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What budget speakers you like to see reviewed?

amirm

amirm

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I am thinking it may make sense to buy a few budget but popular speakers to test. Or alternatively members buying and donating them to be tested. :)

So what is "in" these days as far as budget speakers? I am thinking under $200 for a pair.
 
That seems a good starting point - many thanks! I'd suggest picking whatever some hifi publications are currently listing as 'best buy' budget speakers. For whathifi.com that would be the ELAC Debut B5.2, Dali Spektor 2, Mission LX-2 and Wharfdale D310, assuming no transatlantic pricing or availability issues.
 
I would like to see DIY speakers in that price range tested like the Overnight Sensations, the Parts Express C-Note, or the HiVi DIY 2.2A. I have a pair of the C-Note's you can test and will be making the HiVi 2.2A's soon.

Also the Micca RB42 is a darling of the YouTube reviewers.
 
Honestly, I believe 200 USD/pair is too low to get sound suitable for more than background noise out of a multi-way-system. Your best bet at enjoyable sound - sacrificing extension and SPL - would probably be a broadbander... not a market I'm very familiar with.

Edit: Fuck it: https://www.jamo.com/products/s-803
They have a waveguide at least and Jamo is a manufacturer of decent scale and experience so maybe they pulled something out of the hat here...
jamo-s-803-noyer.jpg
 
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Pioneer SP-BS22-LR
Dayton Audio B652
Dayton Audio B652-AIR
Monoprice MP-65RT

Martin
 
I also think this is a bit too low, you probably want about $250 a piece. But I hope to be proven wrong.

With regards to speakers: I'd prefer speakers that are available in both the US and Europe. Q Acoustics 2030 is getting a lot of hype I believe?
 
amirm said:
I am thinking it may make sense to buy a few budget but popular speakers to test. Or alternatively members buying and donating them to be tested. :)

So what is "in" these days as far as budget speakers? I am thinking under $200 for a pair.
Click to expand...
Without a doubt the Micca MB42X. Polk T15, and a bunch of Klipsch (different generations) are popular.

For powered: Micca PB42X, Edifier R1280T, and Edifier R1700.
 
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I'm sure there will be threads for recommending speakers to be reviewed in higher price categories but this one was created for budget speakers of $200 or less. Filling up this thread with complaints about this price being too low or recommendations for much more expensive options is pointless. Just go make the thread for higher priced options.
 
With this price limitation (and the shipping weight, oh my god), I'm guessing my living room speakers (a complete SVS ultra-series setup) will not see an appearance on the test rig anytime soon. :) Maybe next time I take a road trip north.

Although that raises an interesting question: companies like SVS and Ascend Acoustics offer X-day free trials for the purposes of auditioning the equipment. Amir, is that something you'd consider taking advantage of for some of the online-only brands?

(Sorry, a bit off-topic, but since this seems like a fairly common offer on the part of bespoke speaker manufacturers, it's probably worth asking somewhere.)
 
Some people around me (including one PC magazine) recommend Logitech speakers for adding speakers to, say, a gaming PC. For example Logitech Z906.

It would be interesting to see how they perform, as I don't think I've ever seen anyone try to measure a "PC gaming" type of speaker. They are definitely very "budget" by Hi-Fi standards.

And by the way, I applaud the initiative to get budget speakers to measure. That may not be what matters most to the members of this forum, but it would definitely have more impact on the general public.

Maybe we'll get to spot the $9 Apple dongle of the speaker world. That seems really unlikely, but who knows!
 
Yeah, I generally think $200 is a bit too low for a pair. More realistic budget price for a pair (new, at least) is $250-$300 - opens you up to many more popular recommended models. Off the top of my head...
  • Q acoustics 3020i ($270). There's the 3010i too for $210, but I cant see anyone buying them when the bigger ones are so close in price.
  • Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 ($280)
  • AudioEngine A2+ ($270)
  • iLoud MicroMonitor ($300)
  • SVS Prime
  • Kanto YU4 ($329)
  • JBL 104 ($99)
  • JBL Arena 120/B15 ($200) Spins available already for this one so you can compare if you want
  • FLuance Ai40 ($200)/Ai60 ($300)
  • Jamo S 803
  • Sonos One SL ($179 individual, $329 a pair, but you'd need a Sonos connect to be able to get a custom signal into it, and Idk how the klippel would deal with the inherent delay).
  • Cambridge audio Minx (have seen people use these as surround speakers - interesting as they are single or dual-driver BMRs meant to be used with a sub) $75 or $149 for individual units.
Some of these I've measured/will measure myself. So I can use you as a reference:)
 
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