I use these for surround sound with some Infinity SM125s, an Infinity Monitor center and an AudioSource base. I needed something small that would hold up when put together with the bigger speakers I am using and they are working out great. They have a great range and can handle the heavy, vibrating, bass sound-effects Dolby Digital DVDs put through the rear speakers.

Incredible quality for the price I paid (a pair). Compact for the amount of sound/bass they put out.

Thin in the mid-range, boomy when cranked up.

I got these at a ridiculously low price and probably with lower expectations than some of the earlier reviewers. It is hard to fault them in any serious way when the total cost for the pair was $55 including tax and shipping, but the earlier critical comments are not entirely without merit.

When placed in a full 6 speaker setup they do a nice job, but the weak midrange seems to demand a good center channel speaker. [I sometimes do not miss the throb of bass, and a subwoofer fills them out perfectly well.]

They sound good with music as well, but with the same caveats.

Bookshelf with bass ! Firmly build.

Odd 'hole' in midrange, needs to be adjusted in treble and bass.

Looking for budget bookshelf speakers I auditioned (A-B) the AR-206, Tannoy M1 and KEF coda 8. The prices were virtually identical at f 400 ($175) a pair.
Playing Schubert, the Tannoy's had a lovely midrange that was superior to the other two. Playing Depeche Mode, the Tannoy's could not handle digital bass sounds, I could here it struggling. Hmmmm...choices. Compromise is the keyword in budget speakers. The KEF's had a touch of the typical UK nasal sound. The AR's were the loudest with an uneven balance in the midrange, highs were acceptable...but these AR's had something that the other two not had....dynamics and bass !
I bought the AR's and installed them in a bedroom of 4 x 6 m connected to a Yamaha AX-500 amp and Harman/Kardon HK710 CD players. With treble and bass controls in neutral they sound quit harsh, too bright. Adjustment was needed and turned treble and bass controls 90 degr. counterclockwise made a great improvement. Besides the adjustments I am more then satisfied with the AR's.

Similar Products Used:

Compared to Tannoy M1 and Kef coda-8.

I was impressed for the price I paid on these speakers. I am using them for surround sound. My system consists of Wharfedale Valdus 500's, AR 260HO, Sony SS-30 (center), and H/K AVR 40. The Valdus and Sony speakers are connected using Monster cable and the AR's using Radio Shack Megacable (on a budget for now).
The speakers do sound fantastic. Everything comes through cleanly. You can hear all of the effects. I will be upgrading everything at a later date except for the Valdus 500's. I paid $49+ shipping ($77 total) for these at www.onsale.com. The price was right. I did not get a chance to test out the speakers before I bought them but I know AR has an excellent reputation. If you can get these on sale, do it. They are well worth the price. I do not like the fact of these speakers being sealed, but that does not take away any stars. 4 for the performance, 5 for the value. I'd give them a 5 overall.

Solid contruction, gold binding posts, maple finish, rubber surround on driver. Clear mids, fairly tight bass.

Cheap tweeter

Like I said, good construction, full featured speakers. The veneer is nice, gold binding posts are a plus.

This speaker doesn't sound BAD, however it could sound MUCH better. Another reviewer stated it doesn't even use the same tweeter as the 208, and it does not. This immediately pissed me off.

The tweeter is the $5 mylar type, similar to what you would expect in a cheap speaker, not AR. The bass and mids are fine, but I am currently looking for a Morel or Vifa soft dome to replace the factory tweeter. It's a $50 or less upgrade, that I beleive will make all the difference in the world.

If you can get them for under $100 or so, and can spend at least $20 to upgrade the tweeters...I'd recommend them in a heartbeat. Otherwise, leave these to rear channel, workshop, or MAYBE bedroom use. Don't expect this one to be a player out of the box in a serious HT or HS.

4 stars overall, caveat: you can get em' cheap, and are willing to upgrade them.

Similar Products Used:

Wharfedale, Polk, Paradigm, B&W....(bookshelves)

Since I like seeing movie, AR 206 HO is very suitable for me in hearing the treble. Although my amplifier is a not high class product (pioneer VSA-D6), it produces a good treble with AR 206 HO. When I am seeing " Matrix", the bullets shooting and hitting sounds are very sharp and accurrate. It is a very good speaker at treble.

However, the bass is not much enough. Although the specification shows 50 Hz-20kHz, the bass is obviously not met the requirement. So my subwoofer recover this problem,let me enjoying the movie audio effects very much.

Very good at treble but bass is not enough.

Cheap

Sounds Horrible

I am appauled that anyone on there right mind would by these speakers. For the HO series line that AR puts out it does not even share the same tweeter that the 208HO does. I was disappointed.

Very thick sound, built well

none

I bought these from Accesories4less.com for 79.99. I bought them to use as surround speakers for my dolby digital system. The are easyly worth 80 dollars. The sound is truly amazing. Every detail of the movie comes through. The construction is great. It is a quality speaker down to the gold banana terminals. For the price, these speakers cant be beat.

Similar Products Used:

AR 318ps, boston acoustic