Recomend 4.1 Speaker sets

[wolf550e]

please post links/personal experince/anything helpful
i want high quality but not too pricy 4.1 speaker set, by some known company so i can find them here (have limited choise)

(are the cambridge soundworks 4 point sorround any good?)

TIA

 

[bigshooter]

I got the cambridge (creative) fps 1800's. They were cheap only 99 bux, and they sound decent. I just got them because i had some altecs go bad and these were the same price. Pretty good sound for a cheap price. 4 point surround in cs rox.

 

[DarkManXY2G]

I got the altec lansing acs54 and they aren't very expensive. I get pretty good sound out of them(not as good as some of the more expensive ones), but overall I like them a lot. They are pretty good for games, watching dvds and even listening to music. I have heard that the acs56 are a bit better cause they come with a bigger sub. Good luck on your choice.

 

[Zucchini]

klipsch promedia Wipes the floor with most competition.

 

[A2KLAU]

I USED to have those Cambridge sound works ones but now... well they are now more or less in bits and peices in my sound system. The Sub still works and I use it, but I find it abit too... flappy with the bass... but its OK. 2 of the sats are blown up, and two more are working still. When they were still in full operational they were pretty good! But have a good surround sound card to take advantage of the 4.1
You could also have a look at the Logitech Sound man 4.1. They seem pretty good but I have not had any on hand experience with them, but they look pretty good and will do the job I think.

Good Luck,

SKY.

 

[Taz4158]

Just got the Promedias, they are pretty sweet!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fitzhue]

check out the altec lansing acs56. Just got these speakers for about $85. (pricematched staples with onvia, 30 dollar coupon) These are really sweet speakers. I would recommend them.

 

[slpaulson]

Boston BA4800's or Klipsch Promedias are much better than the cambridge soundworks and the altecs. Of coarse they also cost more .

 

[Syborg1211]

Haha, notice how most are overlooking the Klipsch Promedias. That's because they all know that will are DAMN EXPENSIVE!!!!! You know, like 250 from a store(250 with about 20 bucks tax). They are pretty good though. I have a friend with them. I was about to run out and get them because of all the hype on the net about them. When I heard my friend's kilpsch speakers, no more desire to get them. Sure they sound good, but not mind blowingly good enough to make me spend almost 300 bucks. I am most likely going with a conservative 150 dollar set. The Boston Acoustics ba4800s are what I am after. They sound good and won't break your wallet.

 

[GTaudiophile]

BA4800s hands down! I got rid of my Pro-Medias for them!

 

[cvlegion]

Klipsch all the way. They are a professional speaker manufacturer so you can't go wrong with them. Or you can go with another professional speaker manufacturer Boston Acoustics and the BA4800. A little cheaper. On most of the micro systems, BA is preferred but there are more rave reviews of the Klipsch. If you want an earful of which one to buy, go to www.audioreview.com. Believe me, though, you can't go wrong with either of these systems. At least with the Klipsch you get 4x60W RMS + 160W sub. Tremendous sound. I would even go so far as to say if you don't want to pay this much, buy it anyways and if you can't afford it now, wait for a little while and buy it anyways, it will be worth the wait.

 

[HellRaven]

Get the Boston Acoustics BA4800's if your going to be listening to any music other than Rap and heavy rock.

IMO and many other's, the Klipsh Promedia's are not very good compared to the BA4800's which are cheaper. If you want to spend $250 instead of getting the Klipsch I would go for the Midiland S4-7100's. The Promedia's are overhyped and overpriced. If you want to see professional reviews of all 3 check out 3d sound surge The Klipsch's aren't horrible, but they have very exaggerated bass and a weak midrange. Some people don't like the way the tweeters sound as well but it is a small minority.

These problems aren't a big deal in games where you mostly hear mostly weapons fire of some sort, but it is very noticeable and annoying if you if you want to play music.

If your upgrading to the Klipsch's from crappy $5 speakers or even from the lower end 4.1 systems of course they are going to sound better. The problem is that most people don't even bother to consider other better speaker systems because of all the overhyping the Klipsch Promedias have gotten from people doing exactly that.

