My advice is that you do go to different audio stores and listen. then let your ears make the decision.If you depend on others to give you recommendations, you'll have 100 different people give you a 100 different aswers. |
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I would go towards something good, affordable and higher efficiency for use with the receiver. You'll do better going used of agon as long as you are careful that you know exactly what you are getting before buying, teh age, and teh condition.
I'd look towards Klipsch Heresy, Cornwall, or Forte depending on budget and availability or one of the affordable monitors or floorstanders in the Triangle line like Comete or Antal.
For something a little different, some of the speaker models offered by Zu would be an interesting choice.
Even a pair of good planars like Magnepan mmg or a step up in teh line should do pretty well. |
psb is the king of good sounding budget speakers...be it bookshelf or floorstanders...i think you would be very happy...4t floorstander from a few years back was highly regarded... |
When listened to several of the affordable/budget speaker brands I personally was not highly impressed with PSB. I'd look at Focal Chorus, B&W, Paradigm or Monitor Audio first, but I will admit that PSB wasn't a bad product, just my least favorite of what I heard.
What's the budget you're wanting to have? The term budget can be very different depending on the person. Some people think that my 3k speakers are budget speakers.
I think that Monitor Audio has a great product for the money. |
I am willing to spend about $300-$500 right now. I figured Audiogon was the place to look for good quality used speakers rather than buying new speakers for more (and sometimes getting less). I'm 24 yrs old and just starting to get into higher end audio. I'm sure I will upgrade my system to something with true audiophile quality in the next 5 yrs. |
For $300-$500 used, Triangle Titus, Magnepan mmg or Klipsch Heresy.
PSB is a pretty safe bet also.
You could also do a pair of OHM Walsh 2s or slightly bigger in that range if you were up to trying something completely different (omnis) with lots of cost effective upgrade potential down the road. |
in that price range i would opt for used monitors...much easier to ship and cheaper too...psb stratus mini, castle richmonds, epos m5, etc...you are going to get a billion suggestions...but dont overdue it...just get on board with a good deal and enjoy |
Polk has delivered the most bang for the buck in the lower end of the spectrum for many years.
I went to Circuit City, when it was still around, to buy some computer parts. The salesperson told me he had some speakers on sale. They were Polks, and I was not the least bit interested until he told me the price. I left Circuit City with a pair of speakers that I'm listening to in the basement as I'm typing this. Although they're cheap speakers, they sound good. |
Used pair of Vandersteen 1Cs would provide pretty good bass and imaging at the price point. |
OK, lots of good speaker advice. Just keep in mind the whole picture, make sure you set some funds aside for the upgrade from the Technics receiver. Some of the speakers recommended above, such as as the Triangle Titus, are great, capable of the real magic. But they will sound horrible with a regular receiver. Also, the source, whether a disc player or a music server/dac is very important.
Best of luck to you |
i agree with arni in the grand scheme, but imho nothing mkes as much a difference to the sound of your system than speakers and room - the rest is refinement. |
Paradigm Atoms and their Mini Monitors are wonderful small speakers that provide obscene value to price. Made in China of Canadian design, they are very inexpensive and have beautiful mid-range. I can also recommend stepping up to Vandersteen 1cs mentioned here--been around forever, a true classic, and one of the most efficient speakers out there. Almost any solid state and most tube amps can make those sing. If you have a solid state amp of 75 watts, you should also consider the ATC 7s. Pro studio quality--will slay anything listed above. |
good point...we all forgot the op is still using his receiver....but one has to sometime....and i think with the proper speaker you get by with receiver...that being said....heard sonus faber concertos a few years back....they maybe just out of your budget used...but they avoid sounding clinical likeother models....and just to confuse matters more...the op likes more rick, etc....lot of people swear by vintage jbl, klipsch, etc.... |
Also can suggest you look at the new Brio integrated amp by Rega. Heard it in Japan two weeks ago--very nice sound. Can also recommend Cambridge Audio. |
There's plenty of good advice here already but $300-$500 will buy you a decent entry-level set of speakers at Best Buy. If you're looking for value, look here on Audiogon for used speakers. They depreciate quickly and you will find speakers in your price range, from reputable companies, that sold new for many times their current asking price. Some good choices have been mentioned by other responders above. |
Paradigm Atom Monitor v.7 ....... a wonderful speaker @ $398/pair new. They will give you a true taste of high end audio, should get along quite well with your receiver, and allow you to enjoy the music . A great review by Doug Schneider on soundstage.com. Good luck, and Happy Listening ! |
Without knowing about your budget, room, and how you need to place them, I wouldn't begin to suggest speakers. I will suggest that you buy speakers that will work with your next source of amplification that you plan to get in the next 2.5 months, rather than with what you currently have, even if they won't work with your current receiver. |
agree, decide on the speakers, then find the amp they need. |
Thanks for all the responses.
