Dual Electronics LS205EB Main / Stereo Speaker

The Dual LS205EB speakers are among the least expensive speakers sold. At less than five pounds, they lack the heft that a quality speaker would possess. That said, they must be judged primarily on the basis of cost versus sound quality. For around $40 per pair, these speakers may sound O.K. in some applications . . . and not-so-good in others. There are speakers from Polk or Infinity that cost a bit more, but put these Duals to shame! As primary stereo speakers, the Duals are to be avoided. Treble is OK, but the midrange has some spooky colorations on an Avril Lavigne CD I played. On Steely Dan's Two Against Nature CD, the results were a bit better, with increased clarity and reduced colorization. Of course, bass is lacking, as you might expect. Boosted bass at a very low volume level might generate some usable bass, but anything higher than background-level music is going to max these out in a hurry. As used in my system, for subtle rear-channel augmentation and SACD rear info, they are merely acceptable and likely to soon be replaced. If home theater is your ticket, plan on these for use in rear channels only. They would not stand up to anything more demanding. But within these stated limitations, they may be worth trying out. Just don't expect much.