 

[Zucchini]

midrange on klipsch = eq tweak
lack of tweeters on ba's= your stuck.

If you watch any movies at all, get the klipsch.

 

[cvlegion]

Okay, just because of knowing the tendencies of the Boston Acoustics and Klipsch in the professional arena, I would say for playing music get the BA's. For movies, go with Klipsch.

People tend to think that Klipsch's are too bright because of the use of horns. However, horn technology is generally used in movies because of the projection and clarity of horns. This clarity will be an asset to playing movies. However, as with most micro systems (remember though you are paying less that $300, so what's the big deal) the limited size of the woofer will make it so that there will be less strength in the low-mid-range section. This should be met with the sweepable sub frequency. However the rest of the mid can easily be changed by eq manipulation. The Klipsch's will be much clearer than the BA's because of the nature of their setup. The Klipsch's will be very bright, so most people will turn down the high-end a little and turn up the mid.

The problem with the BA's is that they will not be nearly as clear as the Klipsch. This is something you will notice a deficiency in movies. BA's tend to be better on doing the lower-mid frequencies. You will notice this more in music than movies. As the person said right above me this is something that will not be able to be changed. The price of paying less for speakers.

 

[cvlegion]

Oh yeah, besides the fact that the Klipsch is THX certified. It would not have been if there were any major flaws in the Klipsch. Audio systems take turning, not like computers where it is wham-blam and the computer is put together. Audio systems never come out of the box perfectly tuned, in fact most audio systems take break-in time for them to sound good.

 

[Castellan]

Funny, someone posts wanting inexpensive reccommendations and all they get are arguments about high end sound systems Save yourself some cash and get the ACS-56s. If you dont care about having Bass and Trebel control on the speakers, get ACS-54s. Yu wont be dissappointed, and you can buy an MX or a radeon ddr for the cash you save over the klipsch promedias

 

[Zucchini]

inexpensive? Its all relative. Not too pricy could easily mean below $300. To other people anything over $100 is too much.

 

[Syborg1211]

I own a set of acs56 speakers and I think they rock for the great price I got them for. I got them for 87 bucks so that was quite a steal. The sub is good and does not distort easily and the satelites are good too. The only bad thing I have to say about them is the hiss of the speakers. The Klipschs have this problem too. It annoys the hell out of me, but I live with it.

 

[TheNemesis]

I watch DVDs, and music equally, Klipsh or BAs?

 

[Insane3D]

Klipsch and BA4800's are both great 4.1 sets, but I have used both and in DVD's, the BA4800's can't keep up with the ProMedia's. The BA4800's may have an edge in some music, but it's all relative to your ears. Some people's ears prefer the more acousticaly flat response of the BA4800's in music, while some prefer the brighter sound of the Prommedia's. In DVD's though, the sheer power of 400W is very impressive. Either are great sets.

 

[Hanpan]

what about the midland 8200's???

 

[nortexoid]

I'd have to recommend the cambrdige fp2000s as the best for the money...good sound, and relatively cheap...otherwise, an equivalently spec'ed/priced altec lansing set-up as suggested.

 

[nickburns]

i have had my eye on the BA4800's, i have heard them in action and they sound sweet, plus i can actually buy them in cananda.

 

[kami]

If you have an old receiver laying around, buy some "low end" bookshelf speakers. Your ears will thank me later

As for 4.1 setups, I'd say the ACS56 is best value for the money...I used these before I got real speakers hooked up to a receiver and they were quite good for their price.

If you've got the money go w/ the Klipsch because I've heard them and they are pretty nice even though they lack quite a bit in the mid range. I heard the 2.1 system with the improved mid range as well...I still felt a lot of the sound was missing though. Still can't compare to some decent bookshelf speakers though...which is why I recommend that if you have a receiver you can already use because it'll be the same price if not cheaper than the Klipsch.

 

[Zucchini]

but you can't overlook the klipsch sub 2 6.5" woofers heh Once you get used to deep smooth bass, its hard to consider anything else a bargain.