From Bose to....Bookshelves?

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Varun

Golden Member
Aug 18, 2002
1,161
0
0
They were far from 1000 dollars. The only reason I got them was because they were like 400 Canadian. That's like 250 American.

The cabinets are MDF 3/4", the drivers have a butyl surround and a decent size magnet on them, plus they aren't made of paper. There was no seedy salesman giving me a demo. I heard some music tracks and some other things on them, and I am happy with the sound. I had no idea they were seen that way. I would not have gotten them if I didn't like the sound and quality of construction.

Perhaps their buisness practice has changed since I got mine so long ago.

Some day I will get some new speakers and a new TV, and get a real home theater going.

 

Blooz1

Senior member
Jan 14, 2003
621
0
0
Have any of you ever heard speakers by Axiom?

I'd highly recommend their M2I's for a small speaker that is highly accurate, yet doesn't cost an arm and a leg. ($255/pr including FedEx shipping) They have amazing midrange/high end, and are great when paired with a decent sub. The build quality is extremely high, and they use aluminum cones on their woofers/mids.
 

Varun

Golden Member
Aug 18, 2002
1,161
0
0
Those look like good speakers. Next time I am in the market I think I'll try and find some of those to listen to.
 

taterworks

Member
Dec 7, 2003
102
0
0
I will now be ripping into the Nuance FAQs. This is where things really get weird.

Frequently Asked Questions

Many questions are answered in our frequently asked questions section below. If your question isn't included on our list, you may call or email Customer Assistance.


Q. What is the power rating of my Nuance speakers?

A. The power rating for Nuance speakers are as follows:

Spatial Series - 150 watts
Star series - 100 watts
Advantage series - 80 watts

(TW: This is just dumb. The only way these ratings are legitimate are if the speakers all have the exact same driver complement.)

Q. Will I hurt my speakers if my amplifier or receiver has more power than the listed power handling of my speakers?

A. When playing recorded music or movies, it is a distorted signal that causes damage not clean power. As long as the signal is not distorted no damage should occur, even if your amplifier or receiver has more power than your speakers are rated for.

(TW: This is partially true. When an amplifier starts trying to amplify the signal above with more power than the amplifier's power supply can support, the signal gets "clipped". To simulate this, draw a straight line. Then draw a sinewave that follows that line. Just above and just below that center line, but still inside the sinewave, draw a line that is parallel to the first line that the sinewave is following. The stuff above and below that line will be "clipped". However, the slope of the waveform at that clipped point is not 0. Rather, it is undefined (a vertical line) so the amplifier transistors are passing direct current at high levels through the speaker's voice coil. Driver voice coils are only designed to support transient current flow, not sustained (0 Hz) direct current. In this case, you will blow drivers. But Varun, you should not have blown a voice coil during normal operation. During normal operation, a 70 or 80 watt amplifier is really probably only putting 35 or 40 watts into the speaker driver. )

Q. How long is the Nuance warranty and what does it cover?

A. The Nuance warranty is 10 years. All manufacturers defects will be repaired at your local Nuance dealer or the Nuance factory at no cost.

(TW: At least this part seems to be as advertised. With the amount you pay for Nuance, I should hope they would do this for you.)

Q. What is the impedance and sensitivity of Nuance speakers?

A. Nominal impedance is 6 Ohms
Sensitivity is 90dB to 92dB

(TW: This is another funny one. This is just another all-encompassing bogus number. This would require the speakers to all use the same types and numbers of drivers and the same crossover. This is dumb.)

Q. Will Nuance speakers sound as good in my house as they do in the store?

A. Generally the acoustics in your home will give you equal or even better sound then the store. It is important to follow the instructions in the manual.

Begin with placing the front speakers on the long wall of your room. For the best results make sure the speakers face straight ahead. Ideally your listening position should be in the middle of the speakers forming an equilateral triangle with the speakers.

(TW: Your Nuance speakers never sounded as good as they should have for the price. This piece of information is close to correct, though. They are teaching you to sit in the "sweet spot", like you should when listening critically to loudspeakers.

Q. Where are Nuance speakers made?

A. All Nuance speakers are hand built in Markham, Ontario, Canada

(TW: Don't let Canadian pride sway your decision. If Nuance was the only Canadian speaker manufacturer, I still would not buy from them.)

As far as Axiom speakers go, I think that they are a decent value. They look a little plain to me, though. I'm sure the sound is great from all the things I've heard about them on the forums I visit. You probably can't go very wrong with them.
 

Varun

Golden Member
Aug 18, 2002
1,161
0
0
Thanks for the comments, I am not offended. I appreciate the information, as I have never found any before.

