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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
chiguy OP
17 posts
 
Thanks everyone -- lots to consider.  FWIW, I don't mind internet shopping although I'd like to have a pretty good idea that something is going to work visually and sound-wise before being on the hook for shipping stuff back.  Speakers, I imagine, aren't cheap to ship.

I'd much rather get a used set of good $2500 speakers for $1300 rather than a new pair of $1300 speakers...

2channel8
758 posts
 
Chiguy,

Hurry up and decide! We're waiting for the results. ;^)

Seriously, take your time. Speaker shopping is such a sweet distraction.
213runnin
914 posts
 
That's the benefit of shopping internet direct.  In the Ascend Sierra 2, you get a speaker that would retail for $2500 if sold in the retail model.  
chiguy OP
17 posts
 
I was out of the country for a couple of weeks but am now back and ready to get into this again.

I looked back through all the responses and it seems like, when considering my size/appearance requirements, the popular suggestions were:

Dynaudio Excite 14 or Excite 18
Harbeth P3ESR
KEF 300
Ascend Sierra 2
 
and possibly:
Dali Ikon2 Mark2
Tannoy DC8
Joseph Audio Prisms RM22 or RM7
mm de Capo's
B&W CM6 S2
Totem Model-1 Signature
Rega RS

I will look around here and elsewhere, but if anyone happens to stumble on a nice deal on a pair of used speakers on the above list, kindly let me know.  I hope to hear before I buy, but imagine most speakers suggested here will make me more than happy, given my size/location issues and the fact that I've been listening to headphones and whole house speakers for the last 5+ years.  So I may just take my chances, if necessary.  :-)

Thank you all for the ideas!  I am very excited to find speakers as well as stands (and probably interconnects). 
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
I know these are way outside of the OP's price range but has anyone heard the Joseph Audio Pulsars? Just curious how they compare to more pedestrian "bookshelf" speakers.
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