UltimateAVmag.com: Buyer's Guide: Speaker Systems: Budget Choice

	Ultimate Bang for the Buck. These components establish the Ultimate in price/performance ratio, challenging the performance of the Ultimate and Premier Choice components at a fraction of the price.


	Aperion Audio Intimus 633-T (II) System $2,091 w/out sub, $2690 w/Aperion S-12 sub Intimus 633-T (II): Two-way, three driver, floor-standing vented-box, $499 ea. Intimus 634-VAC center: Three-way, three driver sealed box, $495 ea. Intimus 632-LR surrounds: Two-way, two driver vented-box, stand-mounted, $299 ea. Intimus S-12 subwoofer: single 12" driver, vented box, vented-box subwoofer, $599 The Skinny: Aperion Audio is a successful product of the explosion of Internet commerce. The Intimus 633-T (II) system is available only online. But you get a 30-day guarantee, and an almost shockingly well-built system for very little money. The cabinets are beautifully finished and packed like jewelry, the drivers are good quality, and the fine sound makes this a genuine bargain for which you won't have to apologize. The system does work best with warm-sounding electronics that can fill out its slightly lean quality. But given that, this is a system that will provide years of satisfying music and movie entertainment.
	Infinity Beta Series $3,094 as reviewed Beta 50: Ported three-way, four driver floor standing, 35Hz LF, $499/ea. Beta C360 center: Sealed three-way, four drivers, 45Hz LF, $399 ea. Beta E250 surrounds: Sealed two-way, two driver stand-mounted, switchable monopole/dipole/bipole, 48Hz LF $349/ea. CSW-10 subwoofer: Sealed box with 10" driver, 650W amplifier, 22Hz LF, single-ended line level inputs, $999 ea. The Skinny: This Infinity system disappears in the room to create a seamless soundstage with striking scale, horizontally and vertically. They aren't the prettiest things around, but these speakers deliver the sonic goods big-time, challenging systems that cost much more. Only a bit of push in the presence region and some slight compression and grain mar an otherwise amazing threshold of performance. But we're still talking about a huge price/performance ratio that's tilted toward the consumer in a major way.
	M&K MP-4512 System $1,249 MP-4512 L/C/R/Surrounds: Single box, three-way with seven drivers representing four speakers, TV mount, $650 K-10 subwoofer: Sealed box with 10" driver, 75W amplifier, 35Hz LF, single-ended line level inputs, $599 ea. The Skinny: There are a lot of people out there who want surround sound and don't want five speakers out in their room, and M&K has an answer for them in the MP-4512. This is an entire speaker system in a single box that is small enough to fit across the top of a 20" TV. With M&K's own K-10 more than doubled the price of this invisible system, but carried its weight by not only extending the system's low-end, but also letting it play louder without strain. This isn't world-beating surround sound, but it offers crisp, clean performance in spaces that wouldn't support a traditional surround speaker array. Allowing more surround sound to more people is something we find to be very cool indeed.
	NHT Classic Four System $4,350 Classic Four: Ported four-driver, four-way magnetically shielded floor-stander, 27Hz LF, $1,800/pr. Classic Three C: Three-way, four driver acoustic suspension center channel, magnetically shielded, 73Hz LF, $599/ea. Classic Three: Three-way, three-driver acoustic suspension bookshelf speaker, matnetically shielded, 45Hz LF, $800/pr. X2 Balanced stereo electronic crossover: high pass at 50Hz, 80Hz, 110Hz, low pass continuously adjustable from 30Hz-220Hz, A1 monolock amplifier: Class G, rated at 200-watts into 8 ohms, 300-watts into 4 ohms The Skinny: Through the years and many coprorate changes NHT has remained steadfast in providing speakers that perform at prices that people can actually afford. The Classic Four system we reviewed in December of '06 is a classic example, and NHT's latest triumph. Our system was based on the Classic Four floor-standers, the Classic Three C center, the stand-mounted Classic Threes for surrounds, and an outboard crossover and monoblock amps for bi-amping the bass drivers in the Classic Four, which allows them to hanmdle LFE chores. The system has a cool, somewhat mechanical sound that can't be ignored, but in this price range MF wouldn't trade warmer sound for the "superior dynamics, spatial finesse and bottom end heft" he heard from NHT's latest. The Classic Four system is a ton of big-ass sound for the money, and one of the best values in a 5.1-channel system we've yet encountered.
	PSB Image Surround System $2,996 as reviewed Image T65: Ported 3.5-way, four drivers, floor standing, 30Hz LF, $1009/pr. Image C60 center: Ported two-way, three drivers, 40Hz LF, $449 ea. Image S50 surrounds: Ported two-way bipole, three drivers, 65Hz LF $749/pr. Image SubSonic 6i subwoofer: Ported with 12" drivers, 225W amplifier, 29Hz LF, single-ended line level and speaker level inputs, $699 ea. The Skinny: PSB's Image surround system offers immense sonic satisfaction with movies and music and is as spatially convincing as the model name suggests. We'd like a little more clarity in a center channel , but the Image system's overall character is relaxed and yet open, and highs crisp and clear without glare or brightness. The bass is not only big and powerful enough to rile your neighbors, it's also tight and tuneful- not just a one-note thudpucker like you'll find in some systems. An excellent all-around performer for the scratch.
	Revel Concerta F12 System $3,444 as reviewed Concerta F12: Ported three-way, four driver floor standing, 33Hz LF, $649/ea. Concerta C12 center: Sealed three-way, four drivers, 85Hz LF, $499 ea. Concerta M12 surrounds: Ported two-way, two driver stand-mounted, 65Hz LF $324/ea. Concerta B12 subwoofer: Sealed box with 10" driver, 650W amplifier, 20Hz LF, single-ended line level and speaker level inputs, $999 ea. The Skinny: Although this system is from Revel's more affordable Concerta line of speakers, it's entirely representative of Revel's considerable pedigree in high-end speaker design. While this system bears close resemblance to the Beta series speakers from Infinity, Revel's stablemate at Harman Int'l, we found that the modest premium is justified by the Revel's more sophisticated, less brash presentation and tonal refinement. And we also suspect that working with Revel's more upscale network of specialty dealers is likely to result in a more satisfying customer service experience.