They do sound pretty good though, and I think the voice coil let go during a move, because it was withing a weak after I moved I heard the rattle.

They do sound pretty good though, even after 8 years of listening to them. They actually even have a PCB crossover (not just a cap).

I'm going to check out those Axioms next time I am in the market though, they look really well made.
 

nick1985

Lifer
Dec 29, 2002
27,153
6
81
jeese taterworks...ive never seen a new fish post like you can. keep up the good work
 

Varun

Golden Member
Aug 18, 2002
1,161
0
0
Oh, as far as the power ratings on the FAQ, I think they are correct. All of the Star series (Star 1, Star Sat, Star Cen) have the same drivers. A 6" woofer and the tweeter, just different cabinets.
 

wacki

Senior member
Oct 30, 2001
881
0
76
Ya, I have three friends that have been had by the white van experience. I even had a white van pull up to me once. The guys said the factory "accidently" shipped them an extra set of speakers and they wanted to make a quick buck. The speakers were priced at $4000 dollars retail and they wanted $300-$1000(depending on the model) in cash for it. The white van just happened to be parked outside of the bank I just walked out of. I looked at the speakers, told them no, because I figured it was a con anyway. When I went home and checked out their website, it looked like a child had made it. I did a google for their brand name and thats when I found out about the "white van scam".

About 6 years later, when I was in college one of my friends got hit with a similar white van scam. He bought carpeted speakers that had plywood cabinets a huge 18" aluminum subwoofer, and two horn tweeters. It was funny, when he showed told me the story and asked me what I thought of the speakers, I asked him "where they driving a white van?" He replied "Ya, why?" I just smiled, and shook my head. He got the picture, and felt like an idiot. I forget the brand name.

I knew another kid that got a set of dynaudio active floorspeakers this way, white van and all. I dont know if they are a good brand or not. They looked nice tho.
 

wacki

Senior member
Oct 30, 2001
881
0
76
Originally posted by: nick1985
jeese taterworks...ive never seen a new fish post like you can. keep up the good work

I know, I just hope he doesn't stop posting, and I hope I can return the favor. If you need to know anything about computers, just ask!

Just wondering tho, I've always thought M&K were one of the best brands you could get, atleast within a reasonable price. What is your favorite top brand?
 

taterworks

Member
Dec 7, 2003
102
0
0
Dynaudio speakers are some of the most completely awesome speakers out there. They also cost a lot. However, their brand recognition among audiophiles and their great product line give white van scammers huge incentive to falsify the branding and decieve the customer into thinking that they are actually getting a great deal from this legendary manufacturer.

A kid down the hall from me in my dorm has one of these white van speakers. I have heard them. They are sold under many different brand names including "Pro Dynamics" and, of all things, "Dogg Digital Audio". Yes, that's "dogg", as in "What's up, dogg?". Other common white van scam brands include Paradyme, Theater Research, and Dahlton (spoofing the names of the awesome Canadian-made brand Paradigm, the well-known Acoustic Research, and the classic speaker maker that's making a comeback, Dahlquist.)

As far as the Onkyo HTiB (Home Theater in a Box) set goes, you can expect great performance from this system. I know the Onkyos have a great subwoofer when you consider it's just an 8". You can't go far wrong with Onkyo, and their exemplary quality of their electronics carries over to some extent to the speakers used in their HTiB sets.

Axioms are nice, if a bit plain-looking. There are lots of companies out there that produce speakers on-par with the Axioms, and I'm just not drawn to the styling. Their performance is well-reviewed, though.

I appreciate the chance to answer these computer audio questions. I'm something of a computer enthusiast myself, but my real specialization is audio.
 

Sunner

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
11,641
0
76
Heh, I can't help but find it funny that people would actually buy something as relatively expensive as speakers from some dude in a white van

Anyways, might as well ask while we have an expert in the house, taterworks, do you have any oppinion about Jamo?
Got myself a couple of E800's, a friend of mine works in an audio shop, so I got them at a really good price.
 

taterworks

Member
Dec 7, 2003
102
0
0
H & R Deals looks like they will probably sell you the stuff, but you won't get any sort of real tech support from them. Also, some of the stuff might be refurbished, or it just might be excess stock. As for the stuff they're selling, it looks like it should be fairly decent. There is a risk, though. They might not be a licensed dealer for any of the products they carry, so you might not get the warranty, in case something breaks or is damaged during shipping. That could be bad.

Jamo is a fairly reputable company, with many well-reviewed products, and they have a nice-looking website. With your E800s, you look to be good to go.
 

