Cadence A15 Review [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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momnem
04-05-2005, 02:16 PM
Hello,
I decided to upgrade my Home Theater and wanted to post a review for these Cadence speakers.

I started out with a Magnovox 51" HD TV. This only energized me to enhanch the audio. I knew I needed a new receiver, but after spending a grand on my TV, I didnt want to break the bank. I chose the Sony SRT-DE697 because of its 7.1 capability, and a price of $250.00. I added the Velodyne CHT-12 subwoofer (WOW) that I got at Circuit City for $280. Now it was time for some speakers. I researched many models, but my only stipulation was tower speakers. I wanted towers to stand next to my projection ( couldnt do a big TV with little speakers). Which brings me to my user review.

I purchased the Cadence A 15 Speakers off of ebay for a grand total of $225.00. This included the two tower speakers, two sats, and the center channel. I was skeptical at first since i couldnt find a review anywhere on the net except for the feedback from winning bidders (all were great, yet hazy). But after shopping around and testing tower speakers at local stores, for the price, i went with the Cadence. It was easily between $500 and $2000 for brands like Klipsh, Polk, JBL, and Infinity, and that was only for the front tower speakers!!! Again, I was on a budget, and economically the Cadence A15 speakers fit right in. I have heard of Cadence in the car audio scene for a while, and the little I heard was always good. This also weighed into my purchase, Cadence is not the biggest name in audio, but they have a solid reputation.
The speakers came shipped in their factory boxes, in about four days. I opened them as soon as they arrived, and inspected them thourghly. I found one very minor chip in one tower speaker, but it was hardly noticable. All five of the speakers looked emaculate. The build was very sturdy, the speakers were factory fresh, and the finish was right off of the assembly line.
Now for the sound.
I tested a couple of systems from best buy and a local home theater store. At best buy, the salesman said that the top of the line Klipsh they had set up were the best speakers they had in the store. I listened to a segment from the movie Drumline, and the Klipsh speakers sounded great. However the price was about $1600. Way more than I wanted to spend. I also tested a Polk setup with a Paragram sub. The salesman at this store played the first battle scene from Master and Commander, which did sound very good. I played both of these movies with my setup, and the Cadence preformed flawlessly. Now im not into all the jargon, but I do have an electronics degree. I am fully aware of what all the specs meen , but for this review im just going to use my ears. The Cadence speakers sounded just as good if not better than the two systems I tested. For the price, they are just amazing.

-wonderful sound quality
-great build
-very good price
-Sound rivals or exceeds many companies with a higher price tag

I wanted to put my experience with these speakers out there for anyone who is interested in purchasing them.
I also started this post for anyone else who may already have these speakers, and want to add their own input

Rock789
04-05-2005, 07:13 PM
do you have a link to their site?

to which klipsch speakers are you comparing?

thanks for the info,
Mike

momnem
04-06-2005, 01:02 AM
Just the listing on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll
ViewItem&category=14993&item=5764392439&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

This was the Klipsh setup at Best Buy:

Klipsch Synergy III 8" 2-Way Dual-Woofer Floorstanding Speaker (Each) - Black/Titanium Color
Model: F-3
Klipsch Synergy III 6-1/2" 2-Way Center-Channel Speaker - Black/Titanium Color
Model: C-3
Klipsch Synergy III 6-1/2" 2-Way Dual-Tweeter Surround Speakers (Pair) - Black/Titanium Color
Model: S-3
Klipsch Synergy Series 12" 440-Watt Subwoofer
Model: KSW-12
with a Yamaha receiver, dont know the model # on that though