I am a college student (which says a little something about my monetary situation) and I am looking to buy a new pair of tower speakers. I used to own a pair of Optimus Lx-Pro 10's (I know, bad brand.. but they sounded nice when I was a kid) that the tweeters blew out on. (they are an odd tweeter--hard to find and expensive... on top of that they would be rough to replace). I run a Pioneer VSX 100x5 5.1 amp
Since my speakers are blown, I am looking to upgrade a little bit. I've been looking into the Cerwin Vega V-12f's, and the Infinity Primus 360 mainly, but I've looked at many things (from Athena's to the well-out-of-my-price-range Paradigm's and Klipchs)
I am looking to get the best bang for my buck, looking for a moderate amount of bass (I dont have enough money to buy a sub)
So, here is my first question: Would it benefit me to wait until after christmas to buy speakers? My mother (an internet shopping guru) claims that there will most likely be significant clearances after the holiday. Is this true in the floor speaker market? If there would be a drop in price, would it outweigh the opportunity cost of getting them now? (we have no music in our apartment--which is rough for parties)
My second question is, Am I looking in the right direction? I know a little over $300 is nothing in the speaker world. I'm just looking to purchase a set that will last me a few years and work great through all applications (Movies, Music etc) If I am not looking in the right direction, where should I look?
I would up your budget by $100 and get the Athena AS-F2.2s from audioadvisor.com --- the Primus 360 is not bad if you can get them for $300/pair. Not sure if waiting until after Christmas would make much difference.
I think fluance.com has a $300 pair of towers, haven't heard them myself but some people like that brand.
The thing is, despite its paper specs that Pioneer is hardly a muscular amp so I don't know just how well it will drive big floorstanders. You might be better off getting a pair of cheap bookshelves like the Athena B-1s for $100/pair and a cheap sub like the Dayton 12" from partsexpress.com for $150 shipped.
While doing a google search I found a thread here that mentioned SDAT group speakers. Lots of flaming but worth a look for someone on a student budget. I've never heard of them before nor owned one. Right now on uBid, there is free shipping- for the item weight you'd save considerable bucks. So if you're going to post have your flame suit on.
The poineer actually impressed me quite a bit. I got it cheap, and I understand it isn't very good... but It powered my old floor speakers rather well.
I know that it needs to be upgraded, and it most certainly will after I get some quality speakers and make enough money.
For right now I just want to get the speakers squared away.
Also.. I would LOVE the as-f2.2's, but 400+shipping isn't really in my range.
I go to Penn State, and I am planning on going to a bowl game in the near future...money is tight.
From what I've heard, SDAT isn't the best. I could be wrong, but I'd rather go with a name I know is trustworthy.
I am seriously considering the Primus 360's... does anyone have anything to say about the Vegas? Also, is it the general consensus that prices won't go down much after Christmas?
Ok.. I've caved. I noticed that the f2.2's have free shipping, and I think I'm going to buy them. I just have to find a way to buy these with money under the parent's radar.
Anyways... Can anyone settle my question about after-christmas deals? Seems to me like 399 shipped is a fantastic deal. Could this be beaten after the holiday?
maybe, maybe not. They will probably bring the price down but make you pay shipping so you think you are getting a good deal but its just the same.
Find a pal who works at CC or BB and see if he can get you an employee discount.
Fluance speakers are excellent for the money, very good sound and full size too, but they really dont shine that well when you compare them to other big brands like JBL, Klipsch Paradigm and Energy.
I have a pioneer vsx 457 or something along those lines. I understand that it's underpowered, but it's all I have for the time being. I plan on upgrading (perhaps the xr55) in the near future.
For now, is it possible for my reciever to damage my athenas? I've been doing a lot of reading on these forums, and I've found that the "popping" noise at high volumes can be because the lack of current/power. I've also read that this can possibly damage your tweeters. I think this is what happened to my last speakers. Am I right in these assumptions?
I know it sounds like an excuse, but in all honesty it wasn't me. A friend of mine had a birthday party for her best friend at my apartment (because they can't have them in the dorms)
I turned them down twice that night when I heard distortion... They just couldn't get enough volume out of the "call on me" song. I was out on my balcony for a while, and when I came back in they were all bass and no treble.
well, some women are just wacked when it comes to audio common sense.
I have to turn my speakers to "small" whenever my wife gets in one of her crazy moods and wants to crank the tunes (she usually listens at very low levels) and on occasion had to yell at her. Luckily she doesn't do this too often or I'd buy her a pair of CVs.
just trying
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Hey Braden. Good choice on the Athena's. I own the F2.2's and I think you will like them alot. Make sure to break them in before really cranking them. Some people have said the Athena's lack slightly in bass, it's not true. The thing is, the Athena's seem to be very picky on placement. So play around with them a bit, try them in a few different spots until you get the right one. And don't forget to adjust your treble/bass controls on your receiver. My old settings didn't sound good with the F2's so I just rolled back the treble a bit and they sounded so much more warm and smooth, not bright at all. I find them excellent with both movies/video games and music.
P.S They come with both rubber pads and floor spikes. Use whatever works best for your floor. For me the spikes work best, but maybe not for you.
Just installed the Athenas today--- They are freakin huge! I guess I didn't realize when I looked at the dimensions how tall they were. No matter, though, I love the look of them.
Aside from the obvious size difference (you could fit my old speaker INSIDE the Athena), the sound of the Athena's is awesome! I will admit, it seems really bright at times, but I hear that's tamed after the break-in period.
The majority of my CD's sound like they never have before. Listening to Dave Matthew's and Tim Renyolds during thier Lillywhite Sessions was astounding--I felt like I was actually there. The same goes for clapton's unplugged CD.
One thing I did notice was that the floor spikes make a HUGE difference. My roommate and I put one on and one off, and the difference, even low volume, is large.
One question--- Will watching TV with the speakers on contribute to their break-in time? What exactly is being broken in?
Overall I'm in love with these. I keep breaking out new cd's just to listen to see what i've been missing. I don't pretend to know much about speakers, but I feel like I made a solid purchase. Thanks for your help!
Will watching TV through the speakers contribute to their break-in?
How do I know when they're broken in?
Also.. would the XR55 be a good match for these speakers? Some say both the panny and the athenas are bright, some say neutral.
Even if the panny is a bad match, I'm not sure I'd have other options (limited budget, and I have a buddy at CC that can get me one cheap). Is there anything in the budget range that may outperform the panny?
Agreed. As for breaking them in, music will be better since its constant action, or so I would assume. And in the manual it says they take about 50-100 hours to break in. You made a solid purchase but they do require a good bit of clean power to reach their full capabilities. Good luck.
well the Athenas are known for emphasizing the treble a bit, at least the bookshelves are, the towers slightly less so and many Athena F2 users have reported that the brightness goes away after proper break-in.
Otherwise it's possible that with the Panny's awesome detail across the entire frequency spectrum, if the Athenas emphasize the treble while slacking off on the mids (a lot of speakers do this, btw), the combo might worsen this brightness...unless you set the Panny's tone controls to compensate for it. That said, I have to note that the Panny is about the only receiver I've ever tried that responds kindly to fiddling with the tone controls.
It's really a shame that the F2.2s are not bi-ampable since the Panny allows you to send less power to the tweeter and more to the woofer if desired during bi-amp mode.
My overall feeling though is that $15 in return shipping on the Panny is nothing for a 30 day home audition. Would hate to ship back something as huge and heavy as the Athenas, but the 10lb. Panny is a different matter.