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kinglerxst
02-01-2006, 02:52 AM
I'm working on a limited budget and trying to heed the advice I'm gathered here. My plan is to sink most of my money into a decent receiver to start (probably one of the Pioneer VSX models) and pick up a reasonable CD player. That leaves me with less than $100 to spend on speakers. I'm happy just starting off with a center channel and two bookshelves with the intent of upgrading/adding later. I have an offer for useds speakers for $50 but I can't find much info about them. Please advise.

JBL SC305 center channel
Two JBL J50s bookshelves

Assuming that the speakers are in good condition, is this package worth $50? I saw that the SC305 got a good review here, anyone know about the J50s?

Any other combos that I should be on the lookout for?

Jim Clark
02-01-2006, 06:15 AM
Well there's a pair of J50's on ebay right now with a buy it now price of 19.99 +shipping so I'm guessing that the 50 with a center included is pretty good price wise.

Since you are on a tight budget you have to spend wisely to get the best sound. Assuming you haven't already decided that these are all going to be throw away pieces you may think about tinkering with your approach. You don't mention how much your going to spend on a receiver but I'd offer another perspective. It's a matter of opinion but I think that speakers will have the most dramatic impact on sound quality. In addition to the impact, good speakers can last a lifetime. Rather than blowing most on the receiver that will be outdated in a year, 2 max, I'd reverse things and get better speakers (added to incrementally) and cheap out with electronics.

If you were to look at the newer digital receivers like panasonic you could limit that cost to 250.00. These actually get remarkable reviews and a legion of converts is emmerging. Check out the forums at AVS if you have doubts. These like to stay in the digital realm so all you'd need is a transport. A lower cost DVDP would suffice for CD playback and also handle your movies. Hopefully that frees up some cash for speakers. On Audiogon right now is a pair of Paradigm Studio 20's with stands for 375.00 delivered. I doubt anyone here would think that the 3 JBL's would outperform these 2 monitors. A new set of Atoms and a cc isn't going to be much more than 375, if any more. The sky is the limit, and it may be doable with your budget. In the end I think you could get superior movie and music reproduction for the same amount of cash.

Regards,
jc

L.J.
02-01-2006, 07:02 AM
Kinglerxst,

Jim offers excellent advice. I would only go with the JBL for 50 bucks route if you intend to just resell them when you build enough money to upgrade to some decent speakers.

kinglerxst
02-01-2006, 10:12 AM
Kinglerxst,

Jim offers excellent advice. I would only go with the JBL for 50 bucks route if you intend to just resell them when you build enough money to upgrade to some decent speakers.


I was planning on eventually using the J50s as rear surrounds if I like the sound quality. If not, I should be able to resell them. I like the idea of being able to add/upgrade the speaker system incrementally.

My budget is currently pretty limited (~$600) and I have no equipment to start with. If I drop $375 on speakers I'm going to be hard-pressed to find a suitable receiver and CD player. I am leaning towards a Pioneer VSX815K / Onkyo DX390 pairing which would satisfy most of my needs and leave me about $100. My concern is that the JBL speakers will sound so bad that it won't matter what quality receiver I'm using.

L.J.
02-01-2006, 10:48 AM
I was planning on eventually using the J50s as rear surrounds if I like the sound quality. If not, I should be able to resell them. I like the idea of being able to add/upgrade the speaker system incrementally.

My budget is currently pretty limited (~$600) and I have no equipment to start with. If I drop $375 on speakers I'm going to be hard-pressed to find a suitable receiver and CD player. I am leaning towards a Pioneer VSX815K / Onkyo DX390 pairing which would satisfy most of my needs and leave me about $100. My concern is that the JBL speakers will sound so bad that it won't matter what quality receiver I'm using.

Well the AVR aint gonna make the diff in sound, the speakers are. Once you start to upgrade to quality speakers youll hear the diff for yourself. With a budget of 600 a sacrifice is gonna have to be made. Putting up with those JBL's for a few months until you build some more $$$ isn't a bad plan since your getting them for so cheap. While your saving some cash for better speakers, that gives you plenty of time to do some speaker auditioning. It'll all pay off in the long run.

zepman1
02-01-2006, 11:03 AM
I would advise against this. Your best bet (as already mentioned) is to get the best speakers you can. $100 is not going to get much at all. It would be my preference not to cheap out on anything, and just add pieces as your budget allows. Say $300-$350 for a pretty good receiver (pioneer, Onkyo, Yamaha etc) that will meet your needs for a few years. Say $300-$400 for some pretty good front speakers. $100 or less for a cheap DVD/CD player. That's a litte over budget, but then you won't be having to sell anything later, or waste money now on things you won't want in the future. You definitely want to spend more on the speakers than the electronics though.

Otherwise get a really good receiver and really good DVD/CD player. Buy the cheapest speakers you can find (the JBL's you mention or maybe build the Dayton DIY set from Parts Express for $150 if you are so inclined). Then save up some serious cash for some a*s kickin' speakers later.

Dmax
02-01-2006, 01:08 PM
I'm working on a limited budget and trying to heed the advice I'm gathered here. My plan is to sink most of my money into a decent receiver to start (probably one of the Pioneer VSX models) and pick up a reasonable CD player. That leaves me with less than $100 to spend on speakers. I'm happy just starting off with a center channel and two bookshelves with the intent of upgrading/adding later. I have an offer for useds speakers for $50 but I can't find much info about them. Please advise.

JBL SC305 center channel
Two JBL J50s bookshelves

Assuming that the speakers are in good condition, is this package worth $50? I saw that the SC305 got a good review here, anyone know about the J50s?

Any other combos that I should be on the lookout for? JR has a huge sale on JBL speakers , JBL Northridge bookshelf speakers are running as low a $99 a pair and there JBL floorstanding speakers are dirt cheap also plus all of them have free shipping. www.jr.com ;)