Your Favorite Budget Speaker?

[jerrymb]

I like the Cambridge Soundworks Model Six or Infinity Primus 150's.

[Face]

Budget can mean $50 or $500.

For used, it's hard to go wrong with a pair of Monitor 7's. New, Cambridge Audio S30's sound very good for their price range.

[jerrymb]

Budget. Under $200.

[McLoki]

polk's classic monitor series is very nice, for newer speakers the rti6's are excellent.

[jerrymb]

I just sold a pair of the RTI6 to another forum member here. Way too bright for my ears.

[KrazyMofo24]

Under $200 tough one. I would say Rti8's I think I saw some for $200 in the Flea Market. Also Lsi7's refurbs on ebay go for just a little over $200 that would be my top choice.

[mantis]

I like the Lsi7's

[Ricardo]

As Face said, you can't get anything better than a pair of M7's for less than $200, or $500 ;)

[McLoki]

I like the Lsi7's

Agreed - but I would not put any speakers in the top-line polk series in the budget catagory.

Especially the LSi's considering the difficut load they could present to budget electronics that would accompany a budget system.

[BigMac]

Jamo S606. My friend has a pair and they sound great. Or Vandersteen 1C.
http://www.home-technology-store.com/Audio-Video/JA-S606BA.aspx

http://blog.stereophile.com/cedia2007/090807jamo/

[Conradicles]

1st place = Polk Audio Monitor 10A or 10B
2nd place = Klipsch KG4 if you can get a set for that price.

[shack]

Polk RT400. Paid $80 for what were originally a very nice pair...but the asshole who sold them to me packed them so bad they were guaranteed to arrive damaged...and of course they did. Fortunately I only needed to replace one tweeter (it was sitting the the bottom of the cabinet). Total outlay was around $150 and I love these speakers. The spend a lot of time in my 2 channel rig.

[heiney9]

Polk Monitor 5B's with RD0's and x-over refresh right at $200 maybe a little less

Epos EL3 Monitor. Might be hard but you can find them for around $200 if you look hard enough.

Polk RT25i or RT35i. Old school tweeters with the blue woofers are very nice.

Also don't skimp on cables for your 2nd or budget system. I just swapped some "zip cord" in my office rig for some custom made (by me) shot gun style dual Canare 4S6 star quad cable. Wow what a nice difference they made on my 5B's. Really smoothed out the top end and added some nice solid bass.

Next up for the office rig are Signal Cable Analog 2 I/C's.

H9

[shack]

Polk RT25i or RT35i. Old school tweeters with the blue woofers are very nice.

Agreed. The RT25i would be my second favorite "budget" speaker. I have thought about selling mine from time to time...but they are like new and I just can't part with them (or the RT15is). They are in my office rig now.

[treitz3]

SDA 1C's. Shop hard and long enough and you can find a pair for 2 bills. ;)

[shack]

SDA 1C's. Shop hard and long enough and you can find a pair for 2 bills. ;)

I paid $650 for mine...but they are 9/10 shape and a great example of the speaker.

[heiney9]

SDA 1C's. Shop hard and long enough and you can find a pair for 2 bills. ;)

THAT would be quite a deal. ;)

[treitz3]

Eh, $450 for mine but I have seen them from time to time at around $2-250. Still, one hell of a good deal for a great speaker.

[nadams]

I'd go for my SDA2's. Paid $175 for them. Or my monitor 10's, which I paid $150 for.

New... I'd go with the R15's, or whatever has replaced them. Picked up my pair for $50 from outpost... love 'em for the office.

[Kex]

I love my New MiniMonitors (bought brand new)! They are a great little speaker, with surprising abilities for their modest size. I've seen them used on eBay from time to time. I tried them for a while for HT (I have four), with a CS245i center, and they really did a superb job IMO, and surprisingly close in capability to the RT35 (that I also have), despite being half the size. Four like mine, and a good center like the CS245i, would only cost about $250-300 or so used, and they really make a great starter set, I think. It would blow any HTiB into a Galaxy Far Far Away!

[ben62670]

SDA2's, Monitor 7's, or 10's. Look long, and hard.

[TNRabbit]

REALLY budget but hard to beat; Radio Shack Minimus 7 or Minimus 77.

[TroyD]

Boston A40's
Polk RT7's

BDT

[george daniel]

Eh,, I'll say monitor series 7's w/peerless--driven by a pair of small tubed mono's,like the little ASL 8's.