged. I ended up posting about it on their forums, and Marc himself emailed me offering replacement speakers at an unbelievable price. No reason at all for him to do this. I took them up on it and was extremely happy.


I haven't followed anything since then. Amazing how things can change in a few years.


I called AV123 yesterday and spoke with Marc. He matches his internet postings - seems like a very nice guy, and could talk for hours.

That being said, it sounds like they got themselves into a deep hole, and created a lot of unhappy customers in the meantime - hope they can bail themselves out.


One comment - I can't believe how many people pre-order and pay for unreleased products (and how many manufacturers offer the ability to do that). Seems to feed situations like this. People paying for things that don't exist, and companies using that cash in hope that things go as planned...

 

[penngray]



Quote:
One comment - I can't believe how many people pre-order and pay for unreleased products (and how many manufacturers offer the ability to do that). Seems to feed situations like this. People paying for things that don't exist, and companies using that cash in hope that things go as planned...

When a company creates some of the most incredible deals available its hard for many not to jump on board early.


I would never blame customers that are giving a company money for a company's demise

 

[ack_bk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Tutmos /forum/post/16827237


No mention of SVS?

I was going to mention SVS, but if he needs to buy a new receiver (and it sounds to me like he does) that $1000 budget will no longer be realistic for a 5.1 SVS setup.

 

[penngray]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ack_bk /forum/post/16828541


I was going to mention SVS, but if he needs to buy a new receiver (and it sounds to me like he does) that $1000 budget will no longer be realistic for a 5.1 SVS setup.

You would

Don't you own a SVS?

 

[ack_bk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by penngray /forum/post/16828593


You would

Don't you own a SVS?

Haha, I know. I really try not to be an SVS fanboy, but I am very impressed with their products and the overall company. Especially for people on a budget.


That said, there are lots of good speakers and companies out there.... I also really like RBH speakers (own several pairs and have spent a lot of time around many of their products) but they are not really budget speakers.


I do think my next pair of speakers may be a DIY job after reading around in the DIY threads.

 

[Mike_Boulanger]



Quote:
When a company creates some of the most incredible deals available its hard for many not to jump on board early.


I would never blame customers that are giving a company money for a company's demise

I'm not going to argue, especially when I don't know everything that went on, but I'll say this - offering a special and taking a pre-order and credit card # is fine. It helps ensure how many you're going to sell off the bat, determine first production run, potential market size, etc.


But actually charging the card means the company doesn't have the capital it needs to run its business. Taking a loan from a company's userbase instead of a bank is a dangerous thing.


As a customer, I would not allow my credit card to be charged for a product that has not shipped - to many potential problems.


Again, I've been extremely happy in my experiences with AV123, and Marc seems like a great guy.

 

[Mike_Boulanger]



Quote:
I was going to mention SVS, but if he needs to buy a new receiver (and it sounds to me like he does) that $1000 budget will no longer be realistic for a 5.1 SVS setup.

Thanks for the non-intentional suggestion. I think I'm going to also suggest this $1099 kit:
http://www.svsound.com/products-spks-sts01.cfm


...plus the Bic H100 sub. I think they are going to increase their budget to $1500 or so.