[PerfectDark64]

Greetings,


I have already purchased an onkyo nr-616 as well as a klipsch cinema 6 for my home theater. I am in the process of acquiring two front towers for the system, and I am looking for something under $400 for a pair. The room is not very big, so I do not need something with great power, but rather I am in search of the best audio quality I can get at that price point. I am currently looking at some boston acoustics A360's

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/BOSA360WHA/BOSTON-ACOUSTICS-A360-3-Way-Dual-6.5in-Tower-Speaker-Each-White/1.html


I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions of good speakers in that price range.


Thanks for any help!

 

[PerfectDark64]

Bump

 

[nodnerb]

So are you doing a 7.1 system and using the center and 4 surrounds?

 

[crn3371]

My concern would be using one of the Klipsch satellite speakers as a center channel paired with your new towers.

 

[Jay1]



Quote:
Originally Posted by PerfectDark64  /t/1470528/towers-on-a-budget-less-than-400#post_23258689


Greetings,


I have already purchased an onkyo nr-616 as well as a klipsch cinema 6 for my home theater. I am in the process of acquiring two front towers for the system, and I am looking for something under $400 for a pair. The room is not very big, so I do not need something with great power, but rather I am in search of the best audio quality I can get at that price point. I am currently looking at some boston acoustics A360's

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/BOSA360WHA/BOSTON-ACOUSTICS-A360-3-Way-Dual-6.5in-Tower-Speaker-Each-White/1.html


I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions of good speakers in that price range.


Thanks for any help!

Those are great speakers for that price. You will need to acquire the matching Boston center though, mismatched front speakers is a huge no no.

 

[Reefdvr27]

Please double your budget if you can and get these
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/KEFQ500CHY/KEF-Q500-Q-Series-5-1/4-inch-Cherry-Floorstanding-Speakers-Each/1.html


If not, I have heard good things about these Pioneers. Under your budget.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117426

 

[afrogt]

The Boston A360's would be great but you'll need to get a Boston center which will run you another $150.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/BOSA225CGBA/BOSTON-ACOUSTICS-A225C-2-Way-Center-Channel-Speaker-Black/1.html

 

[JerryLove]

Infinity Primus and Pioneer (forget model) are both highly regarded in the $200-$400/pr range.

 

[duc135]

+1


I own the Infinity Primus P363 towers and they compare favorably against my Revel Performa2 F52s. I have also compared them against the first generation Andrew Jones Pioneers. While the Pioneers are also quite good I prefered the Infinity P363s. I here the second generation are much improved. I can't vouch for that, but they do look nicer IMO.


The Infinity is currently on sale at Fry's Electronics for $117 each if you're lucky enough to live near one.

 

[csgamer]



Quote:
Originally Posted by duc135  /t/1470528/towers-on-a-budget-less-than-400#post_23280018


+1


I own the Infinity Primus P363 towers and they compare favorably against my Revel Performa2 F52s. I have also compared them against the first generation Andrew Jones Pioneers. While the Pioneers are also quite good I prefered the Infinity P363s. I here the second generation are much improved. I can't vouch for that, but they do look nicer IMO.


The Infinity is currently on sale at Fry's Electronics for $117 each if you're lucky enough to live near one.

Infinity p363 compared favorable against revel f52? Wow, I need some more details.


I owned p362's, sold due to a move. I owned 2nd gen pioneers for a short while, I prefer the infinity. In fact, contemplated buying them again, but decided to up my budget, was actually thinking about revel f12's.


I have to say though, the boston 360 that was recommended in this thread does look better in the pictures IMO compared to the infinity p363, sound wise I don't know. If one doesn't want to listen for themselves, then my vote goes to the infinity primus.

 

[duc135]



Quote:
Originally Posted by csgamer  /t/1470528/towers-on-a-budget-less-than-400/0_100#post_23280082


Infinity p363 compared favorable against revel f52? Wow, I need some more details.


I owned p362's, sold due to a move. I owned 2nd gen pioneers for a short while, I prefer the infinity. In fact, contemplated buying them again, but decided to up my budget, was actually thinking about revel f12's.


I have to say though, the boston 360 that was recommended in this thread does look better in the pictures IMO compared to the infinity p363, sound wise I don't know. If one doesn't want to listen for themselves, then my vote goes to the infinity primus.

Yes, in my well treated room, everyone who has auditioned and compared them against my Revel F52s would put them at about 70% of the F52s. Myself included. Keep in mind their pedigree. They are owned by the same parent company, Harman International. I'm guessing some of the technology and engineering has made its way down to the P363s. Frequency response on the P363s are extremely good for high end speakers let alone ones that are only a couple hundred dollars for the pair.


