If you're watching movies, playing video games, or enjoying your favorite TV shows to just the speakers in your television, you're missing out. A great set of living room speakers doesn't have to break the bank or take up a ton of space, although some of the best models do. That's why we asked you which living room speaker sets you thought were the best. Here's a look at five of those great sets, based on your nominations.
Let's be clear: asking to pick the "best" speakers is no small order. There are a ton of things to consider: the size of your space, the orientation of your home theater system, your budget, where in your space the speakers will go, what you normally watch or listen to, the list goes on.
Many of you rightfully noted that it's impossible to hold up five and call them the end-all "best," and we agree. As with every Hive, we want to know which speakers you think are the best—the ones you'd recommend to someone if they asked you, and you weighed in with tons of great options, from high-end expensive models to solid bang-for-the-buck setups. Still, we tallied your votes—which were mostly for brands with a few specific models thrown in—to get the five most popular:
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Polk Audio (RTiA Series)
More of you nominated Polk speakers than any other—so many specific models (and many of you just said "Anything by Polk") that we couldn't discount Polk as a contender. Polk does indeed have a broad variety of models in an assortment of price ranges, but some of you specifically called out the RTiA series for walking the line between price and performance more than anyone else. The RTiA series is available in bookshelf and floor-standing models, is made from real wood, and depending on the quality, size, and models you want, can run you between $325/pair to $750/ea. You can read more about the RTIA series and the tech inside each speaker here. (Many of you also noted the Series II, which are technically discontinued, but still available if you do some digging.)
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Energy (Take Classic 5.1 System)
If you need to fill an entire living room with sound and you don't want to spend a ton of cash, Energy is the comany that can help you out. Energy is actually a Klipsch brand, but their speakers are designed for fans of home audio gear who want exceptional performance but see no need to stray into super-expensive audiophile territory to get it. Of your nominations for Energy, you overwhelmingly nominated the Take Classic 5.1 Home Theater System, both for coming with the speakers required for full surround sound and for its price point: $400 for the entire set. The speakers have been widely reviewed and warmly received as well, making them an ideal choice for savvy shoppers. Each speaker comes with a sleek, all-black finish, and the individual speakers themselves don't take up much space, so they're great for small apartments or living rooms, delivering full surround sound without requiring a ton of floor space to do it.
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Bowers and Wilkins (600 Series/800 Series Diamond)
A good number of you voted for Bowers and Wilkins' high-end audio equipment for those people who have the money to buy them (or can find them used—yes, we noticed a number of you said used speakers is the way to go, since you get more bang for your buck!) Two models came up specifically in the call for contenders. First, the high-end 800 Series Diamond—the studio speakers in use at Abbey Road Studios—are individually sculpted and come in both bookshelf and floor-standing models. Their unique design stands out and their audio quality is incredible. They'll cost you, too, ranging from $7500 to $24,000 per pair. They're clearly professional speakers—anything in that price range aren't meant for the average buyer's living room, but you'd love what you heard if you had them. The 600 Series are designed for the home theater however. They offer wood and metal cabinets that are available in bookshelf and floor-standing varieties that will set you back between $500/pair at the entry level and $1500/pair—a bit more reasonable for home audio fans.
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Klipsch (Quintet/Reference Series)
Klipsch picked up a number of nominations, mostly from the bang-for-the-buck fans Those of you who nominated Klipsch noted that with a great amplifier, their speakers can sound just as good as more expensive name brands. On the budget side, some of you noted the $550 Klipsch Quintet Home Theater System and its discontinued predecessors. The new 2012 model is the only remaining Klipsch Quintet model. On the higher end however, the Klipsch Reference line offer the same mix of cabinet-style, expandable bookshelf and floor-standing models as the other contenders in the Hive. The series is more affordable than similar competitors, ranging from $175/$290 each at the low end to $1600 each for large floor cabinets. If you're not interested in buying piecemeal, grab an entire system at once.
Paradigm (Studio/Monitor Series)
Pardigm has earned a number of die-hard fans with its Studio series of speakers. Those of you who nominated Paradigm praised its sound quality, especially for its relative affordability to other, more well-known manufacturers. The Paradigm Studio line includes wood cabinets, quiet enclosures, multiple wood and finish options, and bookshelf and floor-standing models. They start at $400/ea and go up to $3500/ea. On the other end, some of you called out the Paradigm Montior series, which come in more varieties (although still wood build and both bookshelf and floor-standing models) and at different price points. The space-saving Mini and Atom Monitors deliver great size with tiny footprints (starting at $249/ea and going up to $480/ea), and the Monitor 7s, 9s and 11s offer the size and sound quality of floor-standing speakers at affordable prices (starting at $600/ea up to $800/ea). There's also a broad line of center channel speakers and subwoofers available for both models to add on to the systems, should you want to expand and even more sound to your entertainment space. LINK
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