Need help Masters:)

msj965 · 21st March 2009, 04:31 AM

Hello,
I'm a newbie here and I want to know what is good hi fi speaker to buy. I'm comparing between the bookshelf or the tower spr.But on the tower I think is much more expensive,isn't it!My bugget left is 300+bucks. coz I bought a trend ta10.1 and modded a playstation 1+ yard master patio cord . So if you can assist me Masters and give some opinions what to buy.

Thanking you in advance,
Ann

fwater · 21st March 2009, 05:51 AM

Holy freakin' cow, a woman on the forum! Welcome, bring some freinds

I'm not an expert, but I will cast my vote on high efficiency loudspeakers. There may be some how will say that low power isn't low 'til you've met their 1 watt SETs, but 15 watts of available oomph might not be enough for some people. There are quite a few discussions and designs on this and the fullrange forum featuring high efficiency drivers. I'm finding beauty in the simplicity of my unknown vintage 10" wibebands with a paper tweet and an oil-type cap. No specs, no measurements, but unquestionably high sensitivity, they work great with my tiny T-amp. Look into a horn tweeter and a pro-type woofer. I'm sure it can be done for under $300. Maybe someone with more experience will have some specific examples...

...edit this, I assumed building your own speakers was in the cards. Re-reading your post, it doesn't state that. DIY is the preferred method 'round here. I don't pay any attention to prefab speakers, except maybe the ones in my vintage console record-player.

Key · 21st March 2009, 06:26 AM

Hi Ann,
I was going to buy one these for my mom
I think this is the cheapest/best sounding speaker I have found but others will likely have there own opinions. And you may want to wait for someone to answer if it will even work with one of those tiny amps.
The speakers are 6-ohm so maybe if you get another and bi-amp them? Some who has used it can chime in it just seems like it's cutting it close with that amp for most "hi-fi" speakers.

Sometimes bookshelf style speakers and floor-standing speakers can come out to about the same price when you add in the cost of stands. I think they should change the name to stand speaker because virtually every one of them sounds better on stands.
These are basically some great sounding bookshelf speakers with stands glued on them.
http://www.tsto.com/cgi-bin/TSTO.sto...duct/View/2824

These you would need some stands and you wont get as much bass as the 8.2s. But they have a smaller footprint for smaller rooms.
http://www.tsto.com/cgi-bin/TSTO.sto.../View/2829&2D3

Me I'm not into expensive stands I just use Samson stands and try to get them when they are on sale. And these are just the speakers I came up with. I actually use the Diamond 8.2s myself but I did shop around trying to find something in the price range that I thought sounded better and I have about given up. So I want to see if there are some other recommendations myself.

planet10 · 21st March 2009, 07:17 AM

Hi Ann,

Some things to note -- the Trends is, in reality, about 5 watts into 8 ohms and 10 into 4 ohms. And they like a very benign impedance curve -- this usually means a 1-way speaker, or a 2-way where the only cross-over part is a single cap.

If you are into building your own (what this place is all about), there are lots of really decent boxes you can make for $300 (that can compare to speakers you'd buy in a store for >$1000). And some of the more creative ones will use found items (flower pots, bread boxes, round Ikea bowels for example) to make the enclosure out of. This makes for a minimum of necessary tools. There are also the Parts Express curvy boxes (more on those below*)

If you want to buy something ready to go, finding something in a retail store is a bit harder. A lot of what is available is driven by the male (the predominant buyers) penchant for bigger.more is better (some of us buck that trend). Part way in between is buying someones already done diy project or the growing number of guiys banging out Fostex recommended boxes and selling them direct.