Since the speakers share the same pedigree, the sound is similar. They are a fairly neutral speaker, which I like. They lack the refinement of the Revels, but still are great speakers. High are clear, mids are smooth and bass is well controlled. The crossovers do an exceptional job of integrating the drivers as one cohesive speaker instead of a collection of drivers in a box. The transition of frequencies between the drivers is smooth. It lacks the depth of and expansiveness of the soundstage that the Revels have, but they do disappear in the room when I close my eyes and just listen. It's hard to compare the two really as they are more similar than they are different. The Infinity does everything the Revel does, just not as well. The Revels are the clear winners in every aspect, but not by nearly the margin the price would indicate. Remember, the Infinity is less than 5% the cost of the Revels. I'd say 70% the performance of the Revels for 5% the cost is a favorable ratio.


I can tell you I'd buy the Infinity over the other $2K - $3K speakers I auditioned when I was first looking into nice speakers. Off the top of my head, I know I listened to DefTech, B&W, Vienna Acoustics and Thiel. I actually did like the Thiels and would get them over the P363.


Sorry for the incoherent blabbering and lack of structure in my post. Trying to get some work done at the same time as posting this.

 

[csgamer]

Thanks duc135, great post.


It pushed me to rebuy the infinity p363 today, these are so cheap that I think I will keep it around. If revels sound similar to these infinity p363's but are more refined, then I think I will like.


For tower comparisons, would the revel f12 be a noticeable enough improvement over the p363? Or do I need to go higher up in the revel lineup?

 

[duc135]

I can't honestly answer that question since I've never heard the F12s. Considering how well the P363s did in my room (can't stress enough the "my room" part), I can't imagine the F12 would be a cost effective improvement. What is considered a noticeable improvement would be up to the individual though. Having been through this several times in both my house and those of my family members, I think the biggest improvement to sound quality would be treating the room as best as possible. Even my much loved F52s sounded okay, at best, in my father's abomination of a listening room. He simply could not be talked into treating his room due to aesthetics.

 

[PerfectDark64]

Its good to know that I would have to buy a new center no matter my decision. I can up the budget for that, as I was looking into getting a new center anyway. The major contenders at this point are the Pioneers and the Boston A360's. I'm going to see if I can find a location to listen to those particular models, but I think I will be picking up the Boston's based on the positive reactions to them. Thanks for the recommendations, they helped show me exactly how far my budget would get me.

 

[duc135]

Depending on your requirements, a center channel is not always necessary. You should just buy the front two and run a phantom center first. Try it before buying the center. If your room isn't too large you may find that a phantom center will work out for you. If you need one go ahead and get it. If not, you've just saved yourself some money.

 

[lemonslush]



Quote:
Originally Posted by PerfectDark64  /t/1470528/towers-on-a-budget-less-than-400#post_23287514


Its good to know that I would have to buy a new center no matter my decision. I can up the budget for that, as I was looking into getting a new center anyway. The major contenders at this point are the Pioneers and the Boston A360's. I'm going to see if I can find a location to listen to those particular models, but I think I will be picking up the Boston's based on the positive reactions to them. Thanks for the recommendations, they helped show me exactly how far my budget would get me.

Is that a magic card tattoo?


Is that a magic card tattoo?

 

[arnyk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by JerryLove  /t/1470528/towers-on-a-budget-less-than-400#post_23280001


Infinity Primus and Pioneer (forget model) are both highly regarded in the $200-$400/pr range.

It's a good time to buy 363s, as the price has come back down again at Amazon. It was quite a bit more for a few weeks.

http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Primus-P363-Three-way-Floorstanding/dp/B0046A8R3M


I'm enjoying my pair!

 

[Dmudd]

I have seen these dip under 200 a couple times.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882780027

 

[PerfectDark64]

The klipsch F-20's are interesting, as I would imagine that they would blend quite well with the ones I already have. I like the idea of running a phantom center, I think that would work out quite well given the size of the room. The Pioneers are working their way up the ladder simply due to its awesome price vs. performance. The forum has given me a lot to think about. I don't have to have them purchased until early june, so I will keep an eye on prices, but when I get them set up, I'll let you know how they sound ^_^. And the tattoo was airbrushed, but yep that is the 5 mana symbols from Magic: The Gathering

 

[Dmudd]

these are on sale for under 200 each right now

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882780027