Imput needed on speaker selection

[lbreevesii]

Hi all,

I am a college student in need of a new speaker setup and I'm just not sure where to turn or which direction to go.

My setup will be used primarially as the sound system for my pc. I love high quality music reproduction so I need something that will sound nice. I am also a pc gamer which has caused me to lean towards surround sound(I have an 8 chan audio card).

I started off looking at high(er) end pc multimedia packages. I have heard and am more than impressed with the klipsch promedia ultra 5.1's, but research has turned up some problems with their bash amps dying. I also looked at(but have not heard) the logitech z-5500.

Then the other day a friend of mine turned me on to the idea of putting together a component setup that would suit my needs. So now I am here, looking for some imput as to what speakers would be in my price range and give me the quality that I desire.


My biggest constraints are $$$$ and space. Living in a dorm dosent' afford much space for big speakers. Any imput is much appreciated.


on a side note, I currently own a set of RCA PRO-LX55's. I found someone talking about a crossover tweak on these, but never managed to find any instructions. anybody know how to do it? I was thinking about using these as my rear speakers in the setup.

I also have a boston acoustics multimedia sub, origionally part of a gateway presenter system. It may not have the tightest sound but it has thump and volume. Should I use it as part of this setup or will it detract from the rest of the sound setup?

I also own an old onkyo amp(solid state I *think*) its not a surround amp and it only pushes like 80 or 100 watts per chan but its something that i might could use.

help please!

[Cal Weldon]

Are you planning to build?

What is your budget?

[lbreevesii]

I would prefer to buy a factory setup, i just don't have time to build anything(unless its prebuilt cabinet). Probably looking at 300 bux or so, mabye a tad more.

[lbreevesii]

need some imput here fellas, i'm in a bit of a bind...

Thanks,
~Larry

[lndm]

Five built speakers for $300? I think you'll only find computer speakers that need a sub for that money. If you want quality, you may have to start by settling for just two speakers, or better still, go second hand.

[tinitus]

You could buy some CSS FR125 and get real good value

To save further on the money you make a octagon to place on the wall

On every second "side" you mount a plate to funktion as legs to "stand" on the wall - and then inside all the way round you place some acoustic dampening material

I think this might work - anyway its a cheap solution with real quality drivers

[lbreevesii]

this being a dorm, I really can't put anything on the wall, I'm really going to need some floor models or really really nice bookshelf speakers.

[lbreevesii]

Like I said I have those rca's that I can use for rear speakers. I only really need two front speakers. And I said that I'd prefer to go the route of best bang for your buck, period. SO, probably looking at factory enclosure and speaker setup.

[Dryseals]

If you want good sound and your budget is limited, like most college students, I would examine what you have and build from there. Use your existing sub and RCA's for the rear and build some nice speakers for the front and center channel. If you buy prefabbed speakers, your paying a lot for markup, figure a good 300% over the cost of building yourself.

A sheet of 3/4" MDF goes for about $19 a sheet, most homedepot type outlets sell it in smaller sections than the usual 4X8 sheets so transportation issues can be resolved. You can figure around $50 a box if you buy a prebuilt box, $19 will make several boxes.

The part 295-306 at Partsexpress is a Dayton 6 ½” woofer $15.40 each 4@15.40
275-075 is the Dayton 1 1/8” textile tweeter, $16.75 each
260-140 will give you a 2 way crossover that should work well with the tweeter and woofer, $19.95 each or build your own crossover.
260-309 for the rear connectors, $3.40


13.5H X 9W X 8D of ¾” MDF will give you 0.33cf of volume perfect for the woofer in a vented box

4X4 sheet ripped 9” sliced into four sections gives you 2 fronts and two backs
rip another 6 1/2” piece gives you 4 sides
another 9” rip then cut to four 8” sections will provide the tops and bottoms and you still have another 4’ by 23 1/2” wide piece left over for a center channel


12H X 8W X 7D of ¾” MDF will give you 0.217cf of volume perfect for the woofer in a sealed box


4X4 sheet ripped 8” sliced into four sections gives you 2 fronts and two backs
rip another 5 1/2” piece gives you 4 sides
another 7” rip then cut to four 8” sections will provide the tops and bottoms and you still have another 4’ by 27 1/2” wide piece left over for a center channel or another two speakers.

Four sealed enclosures would run you around…..
4@$15.40 $61.60
4@$16.75 $67.00
4@$19.95 $79.80
4@$3.40 $13.60

$222

add 10 bucks for the MDF a few bucks for some screws, glue and some cheap paint and you’ll have four inexpensive speakers that will sound better than just about anything you could pick up for $250

The vented enclosures would probably be more to your liking, but would add the cost of another sheet of 4X4 MDF. You could also save a few more dollars building the crossovers yourself, but not a whole lot.

If you only need two speakers, then put some more dollars in the drivers.

[lbreevesii]

hmm....not as bad as I thought it would be.

I have all the tools and such to do woodwork, routing, you name it(we own rental property so repair abailities are a must), its just a matter of finding the time.

Could you guys get me some links to say some printable blueprints for some enclosures that would fit my size constraints?

What about doing them in a V shape or a flat backed V to save space? how much effect would it have on the sound vs a square/rectangular enclosure?

also if i want to spend more on the speakers themselves what would be a good choice for fairly cheap price but excellent sound?

Thanks a lot guys,
~Larry