In your price range, you'll likely get better sonics out of a stand-mounter/bookshelf. Cabinets don't cost as much (bigger cabinets have bigger panels which need more bracing, weigh more so cost more to ship, so less money to spend on drivers), And the small FR drivers that will suit you amp & budget, tend to need smaller boxes (things like Saburo excepted)

Some examples off eBay with comments:

* (here is one that looks to use the PE cabinets -- the tweeter is not really necessary and perhaps a liability -- it is important that the extremes of a speaker are balanced, and the tweeter will probably tip these towards too bright because they don't go all that low, if you can get them sans tweeter that is what i'd do)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fostex-4-5-Full-...3A2%7C294%3A50

This is a good one (but Alexander can be a bit over the top with his "narative", Barnum would have some things to say)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tekton-Design-Fo...3A3%7C294%3A50

This one is just used, but probably every bit as good as the Tekton. And a big budget for stands.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fostex-FE103-Rea...3A3%7C294%3A50

This is another set from Alexander -- more bass, will play louder but won't have the finese of the smaller cheaper one, but pushes your budget (he also makes one with the driver in the 1st posted, but, since he is using MDF not likely as good as item 1 (you can see his rant against us plywood guys in this ad -- MDF is used because it is CHEAP, not because it is best. Note: the PE boxes are MDF too, but a number of tricks (including MDF plywood sides) that give it a big advantage,

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tekton-Design-Fo...3A1%7C294%3A50

Here is an example of what to avoid. Nice box, but it should really have the version of the driver in the 1st one (not a guess, confirmed by a guy in Oz with a set)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Valab-4-5-inch-F...3A1%7C294%3A50

dave

planet10 · 21st March 2009, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Key
Sometimes bookshelf style speakers and floor-standing speakers can come out to about the same price when you add in the cost of stands. I think they should change the name to stand speaker because virtually every one of them sounds better on stands.

In the UK they are called stand-mounters

It is also possible to repurpose something for stands. I'll often use the stools we have at our kitchen table, and i've gotten some Ikea garage sale items that make good stands for the really small speakers.

And it is pretty easy to diy some. But then you mom might be perfectly happy with them on a shelf -- my mom is.

dave

Key · 21st March 2009, 07:26 AM

Yeah I was using some old speakers last year. Actually the perfect height and much more stable than my stands I went out and paid for. But hey the stands have those neat spikey do dads! And well I can adjust the height without haveing to stick books underneath the speakers.

21st March 2009, 04:31 AM	#1
msj965 diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2009	Need help Masters:) Hello, I'm a newbie here and I want to know what is good hi fi speaker to buy. I'm comparing between the bookshelf or the tower spr.But on the tower I think is much more expensive,isn't it!My bugget left is 300+bucks. coz I bought a trend ta10.1 and modded a playstation 1+ yard master patio cord . So if you can assist me Masters and give some opinions what to buy. Thanking you in advance, Ann