RollWave

Diamond Member
May 20, 2003
4,201
3
81
what other subwoofers do you guys recommend?

So far the SA-WX700 and the SA-WM500 seem to be the leaders of the pack.

My concern about the wx700 is will this be way too loud for a dorm room? I mean with respect to neighbors as well as in general...this thing wouldnt make bass dominate the rest of the sound would it?
 

taterworks

Member
Dec 7, 2003
102
0
0
Believe me, a competent subwoofer is a very important thing. There are subs out there that are a lot better than the Sony models I mentioned in this thread, but they cost a lot more than you seem to be willing to spend. Just look around at good brands like JBL, Infinity, Sony (for the subs), Yamaha (for the subs and reciever), etc.
 

Skibby9

Senior member
Feb 3, 2002
208
0
0
Not to nef or anything, but I just wanted to say thanks to all the posters here for this incredibly enlightening discussion. I am stoked to hear enthusiastic recommendations for quality audio gear for well under $1000.... I was expecting someone to jump in and try to make anything less than some exotic $15,000 set of speakers out to be garbage.

Anyways, I have picked up some old gear over the years at garage sales for cheap, was wondering if there was some sort of site out there with information on discontinued products... I have some ancient looking Advent speakers, the model number appears to be "The Advent/3", designed and manufactured in Cambridge, Mass. Also have a Sony TA-N330ES amplifier, and Yamaha NS-A525 speakers. The Yahama speakers say they can handle 60W at 8 Ohms, but that is all I know about them. Can you point me in the right direction?
 

taterworks

Member
Dec 7, 2003
102
0
0
If the Advents you have are some of the original Henry Kloss-designed ones with either the 8" with the fiberboard ring or the 10" woofer, you have a pair of classics on your hands. The foam surrounds will dry-rot away soon but you can get specially-designed Advent refoam kits at http://www.partsexpress.com which is where I buy all my own speaker stuff. Anyway, the Advents were hailed as some of the best two-way speakers of that era, and they were some of the only speakers ever to use a 10" woofer and still have decent midrange. Kloss designed a special high-excursion tweeter element for them, now referred to as the "fried-egg tweeter" (because of the way it looks) that was supposed to perform better down into the midrange. Another good Kloss-designed two-way model is the Cambridge Soundworks Model Six bookshelf speaker. It also features an 8" woofer and a fried-egg tweeter. Henry Kloss cofounded Acoustic Research with Edgar Villichur, and the two pioneered "Acoustic Suspension" speaker technology, which delivered bass that was tight and deep when used with the proper drivers.
 

Sunner

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
11,641
0
76
Jamo is a fairly reputable company, with many well-reviewed products, and they have a nice-looking website. With your E800s, you look to be good to go.
Thanks, sounds good
 

Sunner

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
11,641
0
76
By the way, taterworks, since you're still here helping out

Are there any good stereo amps out there these days? Or are all amps 5.1 or more?
The reason Im asking is, once, I used my current setup only for my computer, a Marantz SR6200 and the above mentioned Jamo speakers.
These days they're serving as a more traditional home stereo setup, DVD, TV, CD, etc, but I miss the nice clean sound for my computer, which is hooker up to an old rather crappy Sony stereo and a pair of halfdecent JVC speakers.

Now, I don't need surround for my computer, so Im really only looking to get a stereo amp and use the E800's with it, and get a pair of slightly beefier speakers for the Marantz setup.
Preferably in the same quality/power range as the SR6200, except Im hoping to go cheaper since I don't need any fancy features whatsoever.

Hope I made any sense with that, I suck at explaining stuff...
 

taterworks

Member
Dec 7, 2003
102
0
0
I think that you should see if there are any Denon stereo amps. I was at an audio store in Canada and they said they had a 50Wx2 stereo receiver. I know Onkyo makes some good stereo recievers still, and you should be quite pleased with them. Sony is so-so, with OK sound for the price, but I haven't seen any new stereo recievers from them and I don't know if Best Buy still sells the one they carried not long ago. I also do not know about Yamaha as far as stereo goes. It seems like 5.1 is the only thing that sells anymore.
 

Sunner

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
11,641
0
76
Im in Sweden, so I don't have too many Best Buy's nearby

Denon is familiar, I know at least a cople of stores that have them, maybe my friend can get me a good deal on one...

Anyways, thanks again for the help
 

RollWave

Diamond Member
May 20, 2003
4,201
3
81
What kind of cables do i need to order along with the components I get if I'm going to hook this up to a PS2 and a Computer?
 
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