Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Insignia 6.5 Speakers by Doug Schroeder

Model:	6.5
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$45
Description:	KEF rip off Two way
Manufacturer URL:	Not Available
Manufacturer URL:	Not Available

Review by Doug Schroeder ( A ) on June 13, 2006 at 20:57:00
IP Address: 72.131.17.99

Add Your Review
for the 6.5

Ok, these cost me $48 and change, so I'm not committing a lot of time to this!
There should be some hype about these speakers. They are quite good for the bucks. No, they're not going to rock your world, but they're an uncommonly good value, at least after listening to them one day!
Seemingly built well, extremely stylish for the price point! The "driver within a driver" design has some merit here, since space is a precious commodity in a bookshelf speaker. Build quality (at least externally) seems extremely good.
They use the KEF - like tweeter in the middle of the mid/bass. Woven bass driver like B&W. Great binding posts! Cabinet appearance like a $10k pair of Krells in black! Whoever copied all the design concepts really knew what they were borrowing!
They sound, well, fine. Don't expect miracles, but no one should for under $50! Their imaging is their strongest point. But they will not handle stress of higher levels without distortion, they have a somewhat monotone treble, and the bass "pops" as the level increases. But, these things should be expected in a cheapo speaker.
What's not expected is the fit and finish quality, the striking design, the way that one can drive them pretty hard without it sounding horrific. The most important feature of their sound is the listenability. I was surprised how inefficient they were. I had to crank them up plenty to get them to sound loud. But, that is their saving grace - they are warm, and are not going to begin mediocre and end up like scratching on the chalkboard, which is not the case in so many bookshelves.
It should be noted that I listened on my higher end system, with tube hybrid integrateds. With a SS amp/receiver I assume some of this gentleness will be diminished, but would think they'll still sound ok.
I recommend them for very small spaces, where volume is not going to reach high levels. They almost sound better when their visuals remain in focus over the sound. That is, when they play softly and look handsome, one is drawn to them. The grills are fine, but they really look great without. The faux piano finish is a nice touch and makes them look far more expensive than they are.
They'll also fool a lot of the uninitiated. Take a pair to college and mate them with decent economical electronics and you'll look like you know what you're doing! Their portability is a big bonus.
I recall fondly one of my first pair of speakers were Radio Shack two ways, with 6" bass and I believe soft dome tweeter that had a plastic "dispertion grill" (for lack of better terms) that made it look vaguely like a horn tweeter. LOVED those speakers and used them all throughout college in a sub/satellite system. These, dimensionally, and with their appealing sound, take me back to that era.
No one who's seriously into the equipment should consider these, however. They aren't ProAC replacements. They turn harsh with increasing volume. If you have a den, workspace, etc. for casual music, they will do fine. I find little fault with them for the price. They are better than I anticipated. They look so good, it's a shame they'll be going into the garrage! But, I'll have the best looking/sounding garrage system in the neighborhood, which is really important to a true audiophile. ;)

Product Weakness: No complaints at this price point. Oh, yeah, the binding posts are spaced too far apart to accept dual bananas. handles large spades easily.
Product Strengths: CHEAP; Aestetically quite appealing. Decent sound.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Pathos Classic One MkII
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	none
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Rega Apollo
Speakers:	Insignia 6.5
Cables/Interconnects:	MIT Shotgun 750 S3
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Jazz, acoustic instrumental, light rock
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Tice
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	No complaints at this price point. Oh, yeah, the binding posts are spaced too far apart to accept dual bananas. handles large spades easily.
Product Strengths:	CHEAP; Aestetically quite appealing. Decent sound.