21st March 2009, 07:17 AM	#4
planet10 frugal-phile(tm) diyAudio Moderator Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Victoria, BC, NA, Sol III Blog Entries: 4	Re: Need help Masters:) Hi Ann, Some things to note -- the Trends is, in reality, about 5 watts into 8 ohms and 10 into 4 ohms. And they like a very benign impedance curve -- this usually means a 1-way speaker, or a 2-way where the only cross-over part is a single cap. If you are into building your own (what this place is all about), there are lots of really decent boxes you can make for $300 (that can compare to speakers you'd buy in a store for >$1000). And some of the more creative ones will use found items (flower pots, bread boxes, round Ikea bowels for example) to make the enclosure out of. This makes for a minimum of necessary tools. There are also the Parts Express curvy boxes (more on those below) If you want to buy something ready to go, finding something in a retail store is a bit harder. A lot of what is available is driven by the male (the predominant buyers) penchant for bigger.more is better (some of us buck that trend). Part way in between is buying someones already done diy project or the growing number of guiys banging out Fostex recommended boxes and selling them direct. In your price range, you'll likely get better sonics out of a stand-mounter/bookshelf. Cabinets don't cost as much (bigger cabinets have bigger panels which need more bracing, weigh more so cost more to ship, so less money to spend on drivers), And the small FR drivers that will suit you amp & budget, tend to need smaller boxes (things like Saburo excepted) Some examples off eBay with comments: (here is one that looks to use the PE cabinets -- the tweeter is not really necessary and perhaps a liability -- it is important that the extremes of a speaker are balanced, and the tweeter will probably tip these towards too bright because they don't go all that low, if you can get them sans tweeter that is what i'd do) http://cgi.ebay.com/Fostex-4-5-Full-...3A2%7C294%3A50 This is a good one (but Alexander can be a bit over the top with his "narative", Barnum would have some things to say) http://cgi.ebay.com/Tekton-Design-Fo...3A3%7C294%3A50 This one is just used, but probably every bit as good as the Tekton. And a big budget for stands. http://cgi.ebay.com/Fostex-FE103-Rea...3A3%7C294%3A50 This is another set from Alexander -- more bass, will play louder but won't have the finese of the smaller cheaper one, but pushes your budget (he also makes one with the driver in the 1st posted, but, since he is using MDF not likely as good as item 1 (you can see his rant against us plywood guys in this ad -- MDF is used because it is CHEAP, not because it is best. Note: the PE boxes are MDF too, but a number of tricks (including MDF plywood sides) that give it a big advantage, http://cgi.ebay.com/Tekton-Design-Fo...3A1%7C294%3A50 Here is an example of what to avoid. Nice box, but it should really have the version of the driver in the 1st one (not a guess, confirmed by a guy in Oz with a set) http://cgi.ebay.com/Valab-4-5-inch-F...3A1%7C294%3A50 dave __________________ community sites t-linespeakers.org, frugal-horn.com ........ commercial site planet10-HiFi p10-hifi forum here at diyA

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21st March 2009, 05:51 AM	#2
fwater diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2007	Holy freakin' cow, a woman on the forum! Welcome, bring some freinds I'm not an expert, but I will cast my vote on high efficiency loudspeakers. There may be some how will say that low power isn't low 'til you've met their 1 watt SETs, but 15 watts of available oomph might not be enough for some people. There are quite a few discussions and designs on this and the fullrange forum featuring high efficiency drivers. I'm finding beauty in the simplicity of my unknown vintage 10" wibebands with a paper tweet and an oil-type cap. No specs, no measurements, but unquestionably high sensitivity, they work great with my tiny T-amp. Look into a horn tweeter and a pro-type woofer. I'm sure it can be done for under $300. Maybe someone with more experience will have some specific examples... ...edit this, I assumed building your own speakers was in the cards. Re-reading your post, it doesn't state that. DIY is the preferred method 'round here. I don't pay any attention to prefab speakers, except maybe the ones in my vintage console record-player.

21st March 2009, 06:26 AM	#3
Key diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2009	Hi Ann, I was going to buy one these for my mom I think this is the cheapest/best sounding speaker I have found but others will likely have there own opinions. And you may want to wait for someone to answer if it will even work with one of those tiny amps. The speakers are 6-ohm so maybe if you get another and bi-amp them? Some who has used it can chime in it just seems like it's cutting it close with that amp for most "hi-fi" speakers. Sometimes bookshelf style speakers and floor-standing speakers can come out to about the same price when you add in the cost of stands. I think they should change the name to stand speaker because virtually every one of them sounds better on stands. These are basically some great sounding bookshelf speakers with stands glued on them. http://www.tsto.com/cgi-bin/TSTO.sto...duct/View/2824 These you would need some stands and you wont get as much bass as the 8.2s. But they have a smaller footprint for smaller rooms. http://www.tsto.com/cgi-bin/TSTO.sto.../View/2829&2D3 Me I'm not into expensive stands I just use Samson stands and try to get them when they are on sale. And these are just the speakers I came up with. I actually use the Diamond 8.2s myself but I did shop around trying to find something in the price range that I thought sounded better and I have about given up. So I want to see if there are some other recommendations myself.

21st March 2009, 07:26 AM	#6
Key diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2009	Yeah I was using some old speakers last year. Actually the perfect height and much more stable than my stands I went out and paid for. But hey the stands have those neat spikey do dads! And well I can adjust the height without haveing to stick books underneath the speakers.

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