speakers....which are really better

[coolmello]

If you were to take the same amount of money...between $1600 - $2000 what do you think you could get a better setup with klipsch, polk, psd or infinity?

[stevevt]

psb

[M i c h a e l]

Klipsch, Polk, and Infinity are good, but you can do
better for the same money, IMHO.


In that price range, look at:

NHT 2.9
Paradigm Reference Studio 60
Paradigm Reference Studio 100
PSB Stratus Silver


Some high quality brands to become familiar with are here:

http://www.goodsound.com/original/speakers.html


Don't be in a hurry to spend your money. No deal is too
good to pass up. Shop carefully, <B>bring your own CDs</B>,
and listen to each model carefully.

Also keep in mind which models have a good center channel,
which can affect your budget, as well as overall performance. For
example, if you get the NHT 2.9s, you will need to get an
$800 center channel (the AudioCenter-2) to keep up with them.

Happy shopping!



&nbsp;<BR>

[Jeraden]

You might want to check out the Swan Divas from www.av123.com (http://www.av123.com) which fall into that price range. They seem to be a great speaker for the money, I just ordered myself a set last week - still awaiting delivery (6.1s, C3, R3, HSU VTF3 sub).

Here is a HUGE thread about them over at avsforum:
www.avsforum.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/004801.html (http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/004801.html)

[DavePhipps]

Tannoy - by far the best speakers I have ever heard

[skar]

Among the companies you listed, PSB is the obvious choice.

Others to consider:

Paradigm
Mirage
Swan Divas

[Brian Shannon]

For that amount of money you have alot of choices including B&W.

Trust your ears not your wallet.

[palebluedot]

Originally posted by DavePhipps
Tannoy - by far the best speakers I have ever heard

Amen to that brother. I have Tannoy Studio Monitors and I have never heard a speaker that rivals the sound. If you want to hear something the way it was meant to sound then Tannoys are your best bet. The Tannoys don't fall into the price range for a 5.1 setup though, at least the studio monitors don't. I'm not sure about their consumer gear.

[M i c h a e l]

Originally posted by Jeraden
You might want to check out the Swan Divas from www.av123.com (http://www.av123.com) which fall into that price range. They seem to be a great speaker for the money, I just ordered myself a set last week - still awaiting delivery (6.1s, C3, R3, HSU VTF3 sub).

Here is a HUGE thread about them over at avsforum:
www.avsforum.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/004801.html (http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/004801.html)


Jeraden, I was curious about these so I have been reading
your posted links. From what I gather, I would be hesitant
to spend a few thousand on these speakers at this stage.

At av123.com, I learned they're mass produced in China. Not
necessarily a bad thing, but most good high-end gear is not
produced in this way. They look very well built, but that does
not translate into sound quality.

At avsforum.com, there are basically a couple of people screaming
about how great these speakers are. Not enough to convince
me. Where is the dealer network, where are the Stereophile
and Audio Magazine reviews? One website hawking mass-produced
speakers from China raises red flags in my book.

They may be a good value, and I may be completely wrong, but
I always go with my gut, and the above comments is what my gut
is telling me.

Hope your set sounds amazing. Once you have them in your
home, I would borrow a comparable set of speakers from your
local dealer and see how they compare. It is after all, your hard
earned money, so make sure you're getting the best value! :)

Good luck!

[edclem]

I'd like to second the vote for Paradigm's Reference series. These things are fantastic. :) ...and unbelievable for the price point

[Jeraden]

Originally posted by M i c h a e l

Jeraden, I was curious about these so I have been reading
your posted links. From what I gather, I would be hesitant
to spend a few thousand on these speakers at this stage.

At avsforum.com, there are basically a couple of people screaming
about how great these speakers are. Not enough to convince
me. Where is the dealer network, where are the Stereophile
and Audio Magazine reviews? One website hawking mass-produced
speakers from China raises red flags in my book.


I was a bit hesitant too from just the single thread on avsforum, but there are a number of other sites recommending them. Here are some more links.

Review on the 4.1s, which are the lowest end towers.
Review of 4.1's at Hometheaterhifi.com (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_8_2/diva-swans-41-speakers-5-2001.html)

There are also a bunch of discussions on them over at audioreview.com message boards.

Here's a board devoted entirely to the Swan line, though not a lot of activity on it:
http://www.harmonicdiscord.com/forums/viewforum.php?forum=12&59

[M i c h a e l]

Originally posted by Jeraden


I was a bit hesitant too from just the single thread on avsforum, but there are a number of other sites recommending them. Here are some more links.



Thanks for the additional links.

As far as I can tell, these guys (av123.com) are all over the public
boards hyping their wares, so I would take all comments posted
on public boards with a huge grain of salt.

However, I am familiar with the third-party HomeTheaterHiFi.com,
and they gave them a decent review. I'll keep an ear out for
these, and see how they progress in the next year.

Thanks again!