Since my last post I have decided to start looking more into bookshelf speakers. I went to a local retailer two days ago and listened to B&W 685's and cm1's. I also checked out the paradigm studio 10's. Overall I liked the cm1's but haven't been able to find them around my budget used. I also liked the 685's more than the studio 10's. They just had more bass which is very important to me when buying bookshelves.
After looking online I found good reviews on the 685's, Monitor BX2's, Wharfedale 9.1 and 10.1's, Energy rc-10's, Paradigm Mini and titan (as mentioned by some of you above), acaydis dm1's, and ATC SCM 7's.
I don't have the luxury of hearing all of these speakers and most of the ones you mentioned. Does anyone know what bookshelves have particularly good bass response in the $500 used or new range, and still be exceptionally good sounding speakers. Should any of the speakers I mentioned be taken off the list? |
Very good sounding speakers are not likely to have really good bass at the price point, it is one of the tradeoffs the designer must make at the price point and speaker size IMHO (though Totem at a higher price does do bass very well for the size of speaker). A brand you have not mentioned that I think builds very good speakers at their resepctive price points is PSB - you do get a lot of bang for the buck with their product and your don't suffer the EURO penalty on the exchange rate, which should help even more. But I do think at your price point, the mid range quality should be your priority, and reasonable bass extension (45-50hz or so?), just don't think you can have it all at the price point - though the Vandersteen 1c as a smallish floor standing speaker does give you a very decent amount of quality bass, but that does not fit the bookself requirement. |
I went to another store yesterday after work and listened to Monitor Silver RS1, PSB Imagine mini and Imagine B's, and lastly the Dali Lektor 2. Out of all of them I liked the PSB's the best, second best was Monitor, and last was Dali. The PSB mini were really unbelievable for the price point and size. The guy helping me did bring up Totem as well. PSB is definitely one of the top choices for me now along with the 685's and checking out Totem.
Does anyone have anything to say about Wharfedale? There speakers have great reviews (Diamond series bookshelves) and are pretty cheap.
Let me know if anyone else has any other suggestions. Thanks |
I have now had the Daber Monitor 3's for two weeks and have had a chance to do some critical listening. I have the rounded cabinets in maple that Steve provides for a small extra fee. They are gorgeous with very high end carpentry work! The first thing that will strike you is the deep, tight bass for such a relatively small speaker. I doubt anyone but the most avid bass fan will see the need for a subwoofer in a two-channel setup. The mids are very satisfying and the highs are clear and precise. Vocals are rendered in a very natural fashion. The soundstage competes with the best. My wife, who is very musically inclined, even prefers them over my Acoustic Zen Adagios. A very different speaker and a matter of taste, but still high praise from a very musical person. I love them both for different reasons. To say that I am pleased with the results would be an understatement. In summary I think this must be one of the best values in speakers out there and they are made in the USA by a small entrepreneurial company. Give them a try - you will not be disappointed!
As a side note the speaker stands for the Volla speakers fit as if made for these speakers (rounded) - got them from MSS HIFI at a decent preice. Steve is planning on making stands for them as well in the near future. |
Agree with a couple new postings on bookshelves. PSB and Paradigm are esteemed Canadian firms that offer incredible price for performance. I concur that the Imagine Mini and the Mini Monitor will give you a dynamic sound stage and terrific mid range, with no bass.
The ATC 7s will give you bass in spades, but need 75 to 100 watts of solid state power, minimum, to drive them. They would be a steal if you could pick them up used. |
PSB is the safest bet that I am aware of. |
older paradigm studio 20 would give you ample bass as will psb stratus
mini monitors.... |
Forgot about the Stratus, they did have bass above their weight class. Used, should be in the price point. |
also..quad 12ls have exceptional bass...both in depth and clarity |
The Quad L12L is a very good speaker. It goes 45hz, and does it very well. |
