I knew it! All this crap this hobby suckered me into was a trick. Assuming Rat Shack uses standard retail markups that's a $20 pair of speakers. I wonder what they cost to build maybe $15 ?? What was I thinking ?? |
OK, I hooked up the Presidians to my trusty Sharp SD-EX111 (which was THE killer deal on closeout for $70 at Overstocks.com) and right out of the box they sound pretty good. They are a bit lacking in bass, but sound pretty good and much better than the $40 would suggest. Of course, they will likely improve when they get some break-in time on them too...
I took an opportunity to open up the speaker to take a look at the components. There is only a single 1 Microfarad capacitor on the (+) tweeter lead, so the mid-woofer is running rull range. The box is very cheap and thin MDF with no internal bracing (except a bit in a couple of corners. The port is a cardboard tube glued to the inside of the back panel. There is no stuffing or sound dampening material inside.
So, for the adventurous type, possibly changing the cap, internal wiring and adding some dampening may provide some sonic gain for very little money.
Enjoy,
TIC |
Somebody (in the Dallas area) really should build a 7 1/2' line array with these things (and then have a shootout with his Dali's). Hint, hint...
I'll donate some CAT-5 for the wiring. |
hdm-I think you already did. |
Hdm...I examined one of these speakers, and it is assembled in the USA using components made in China. Legally this might mean that they just put the grill on. |
Bet they're made in China. Any bets as to how long it will be before the China bashers start in on this thread? |
Since I had to return a gift to RS today, I picked up a pair of these speakers. I'll give you an update when I get a chance to play with them a bit.
TIC |
as these speakers break in, they are simply impossible to criticize for the price. to my ear, they offer a surprisingly clear, robust and balanced sound within their 65-20K range. there is of course a degree of opacity compared to my current speakers (vintage hartley monitors with crossoverless midbass driver and upgraded tweeters/tweeter crossovers), but i attribut this to several factors, not the least of which are they are 1) brand new and 2) most surely have bargain basement chinese crossover components (and i guess drivers, but they are not the weak link IMHO). to boot, my current (and incredibly modest) system is currently running a lower echelon (and unworthy of mention) vintage amp while my primary (also vintage but much higher quality) amp is being completely overhauled and updated by audiogon member ezekiel.
the midbass driver looks to be a simple paper-cone-yet-fairly-long-throw deal with treated cloth surround, and the tweeter is some type of polymer 0.5" dome. they are (contrary to the RS website) 10.5 by 7.4 by 6.6 inches and weigh a whopping 5.25 pounds each. 8 ohms impedance with 50 watts nominal and 100 watts maximum power handling. bass reflex design with a small rear port.
to look at them they make me think of something along the lines of a black vinyl clad, chinese linn kan. after a week or so of break-in, my tentative plans are (depending on the degree of improvement experienced) to consider upgrading the crossover components, internal wiring and binding posts, and maybe putting some dampening material on the (likely stamped) woofer basket. all told, still less than $100 per pair and a helluva lot of fun for my money, come what may. |
Sfar,
I'm in the same boat your in. I have fifteen pairs of speakers. Most are in the Attic, closet, or loaned out. (<:
Wouldn't it be nice if the $39 Radio Shacks sound better than ANY of them! I'm not conviced that expensive parts make a great speaker(my Boston Acoustics VR20's sound better than a lot $5,000 speakers). I'm sure that every once in a while someone stumbles onto that perfect combination of components and design than makes a great speaker. We'll find out if these are the real deal next week.
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I'd been intrigued with the Sonic Impact amp and decided to try to put together a really, really cheap system that sounded pretty good. I did, adding a used Toshiba 3950 DVD player, some new Athena monitors on closeout for $79 and some DIY cables made up from bulk Canare wire.
But with $39 dollar speakers, the bar has been raised, or lowered. I really don't need yet another pair of speakers but I might have to go for it. If it works out, I can always sell the ProAcs.
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Albertporter...If you stacked up 14 of these little boxes, each one oriented horizontal, you would have a 7-1/2 foot line array. Sound familiar? It would cost $559.30, but probably less because RS gives volume discounts.
A joke? Well sort of. But I bet it would sound a lot better than many sub-grand speakers. And the cost is less than what one might spend on drivers for a home-brew line array. Maybe you could bi-amp them with a couple of Sonic-T amps. Yea, that could work, I experimented in my youth with everything from the "Sweet 16" to JBL, Bozak with home built cabinets, stacked Advents and DIY. In the end, the guys that build speakers for a living do the best job even if they can stand a bit of touching up (like crossover mods on Maggies, Sound-Lab and Dali). What I like about the RS is the fact it is simple, cheap and fun. You should be able to tell by now that I respect that end of the business. I joined the Lenco thread and rebuilt a turntable and had a blast with it. Fans of high end audio are usually people who were attracted to the hobby in their youth. If we don't have great inexpensive (and fun) products for beginners, this hobby will die. So, I'm all for RS speakers at $39.95, Sonic Impact amps, inexpensive DAC's, DIY cables, and all the other stuff in audio that represents the best bang for the buck. |
Eldartford, you happen to be correct.
Not to hi-jack this thread, but I'm running "two-pairs" of the older Optimus Pro 7AV's (stacked line-array style) in the big rig for a while, with a pair of Super Cube 8" subs.
They're heavy, built like a tank and sound great.
Almost don't miss the Dahlquists.
GO RAT SHACK !!$$!!$$ |
Hi TIC,
I ordered them over the net so they should be hear next week. An Agon member named John just went to the store and bought some. He just sent me an email saying that he's really digging the speakers. Maybe he'll post his impressions.
I still haven't sold the speakers but I bought the car anyway! (<: |
Albertporter...If you stacked up 14 of these little boxes, each one oriented horizontal, you would have a 7-1/2 foot line array. Sound familiar? It would cost $559.30, but probably less because RS gives volume discounts.
A joke? Well sort of. But I bet it would sound a lot better than many sub-grand speakers. And the cost is less than what one might spend on drivers for a home-brew line array. Maybe you could biamp them with a couple of Sonic-T amps. |
Petey,
Over the years I've seen you post many, many times about different speakers you've bought. If someone asked "what Audio Forum Member has owned the most speakers", you would be the first one to come to mind!
So, considering the vast number of speakers you've owned, how do these $40 speakers compare? Can you give us a "These are as good as XXX model 123"?
I'm looking for a pair of inexpensive speakers to have around for spares or for my portable system. So far, I haven't heard anything under $139 (Parts Express Kit) that I would buy. Maybe these would be "The Ones"!
Off topic: Did you unload the speakers a few months back so you could buy your Dream Car project?
Enjoy,
TIC |
Thanks for the link, I need to find a place to use those.
At $39.95 for a two way, it's absurdly cheap. I thought at first that had to be the price for a single, not a pair. |
