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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.
chiguy
french_fries
815 posts
 
A little sour grapes here- your Adcom amplifier is a poor match for speakers that can reveal a lot of detail.  If you can afford a better front end and a better amp, then a refined pair of speakers can perform as they should.
OTOH, a pair of A/D/S or Advent speakers would match up better-
IMHO.
chiguy OP
17 posts
 
I am fine with finding good speakers, and then deciding if I want to upgrade my amp.  I'd rather buy good speakers and then decide that my 20 year old amp needs to be replaced rather than trying to match new speakers to a 20 y/o amp.
chiguy OP
17 posts
 
Ryan R10s are pushing the size envelope a bit, I’m afraid.  As are the de Capos.  
jond's avatar
jond
5,776 posts
 
chiguy those recommendations by yogiboy were good ones and both Harbeth and Spendor will be fine with the type of music you listen to not sure why he said to ignore his recs. I've heard both brands and can second both recommendations. And too bad about the Kef's I also find them very cool looking.
gdnrbob
4,444 posts
 
That old Adcom is a good amp. You can have it updated, too, by Musical Design.
For my money, I would check out Zu Audio. A pair of Omen Bookshelf or Cubes would provide some nice sound for the money. A sub or pair would make it a pretty nice little system.
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