Best $1,500-ish New or Used Floorstander -
For a long time, used speakers represented a particularly good value, and sometimes they still do, especially if you pick something that was ahead of the curve when new, such as Magnepan 3.6, ADS M12, Dynaudio from the past 10 years. However, there have been such advances lately in driver design--cone composites, diecast frames, stronger magnets--and enclosure design--non-parallel walls, better bracing, narrow, extra inert baffles--that some of the new speakers make for compelling values. Two examples are the Monitor Audio Silver RX6 and RX8. RX6 list price is a little below your budget; RX8 a little above. I've seen lower prices online. RX8 received a glowing review from TAS; RX6 did the same thing very recently with Stereophile. Things that set these speakers apart is an extraordinary resolution and low level detail for a dynamic speaker of this price. S'phile's test measurements show the RX6 to have a smooth, flat response curve, good bass extension, and is very free of cabinet resonances. The mid and low drivers are a sandwich of magnesium and ceramic, making them very light and resistant to cone breakup. As for powering these speakers, you'd be hard-pressed to improve on the Marantz PM8004 integrated amp. I've heard this amp powering a $12,500 pair of Sonus Faber floorstanders and they left nothing to be desired. Both the Monitor Audio floorstanders and Marantz amp are much easier to own and use than a 15-yr-old pair of full range ribbons plus the high current amps required to power them. Yes, they'd achieve very high quality sound for the money, but the Marantz/Monitor Audio setup is no-muss, no-fuss, and a better choice for someone getting into--or getting back into--quality home audio. |
