Okay, so we all know the deal with HDMI cables at Best Buy and their ilk. But I want to check with you fine people to make sure I'm seeing the same behavior with their speaker products.

Here is the product one of my clients was recommended by Best Buy employees. He wants in-wall speakers for all his speakers, and these are for the front pair.

Here is the product I was suggesting from the wonderful Monoprice.

Now first off, clearly I was miscalculating the price range my client was in Grossly, in fact. But I get the sense that he'd like to be in my price range, he just didn't know it was possible.

So correct me if I'm wrong, but those Monoprice speakers looks nicer than the Best Buy product...

Only if you're planning on leaving the covers off. Covers on, they pretty much look the same -- at least, to me.

Can you get these in the USA...

http://www.kef.com/html/gb/showroom/custom_installed_speakers/ci_series/overview/

Cheers

Cris

Ba-dum-dum.

Okay, spec-wise, are the Monoprice on par or even better than the Best Buy Magnolia stuff (or "Speaker Craft")? Because that's how it looks to me.


I don't know, but if I'm seeing that price correctly, those are WAY outside either price range

Just sell him the Monoprice stuff at half the price of the Magnolia stuff and call it a day. Your wallet will be fatter and happier.

I don't think you can really buy speakers on paper specs, you need to listen to them.

Kef do a whole range of custom build speakers, this is not too far away...

http://www.superfi.co.uk/p-4048-kef-ci1302qs-speaker-single.aspx

I have some Kef in wall speakers in my bath room. It;s worth remembering that some kind of sub will be needed as building speakers into the wall just suck the bass out of them. In my experience anyway.

Cheers

Cris

Agreed. But I think you *can* use the paper specs to weed out stuff you're *not* interested in. I looked at the specs for the SpeakerCraft stuff, and they're pretty bare, in comparison to what Monoprice has published for their speakers. Right there, that makes me think "shiny turd".

But then, their tweeters swivel.

I can see myself getting into some trouble doing that


As great as your Kefs look, that's still way too much. You're talking about $300 per speaker, and that Best Buy link is to a pair.

But I agree with you that you need to hear them in person. Unfortunately it's not possible with some of these, and I'm not going to let my clients get ripped off by Best Buy if their speakers are that grossly overpriced.


We'll definitely add a sub. He wasn't so sure he wanted one at first, but I was insisting on that part.

Yeah, that seemed fishy to me.


Okay, can someone explain why the tweeter in the middle of their center channel swivels left to right?

To charge more! The salesman on the floor points out that feature, person buying speakers goes 'that's awesome!' and hands over the credit card.

Today might be your lucky Woot day
http://www.woot.com/plus/o-pioneers-in-wall-speakers

Movable tweeters: I always thought it was because high frequencies were very directional and the titling allows more freedom when mounting the speakers. It allows you for example to manufacture a single model that can be used as either left or right surround while being able to tilt the tweeter so that each speaker is a mirror of the other.

I would assume it's so you can direct the awesomeness straight at your ears! Awesome! Not!

Cheers

Cris

Surely they come with a tracking module and swivels the tweeters to the most optimum position for that moment in time?

The speaker in question has the movable tweeter in the middle of the center channel.

With respect to fancy tweeters, my rear surrounds are a pair of Bohlender Graebner PD-6Ci speakers. I picked them because they use ribbon tweeters, and thus were a relatively good match to my pre-existing VMPS 626r speakers.

The B-H speakers do have steerable tweeters and I spent a bunch of time dorking with them. They do make a difference in terms of improved imaging and better high-frequency response. It's subtle but it's real.

Note that my swanky ribbon speakers cost me pretty much what Best Buy is charging for those far more pedestrian models. If you're going to spend serious coin, you can get much better than what Best Buy has on offer.