Incredible highs and clarity. I really enjoy acoustic guitar sounds through this speaker. Classical is great!

Needs subwoofer to balance out. I am running the PRO LX5 II which has improved bass over original LX5

For the money, you just can't get a better speaker. (Currently on sale at RS for $75 each 1/2000)

Similar Products Used:

Listened to Paradigm

Linaeum tweeter; construction; compact size;

Recessed midrange; foam surrounds susceptible to rot;

The Linaeum tweeter is remarkable; some might find it too polite compared to the bright treble preferred lately; recessed midrange makes voice sound distant; sound is not seamless; rubber surrounds might have helped the midrange;

stuffing drinking straws in the port does tighten things up but induces a certain brittleness in the mid-bass as if some layers have been sliced away;

an even better product was possible with this design but the price would go up; of course cost of stands should added to the speaker; for the price an accomplished product;

Similar Products Used:

Rega Kyte(1994 price 198 Br.pounds)

Price, treble, midrange

bass

I bought these for $60 a piece thanks for the hints on this website. The are being used as rear surrounds, and they do a great job there. I do not care about the lack of bass - as that comes through the sub in my system, but I would not recommend these speakers as front speakers, there are better choices out there, possibly even at the Ratshack (e.g. AVX44, 55).

Gary

Similar Products Used:

all kinds

Great treble and mid-range sound; excellent price

Bass response

I'm yet another person who took advantage of the great price on these ($60 each). The "normal" selling price is $150--not a great deal, but probably not bad. The recent sale price of $75 is even a great deal. But at $60, they can't be beat.

Treble response is awesome. Cymbals never sounded so good to me. They are lacking at the bass end, but RS tells you that in the specs: 80 - 25,000 Hz. Couple that with a sub and you're set.

Similar Products Used:

An assortment of speakers, mostly the "what came with my system" variety.

I had auditioned these in store, and was unimpressed, they seemed weak andbassless. Somewhat of a letdown. I posted a note to a newsgroup that these
speakers and the Pro-SW120 sub-woofer were on sale for 1/2 price. I did
this because lots of others had expressed positive opinions of the LX5.

The news post "fished" an email from someone encouraging me to bring them
into my home. I was floored with the sound of the 3-some (the 2 LX5, and
the SW120 sub. The sound is bright, spacious and responsiveness is great.
Tiny variations in instrument resonance which were completely unheard on
my other speakers came through with quick precision. I listened to the
Doors' Light My Fire, a tune filled with treble, mastered with one mid to
high note layered upon another, and I could not believe the clarity of
every track. I spent 4 hours tonite listening to live symphonic recordings
on Public Radio, and I was amazed. Absolutely no fatigue.

If you are on a budget, as I am, and love music, this is one of the great
bargains in speakers. I gave them 4 stars, to leave room for another
stunning find, should such an event happen. They are actually a 4.6.

I have been using these little speakers from Radio Shack of all places for little over a year now and couldn't be happier with them. The unique dipole tweeter design provides an expansive, natural soundstage that was once the monopoly of much more esoteric (and expensive) speakers. Initially, I used these speakers alone with a Jolida SJ-302 integrated tube amp. The sound was very good, but lacked the bass presence necessary to fully enjoy the dynamics of Classical and Rock. However, the midrange and treble were unrestrained and the imaging was excellent. Part of the credit is due the wonderful Jolida amp, but subsequent listening with an ordinary stereo receiver also yielded excellent results. The addition of a passive subwoofer with a 250 Hz crossover point fully balanced the sound. This sub/satellite configuration had a total retail price of U.S. $500 and performed better than most speaker systems (conventional, sub/satellite, or otherwise) for U.S. $1000 or under. Although a Radio Shack store is not exactly the best speaker audition environment, they will refund the purchase price if you are not satisfied.

Uniform soundfield.

Lack of spatial precision.

I bought 5 of these at $75 each. Hooked them up to an Onkyo 919 THX amp with a 10" JBL sub. Dolby Digital sounds wonderful over them. I think what some people are missing is that they function well in all 5 positions for home theater. This provides a very smooth, uniform soundfield. With a little subwoofer for low bass, the effect is remarkable. For $375 for 5 speakers, nothing I've listened to comes close.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Bose

Great rear channel home theater speakers. Nice build quality--real binding posts!!! Tweeter is great for surround channel duties.

Lacking in bass (naturally, they're tiny speakers!)

I don't really recommend these as front channel speakers, except for those on a tight budget who might otherwise buy one of those awful "home theater in a box" setups (which should stay in the box IMHO). My recommendation for these speakers voids the warranty, but I think it achieves the best results:

Drill holes in the bottom of each speaker and affix eye-bolts (I used two on each speaker), then hang them from the ceiling about a foot from the rear wall, angled down and toward the seating area. I think you'll be pleased with the effect. In my living room the sound is much better this way than when I had the speakers on stands near the rear wall. Obviously, as this voids the warranty, don't do it until you have listened to the speakers with your other equipment and have decided you like them. And anyway, they're cheap, so what have you got to lose? By the way, if you are anally retentive, you can turn the grill upside down so that "Optimus" reads right-side up again with the upside-down speaker. Everyone who sees them in my living room thinks they were designed to be used this way--maybe they should have been.

Similar Products Used:

Boston Acoustics

Tweeter

Bass

Never had surrond before. Alot of people at work told me about these speakers. I am not a radio shack fan, but went to listen to them anyway. Glad I did. They were on sale for $75 for the pair. Great pick for the price. I only use them for the rear speakers. I have a pair of cerwin vegas at15 for the front, and I am still debating on what to get for the center channel. With my C.V. AT15's, I was told I don't need a sub woofer. Any advice would be welcomed.

Similar Products Used:

none

Spacious sound

Cheesy crossover

I heard about the poor bass on these, I didn't care as I have the uncommon Infinity 2112 sub (two servo 12" woofers, 300watt amp, got for $500 from the outlet store 4 years ago). Initially, I hated them. They sounded too bright and in THX mode, I can't fiddle with the treble.Some of my rock cd's just didn't sound as good as with my sm monitors (love that polycell tweeter). I listened to some Chicago and those horns really wailed. In movies, the sound is better. I like the dispersion. I bought tv wall brackets from Eagle for $40 each and they place each speaker 1 1/2' from the wall. Now, the sound was better. Each one will hold two speakers (with one they should be sawed; they look dumb). DiD I say two? if you can find them, they are now $59.95! I am trying to run down four more so that I will have two for every channel! I got some mod ideas from someone on the 'net and will work on those too. These things have the tweeters connected OUT of phase with the woofer. Overall, they give a good sense of depth. Eventually, I will toss my THX prologic for 6.1 or 7.1 (Outlaw's receiver sounds like vaporware). Nonetheless, when that day comes, these speakers will be there. Forget all the selfish people who claim that dipoles give bad seperation- these dipoles give a sweet spot that everyone (not just the guy in the chair in the middle of the room!) can enjoy!

Similar Products Used:

ADS monitors, Infinity SM monitors