Thanks. I did get the Harbeth P3ESR speakers quite a while ago. For me, they're perfect. Sound is neutral and excellent. The speakers are very, very small and very traditional looking. Fit and finish is very good and attractive. My wife can live with the size and look, and I love the sound.
Need Small Bookshelf Speakers With a Big Sound
Good morning. I have been out of any kind of audiophile circles for a long time. We moved into a house with built-in speakers about 5 years ago, which I really enjoy, but of course it's better for casual listening at a party than for quality listening. Our family room is in a pretty open space that borders our living room and kitchen, so my wife is very focused on speakers being unobtrusive in appearance. I was therefor looking for small speakers and got turned onto KEF LS50s, which sounded really nice for the price, and more than good enough for my desires. And they are small. But I didn't really focus on their "untraditional" looks. It turns out that was a deal-breaker when I brought them home to demo.
So, I am back to square one. What I would really like is a speaker that is about the size of the LS50s, or maybe a little bigger, and has a nice looking, traditional wood finish. Bright colors and artificial surfaces, no matter how good they sound, need not apply...
I would say my self-imposed budget is around $2,000 at the top. Unless new speakers leads me down the audiophile slippery slope, the speakers would be powered by my old Adcom 545 II amp and GTP 500 II tuner, with either an Adcom CD changer or Apple TV streaming the music. Not exactly Audiogon Best In Class, but I think it will bring a smile to my face. And you never know if this will lead to upgrading the whole shebang.
Any thoughts appreciated. Not that it matters, but I am in the Chicagoland area.
So, I am back to square one. What I would really like is a speaker that is about the size of the LS50s, or maybe a little bigger, and has a nice looking, traditional wood finish. Bright colors and artificial surfaces, no matter how good they sound, need not apply...
I would say my self-imposed budget is around $2,000 at the top. Unless new speakers leads me down the audiophile slippery slope, the speakers would be powered by my old Adcom 545 II amp and GTP 500 II tuner, with either an Adcom CD changer or Apple TV streaming the music. Not exactly Audiogon Best In Class, but I think it will bring a smile to my face. And you never know if this will lead to upgrading the whole shebang.
Any thoughts appreciated. Not that it matters, but I am in the Chicagoland area.
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- 121 posts total
Thanks! I really appreciate all the advice in this thread and spent a lot of time googling pictures, hunting down demos, and reading reviews. I made the right decision for me, and if looks and innocuous appearance are on your list, the Harbeths are a great way to go. I loved the sound of the KEFs, but the appearance (orange tweeter looked like an orangutan's sphincter) were a bit problematic for the spousal unit. lol |
Not exactly the smallest set, but the Definitive Technology Studiomonitor 65s work great for me.. Pretty well reviewed too.. https://www.householdaudio.com/best-bookshelf-speakers/ |
- 121 posts total