# Considering two channel setup with a budget of $1,000



## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

I have the room within my home theater room to experiment with some two-channel speaker setups. I am considering getting a small integrated amp and a couple of speakers, probably something I can move out of the way easily since I will set them up between my listening position and the front of my HT room. I have about 10 feet to work with, so this will allow me to easily setup the correct listening position of the speakers.

I already have the Denon DP-300F turntable and the OPPO BDP-93 for CD.

I would like to keep my budget around $1,000. I suspect that may mean used equipment and I have been looking at Audiogon, but really not sure what to look for. I saw what looks like a good deal on a pair of B&W speakers with stands... then I think there were some 805's without stands. I see several integrated amps, but I think there are also some pretty nice units new, from Marantz and Music Hall and a few others.

Just curious what you would look for or what you would consider buying. 

Thanks!


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
I have been seriously tinkering with the idea of picking up a pair of Focal Chorus 814v's from Accessories4less. The 814's are identical to the Chorus 716v, but these were custom made for the now defunct Sound Advice. Replete with slightly different nomenclature and a Piano Black Finish. Mark purchased the 814's and matching CC814v not too long ago from Focal.

They are currently available for $729 a pair for Black Friday. They retailed for $1799 and AC4L usually sells them for I believe $899. Here is the link:http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...loorstanding-Speakers-Gloss-Black-Pair/1.html

If thinking monitors, the 805's are fantastic in my estimation. I am also a big fan of Dynaudio's X12 and X16's. They also have a Active Monitor available for around $1000 in the BM5A MKII. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BM5Amk2/ And the choices used are vast.
Cheers,
JJ


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

What about those Swan Diva's? You cant go wrong for that price and this way you can add a nice sub to them and your set


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

I kinda like the Swans, but thought if I were going to go with floorstanding speakers that I may as well get something that would extend down low enough to satisfy my bass needs. I am eying a pair of Thiel 2 2's for $700 that are not too far from me. They would do the job. Yet... I am curious about the age of the drivers and their condition.

I will check out the speakers at AC4L. For some reason I did not realize they sold speakers.

I could probably pick up a inexpensive receiver too, but I think there are more slim line integrated amps than there are receivers. I would like for it to be low profile so I can place it where I use to have a Dish Network receiver.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
I love Thiels and the CS 1.5 is one of the best speakers I have ever owned. They are not an easy speaker to drive due to the use of 1st Order Crossovers which is part of them being phase and time coherent. This would rule out the use of most AVR's to drive them. Thiel offers fantastic Customer Service and keep a good stock of NOS parts for legacy models like the 2.2.

I too never think of AC4L for speakers, but them getting these Focals at a huge discount is a rare opportunity as Focal is seldom available discounted. It is only due to HiFi Buys/Tweeter/Sound Advice going OOB that they even have these speakers and they are not going to become a Focal Dealer. That being said, they are authorized to sell the ones being offered,
Cheers,
JJ


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Those KEF Q900's look pretty interesting.

Too expensive.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

I was looking at this HTD integrated amp. I don't know much about this company, but it looks impressive for only $279.

A pro amp is also a possibility, although they are limited on inputs.


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

Definitely do not hook Thiel speakers to an AVR or budget integrated. The amp will not like it at all.  I like the Focal Chorus 814v recommendation, at that price it is a steal.

The KEF Q500 fits the budget and is a good alternative to the more expensive Q900.
http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...inch-Cherry-Floorstanding-Speaker-Each/1.html

Cambridge Audio S70.
http://www.spearitsound.com/product.cgi?group=126&product=459

Arx A3.
http://www.theaudioinsider.com/prod...id=67&osCsid=fb9dc94bc443f41fb5e61bc4974995f7

Stretch the budget for the A5?
http://www.theaudioinsider.com/prod...d=216&osCsid=fb9dc94bc443f41fb5e61bc4974995f7



The HTD amplifier is intriguing, a nice minimalist design at a reasonable price. Never heard one, but people are really liking their budget speakers. Music Hall makes great stuff, Marantz, and haman/kardon, too. Here are some 2 channel machines with built in MM phono pre amp, if you need that.

Here is a factory refurb from the company's ebay store.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Harman-Kard...30?pt=US_Stereo_Receivers&hash=item5ae8559f0e

And a new 3490.
http://www.harmankardon.com/estore/hk/us/products/HK-3490/HK 3490_HK_US?skuId=HK 3490_HK_US

h/k 3390 new.
http://www.harmankardon.com/estore/hk/us/products/HK-3390/HK 3390_HK_US?skuId=HK 3390_HK_US

Marantz PM5004.
http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...d-Amplifier-with-45-Watts-X-2-Channels/1.html

Cambridge Audio SR10 Topaz.
http://www.spearitsound.com/product.cgi?group=89&product=208



No phono input needed? The NAD C 316BEE is pretty decent. Here is a refurb, but new shouldn't be much more.
http://www.spearitsound.com/Integrated_Amplifiers-NAD_C316Bee_Refurbished.html


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

The more I think about it, the more it makes sense to buy something that can handle down to about 30-35Hz. That way I don't have to worry about a sub.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Sonnie said:


> The more I think about it, the more it makes sense to buy something that can handle down to about 30-35Hz. That way I don't have to worry about a sub.



