My son-in-law is looking for a set of under $200 bookshelf speakers for his outlaw audio r2250 receiver. Any suggestions? I have an old NHT sub zero subwoofer for him but no speakers.
If possible, I would try to increase the budget to at least $600-1000. At that price point, you could find some killer deals on used speakers. I only see an Outlaw 2150, which is rated at 100wpc, so, you should have a wide variety of bookshelf speaker to choose from that the amp can power easily. Bob
All good advice. I was looking at used speakers up to $300 and many were there. There is a pair of NHT classic 2's at $141 but as was said they might not be the most fulfilling. They originally retailed at $600 although price isn't the best indicator of sound and I have not listened to them.
A perfect match is a pair of NHT Super Zero's. I have a New Old Stock (still in their factory cartons, unused) pair I was intending to getting around to listing. Let me know if you want me to.
You might be able to find a pair of used Peachtree D4’s for $200. I have the D5’s in my speaker stable and they are a wonderful little speaker. They play much bigger than they actually are.
I somehow became kind of an NHT bargain bookshelf hoarder, now owning C-1, Superone 2.1 and Absolute Zero. I don’t really love any of them but for two of my systems I need sealed bookshelves (cabinet and table near wall) and not many companies make sealed bookshelves (rather, most bookshelves have ports). I rank them C-1, Abs zero, superone2.1 for blues/jazz music that I mainly listen to (although in fairness have very little time on 2.1’s so far). Ymmv
Take one NHT original A450 Superzero (approx. $80 used) and add a new JLAudio e-110 subwoofer (Approx. $1,600). Use the active Linkwitz-Reilly crossover in the sub to dial in the SZ's. So what if the sub is slightly more expensive. The original NHT Superone with JLAudio is also a killer with e-110.
I've got some Pinnacle PN5+ speakers from the 1980s. I'm getting new speakers, soon, to replace these little guys, but they really sound great. I paired them with a sub and...even better. They're quite compact, too. FWIW: http://www.hifi-classic.net/review/pinnacle-pn5-plus--452.html
Never a better time to purchase inexpensive speakers. Many quality choices out there. If I were looking for under $200 I would steer towards the Wharfdale or Elac suggestions. The Pioneer BS21 or 22 should go for under $100.
The outlaw receiver could be paired with higher quality speakers. However, until one has defined what their listening preferences are, might be wise to purchase a inexpensive pair and save money while exploring the marketplace for an upgrade. This is often my recommendation for someone starting out in audio on a limited budget.
I own the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR and have used them with quality adequately powered SS amps and for the life of me do not know what the hype was all about. Whenever I rotate them into my system I inevitably take them out after a couple of days. I have read that the real magic was in the previous iteration of this speaker.
I wonder if I just like the tone of the Scanspeak classic series speaker drivers in my go to tower speakers.
I've said it before and I'll keep on saying it. The JBL 530s are an incredible buy even at their regular price of $600 a pair. You can catch them on sale for half of that on the JBL website every so often. You can ditch the sub as these puppies crank out some serious bass with their 5.25 inch woofer. Give them a try. Your son-in-law will not be disappointed.
Thank you everybody. There was a bunch of really great recommendations. I'll pass this info to him to use to upgrade. Meanwhile he bought a pair of NHT super one's and is pleased with them. We'll see how they do when I add my old NHT sub zero to the mix. As an old audiophile I hope to entice him into listening to many different components. He is a musician and is developing his direction. Thank you all again!
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