Bookshelf speaker recommendations


I am in the need for some recommendation for bookshelf speakers in a small room(10x10). I currently have the Paradigm Mini Monitor v3 and for the price are good sounding speakers but they are way too midbass heavy like boxy sounding. A few options I was looking was the Dynaudio Audience 42 or 52 or even the Contour 1.1. I listening to everything but mostly rock and country. Every once in a while I like listening to vocals and acoustic instruments.

This will be powered by an Acurus A150 amplifier with a Rotel RC-995 preamp. My source is strictly lossless files and some streaming. 

My budget is around 1.2k.

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@glennewdick thx for sharing. The recordings are great. For the money, I think a used pair of Dynaudio Evoke 20 and Monitor Audio Bronze 100 6G are really jack of all trades, solid performers among the bunch.  But, again, if you could bump up the budget, MA Silver 100 7G is still your best bet if you like its presentation.

@glennewdick Thanks for the link. Nice broad of speaker brand. I have listen to every speakers in a short period of time with headphones. To my ears, I find the Sonus Faber sonetto sounding the best with a true, balance sound. Then again it is a little more then twice my recommended budget.

 

 

Keep a look out for a pair of pre-owned Tyler Acoustics Taylo Reference or Tyler Linbrook monitors. These are equipped with parts and drivers normally only found in >/= $8K/pair speakers. I recently bought an early 2000s pair of Taylo Refs that came with the upgraded Seas Excel (gold ring) tweeter for a mere $600. From about 60Hz on up, they are quite easily the best monitors/bookshelf speakers I’ve owned and among the best I’ve auditioned at any price. They will easily walk all over some of the $6K/pair dealer-sold bookshelf speakers and compete well against speakers like the B&W 805 D4s. 

Pretty much any brand new box store/dealer-sold speakers under $2K/pair sound like distortion machines relative to the aforementioned Tyler speakers. 

op - If you keep high expectations but set a low budget, you might as well raise your budget and let everyone around here know who is trying to help. For example, someone suggested the SCM7, but then you said you preferred the SCM11, which is 100% higher than the budget you initially specified. I suggested lower-priced speakers, and then you were interested in SF Sonetto II that are 130% more expensive.  I'm not saying you need to agree with our recommendations—audio gear is subjective, after all—but at the very least, you should make up your mind to avoid wasting everyone's time here.