If your room can accommodate them, the Dunlavy SC-IV's are simply fantastic and you certainly would not need to be concerned about a subwoofer. They are utter monsters in terms of size, but are surprisingly easy to drive and are also quite affordable on the used market.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

I am not seeing any for sale anywhere right now. I saw a few for sale but expired or sold... priced at $2200 and $4600. :gulp:


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## Wardsweb (Apr 2, 2010)

Other than just playing around what are you looking to learn from this exercise? You already run Prodigys as your mains and they are more two channel than home theater speakers. Not only that but they are phenominal two channel speakers. If you like the open airy sound and speed of the electrostats, you may want to look to Klipsch or vintage JBL or Altec for a horn speaker. If you're looking for bass, I do not think you will be happy with any stand mount speakers. They just don't move enough air. Floor standing speakers that dip low may quickly eat up your budget. For instance, Dale's mains when I was there had incredible bass but far exceed your budget. Bass can come from large drivers, multiple drivers or a large cabinet, i.e. horn loaded.

I know this creates more questions than solutions but should give you something to think about.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Sonnie said:


> I am not seeing any for sale anywhere right now. I saw a few for sale but expired or sold... priced at $2200 and $4600. :gulp:


I probably should have priced them. One of my best friends since childhood ended up selling his pair of SC-IV's to one of my closest friends in Florida along with a Paradigm CC570 for around $1500 a few years back so perhaps my pricing is off on them. At the time of the sale, while certainly a good deal, it did not seem like he was giving them away. Just awesome speakers though.


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

Sonnie said:


> The more I think about it, the more it makes sense to buy something that can handle down to about 30-35Hz. That way I don't have to worry about a sub.


Makes sense. The Arx A5 is down -6 dB @ 37 Hz... room gain should help boost the bottom up.

GR Research has X-Omni floorstanders for $250. They need bases, which would be easy to construct with MDF and some paint. Ruler flat response within 2.5 dB from 40-20k Hz. Once again, in room the bass should pick up. I own a pair of these omnidirectional speakers and like them a lot, spooky good imaging. If you have room for them (they need to be at least 3 ft. from any boundary) it is hard to imagine a better value for the money.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Yeah Luther... just playing around mostly. Wanting to try something different and see if I can even notice a difference. 

No doubt about the Prodigy's and it is likely hard to imagine improving on those all that much if ever... for me anyway. They are a little more difficult to move around and position for 2-channel listening, but with movies and concerts they still sound awesome setup right where they are.


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

Wardsweb said:


> If you like the open airy sound and speed of the electrostats, you may want to look to Klipsch or vintage JBL or Altec for a horn speaker.


I've noticed that many planar lovers also like horns. I am one, too.

Klipsch Cornwalls can be found used at pretty decent prices. My neighbor just picked up a pair for $200, although that was an unusual bargain. The original Forte has a good following, also.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Dennis... I like the A5's and I think they would be interesting to try out. They will be located on out into the room so there won't be a lot of room gain in the low end region.

Where are you seeing the X-Omni speakers?


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

I think they might be all gone, sorry. They do come up used from time to time, I got mine for $150! You might ask Danny about a pair, or perhaps he has something better in mind.


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## PT800 (Feb 19, 2008)

For around one grand, you might find JBL L890 towers, which go to 28 htz, They can be driven with a HK receiver, something like the HK3490, with 120w.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

I owned the E series a while back and was not all that impressed with the upper end. I don't think the upper end has changed much on the L series.


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## PT800 (Feb 19, 2008)

Sonnie said:


> I owned the E series a while back and was not all that impressed with the upper end. I don't think the upper end has changed much on the L series.


Not even close to the same series.
As for the highs, a 3/4" titanium-laminate tweeter (E series) does not match a 1" pure Ti tweeter, in any way.
When I first heard the L890s I knew they were better than the E, N, S series.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Hmmm... from most of the comparisons I read about, there did not seem to be much of a difference. 

Either way... I have never been impressed with metal dome tweeters. The soft dome tweeters always seem to be less harsh and more of what I would label as warm or laid back.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Digging a little deeper on the L890's... I find it hard to believe they are not considerably better than the Northridge series. The Bi-Radial horn and EOS waveguide should make a difference. Maybe I just need to listen to them for myself. Although I can not hear over 20kHz anyway, so the Bi-Radial horns won't make a difference to me.


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