$500 budget what do you recommend?

[jangalang32]

big time noob here. i just bought a receiver and sub for what i think was a great deal. i payed $225 total for a yamaha rx-v1700 receiver and a speakercraft bx-12 woofer. they were slightly used but overall almost new. what do you think about the purchase?

where i need help is on the speakers. i just want the two front and center speakers right now and will worry about the rear when i get my theater us and going. i would like to stay around $500 for the 3 speakers. what do you guys recommend? let m

this is my 1st post. just found this website. thanks for all the replies!

[blackraven]

Here are a few suggestions. the PSB Image B25's for $299pr and their center for $219 or the PSB AlphaB1's for $279pr and the C1 center for $189. These are sale prices.
The PSB Image 25's would be my first choice over the Alpha B1's. They are a larger speaker than the Alpha B1's and you could probably get away with using the cheaper Alpha C1 center along with the Image 25's. www.saturdayaudio.com

Also look at the MONITOR AUDIO B2's and and the Bronze center. These are very good speakers for the money. I just bought a pair of the S1's for my bedroom.
www.saturdayaudio.com has the the B2's onsale now for $279pr down from $399 and the Bronze center for $179 down from $249. These would be my NUMBER 1 CHOICE, with the PSB's second. The B2's are a larger bookshelf and will have a bigger sound. I received my speakers in 3 days from saturday audio.

Both the PSB's and Monitor Audios have gotten excellent reviews in the past.

Other choices are-


Infinity Beta series. The beta 20's for the fronts for about $120 each and an infinity beta center. Or the infinity primus line but the grills are damn ugly in the new primus but the speakers sound very good. The infinity 162's or the Floorstander 252's and their center. www.crutchfield.com

[jangalang32]

thanks for that reply. ill look into these speakers. anyone agree with these 2 choices?

what did you think of the receiver and the sub for the price i paid?

[blackraven]

Read the reviews on these speakers from www.stereophile.com and The Absoulte Sound
In the price range your looking at for a center channel and 2 front channel you wont find anything that compairs to the Monitor Audio's (which by the way have real wood venner cabinets) and the PSB's. Both companies are well respected and make high end speakers.

It looks like you got a good deal on the amp and sub although I'm not that familiar with speaker craft. It looks like the BASSX12 sub sells for over $500 new.

[blackraven]

By the way. Call the guys over at saturday audio and ask them which speakers they prefer and why. Ask them which have a more detailed clearer sound and which ones have a warmer or brighter sound so you can pick which ever type of sound is to your liking. They will be more than willing to talk to you and help you out.

[Ajani]

anyone agree with these 2 choices?

Both Monitor Audio & PSB are excellent choices for budget speakers and produce arguably some of the most critically acclaimed entry level speakers in Europe and North America respectively.

[jangalang32]

i decided to go with the monitor audio B2's. seem like the best choice.

i was also wondering if the speakers will connect to my receiver or if i should buy a connector piece to connect them? im pretty new at this so this might be a dumb question.

[GMichael]

I have the Primus 360 floorstanders and the 150 bookshelves. Both are a great bang for the buck speaker. You really can't go wrong with them. The Beta's would give you more bass though.

By the way, great deal on that receiver. That alone is worth much more than you paid.

[blackraven]

Just buy some decent speaker wire. I prefer 10-12gauge wire. Even 16g will do. The monster XP wire is decent or you can find some AudioQuest cables for a good price at
www.hcmaudio.com or www.bluejeanscable.com
Blue jean cables are not fancy but they are no nonsense cables and perform well with good specs. A lot of bang for the buck. You can use bare wire on the ends to connect to your speaker instead of the banna plugs or spades to save money. It does not affect the sound. Also, you may want to buy your IC's for your CD player from bluejeancable as well.

Great choice on the MA B2's. For that sale price you would be hard pressed to find anything better. I bought the MA S1's a week ago for $399 (list was over $600) and they were well worth the money. The MA speakers need about 60 hours of breakin time before they really start to sing.