**SUDDENLY I understand how people can be reviewing these and giving such poor reviews. The "new" versions of these speakers that have been trickling in since sometime last year or early this year are TERRIBLE. So ... the review below is for the "old" version of them.
Sometimes I think good speakers are as much a product of luck as they are of engineering. A certain component, a certain random design decision, and everything comes together. I can only imagine that's what happened here, because given the cost these speakers are great.
Let's first talk about what they aren't: these are not powerhouse fronts for a living room or man cave system. They just aren't. I pushed them a bit with an Onkyo 3008 .. and I could easily tell not to push them any more. They're not particularly good at bass. I'm currently using them with Pyle 2x40 PCA2, and with a Sony STRDB 830 (my venerable office system that still sounds clean after all these years ... great build quality). The PCA2 was easily powerful enough to drive them effortlessly.
They aren't particularly deep/bass-y/boom-y/low-endy/etc.. I tried pairing them with a sub (Velodyne 10 inch), and the sub ended up overpowering them a bit (and having the two connected at once to my computer was a wiring nightmare, so I just wrote off the concept for now). At higher volumes, with the lack of bass, you may find yourself turning the volume up or trying to crank the bass on your stereo equalizer in order to get a bit more oomph. They are what they are: I wouldn't try to EQ them to death to try to correct the low end flaw. The high-end heavy tone, while I found very pleasant at low and moderate volumes, can get fatiguing to the ear if you crank it up and try to maximize low end presence.
Now for the positives: FORTY DOLLARS!?!?! Okay, got that out of the way. I found them delightfully musical for the price, with clear highs and surprisingly distinct (for this price range) imaging for the various instruments. The voices, particularly at comfortable listening levels, are startling lifelike and nuanced. I found these particularly shine with jazz and big band. Classic rock and rap ... not so much as there is a problem with . I cannot get over the musicality for this price range. I got a pair as a curiosity, and I then ordered three more pairs after a few hours of testing.
I did a mini "war of the speakers" by hooking a B652 up simultaneously with various bookshelf speakers, then changing the balance back and forth (and trying to keep the volume level) to see how they compared. The companion speakers included: a little horn tweetered, bookshelf JBL that originally retailed for 150.00 a pair (my daughter destroyed one of them, so I now have one laying around), the satellite AND a double-woofered front speaker from the Onkyo 540 set, an Infinity Reference 2000.2, and finally a Boston Super One.
It was easier to drive the B652 than all of them, obviously. The B652 was lighter and more musical at low volumes, with the exception of the Super One. At moderate to high volumes, only the Boston Super One and to a lesser extent the Reference 2000.2 were clear victors, with the Infinity Reference 2000.2 being decidedly better in some aspects, and worse in others ... the other three speakers were painfully inferior to the Daytons. These results were a bit depressing, given these speakers generally cost quite a bit more when released (with four of them costing several times as much).
I immediately ordered two more pairs and I think I'm going to add yet another pair. Between home and office, I have six distinct stereo systems ... and this speaker is probably going to end up in four or five of them, either as the stereo mains or as surround rears. Pair them with a little amp, you don't need anything else for great sound at your computer. Hook 'em up to a receiver, and it will be loud enough to fill your office or bedroom. I find the warm tonality/music utterly surprising.
Is it a great speaker? No. It has some obvious shortcomings. But, it is a good, startlingly efficient speaker whose strong points are insane given the price. The speakers I own that outperform it take a lot of power to drive, are much larger, and cost waaaaay more. Love these speakers.
**10/28/11 Update: I tried one of these against a Wharfedale 9.0 speaker, using a Marantz 2220b (gotta love vintage) to drive them. This speaker were fairly equivalent to the Wharfedales in both overall musicality, transparency, and vibrancy of sound, and maybe even better for midbass. Of course ... it might not be that fair, since the 'dale's are about 30-50% smaller, but damn ... I expected the diamonds to hold up better.
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This Item  Dayton Audio B652 6-1/2-Inch 2-Way Bookshelf Speaker Pair |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $72.99 | $79.95 | $36.99 | -15% $49.99 List: $59.00 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Monday, Jul 29 | — | Get it as soon as Monday, Jul 29 | Get it as soon as Monday, Jul 29 |
| Customer Ratings | |||||
| Sound quality | |||||
| Bass quality | |||||
| Quality of material | |||||
| Value for money | |||||
| Sold By | — | GRD US | Audiosavings | Guangweifa Electronics | Zhenyi Electronics |
| speaker size | 6.5 inches | 4 inches | 6.5 inches | 6.6 inches | 3.5 inches |
| power source | Corded Electric | Corded Electric | Corded Electric | Corded Electric | Corded Electric |
| connectivity tech | Wired | Coaxial | RCA | �� | Speakers wired |
| speaker type | Bookshelf, Woofer | Bookshelf | In-Wall | Bookshelf | Passive Bookshelf Speakers |
| mounting type | Shelf Mount | Freestanding,Shelf Mount,Tabletop | Wall Mount | Wall Mount | Wall Mount |
| weight | 4.74 kilograms | 4.71 kilograms | 13 pounds | — | — |
| model name | B652 | P4 | ROCKSHELF 68B V2 | RIOWOIS Passive Bookshelf Speakers DS6500M | Passive speakers DS6700M |
Reviews with images
Great value for the cheapest
I was looking for some good surround speakers and I wasn't trying to spend a lot of money on them. Then the Dayton B652 got my attention then I read many reviews on the bookshelf speakers I like the fact that you can hang them on the wall. I want ahead and pull the trigger and order them. To give them a good sound test I hook them up as mains on my old school Kenwood stereo A/B receiver that's putting out 200 genuine watts . And my Kenwood does wonders for the B652's me and my best friend was listening to them and I was very surprised of the wide soundstage they put out a clean bass yes they have some bass but not heat thumping bass I will leave that for my Floor standing speakers and subwoofer clear sound I don't know if it's the extra watts I'm putting to them or what . There only 40watts 75watts Max at 6ohms I don't even have to turn them up not even half way the b652's can get loud to make a long story short I found my surround speakers. For the money you can't beat it. Part 2 now that I have had the chance to listen to the Dayton B652's I have to say they keep up will with my high end Polk Audio speakers in the front of my listening area for the cheap price of the bookshelfs you can't go wrong.
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Antonio
LOUDSPEAKER B652 6-1/2
Reviewed in Italy on December 18, 2017
Antonio
Reviewed in Italy on December 18, 2017
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