CSi/Speco SP-825BB Main / Stereo Speaker

CSi/Speco SP-825BB Main / Stereo Speaker - Review

I'm building a home on the water and at my son-in-laws request we're using a whole house in-wall speaker installation. I'm a stand alone, free standing speaker audiophile, so this was a new experience for me. I bought a total of 22 speakers by three different manufacturers based on suggestions of friends, availability and reasonable pricing. This CSi/Speco speaker and a couple of MTX speakers were bought for the less demanding listening areas i.e. kitchen and baths because the price was right.

CSi/Speco is definitely not aimed at the audiophile and offers a very Bose-like, detail lacking, somewhat muddy bass oriented, consumer grade sound that many would like for background music but not for primary long term realistic listening pleasure. The upside is I'm using Parasound amps that can compensate for many mediocre speaker deficiencies.

The build quality of these is above average and its a shame they didn't put 10% more effort in their driver and crossover selection. Overall: a well constructed but average sounding speaker. Get it right the first time. Remember, your cutting custom holes in the walls and ceiling of your home to accommodate what ever you buy. Also remember, its not volume that hurts your ears its distortion that causes that annoying feeling you get after listening for just a few minutes. If a system hurts your ears walk away and look a little farther, but for strictly low volume background music these will fill in... in the background.

If you want to create a space of your own to enjoy the movies and music you love and to hear all that your DVD or other digital inputs can deliver, I would recommend Sonnance or Speakercraft as much better choices. Combined them with a well designed free standing subwoofer by Velodyne, Tantra, or better yet Miller and Kreisel(M&K). If your budget won't allow their selection Kilpsch, Pyle and Polk are among many really good mid-range quality speaker systems that offer good in-wall/ceiling options.



Likes:

Above Average Build Quality

Dislikes:

Lack of Definition - Average Elevator music Sound that would begin to wear on you as a primary listening source.