Monitor speaker with the best bass at $500 used

The Vandersteen 1C or 1Ci would fit your budget and requirements and save the cost of stands. I recommend it because I went through monitors from Spendor (S3/5), Totem (Model 1), and Dynaudio (Focus 110 and 140) as well as auditioning ProAc, B&W, other Totem models, etc.--anyhow, I finally realized those tiny boxes just couldn't lay down a realistic foundation for the bottom end when listening to rock and even jazz.

You need to be able to sit a minimum of 7 feet from the Vandies for the drivers to integrate, but that's my only caveat if yours is a small room. Bass guitar and kick drum have real impact, and the bottom end is tight. They're not as tight or deep as the 2CE Sig II (which I used to own) but beat all the monitors I mentioned.

Rrog, I am going to walk over to the Bose store tomorrow and give them a listen. However, when your friend commented that the sound was "big" "relaxed" and excellent imaging, those words seem similar to the way members describe the Ohm/Walsh Talls (38 inches height)....omni directional. It is hard to believe Bose would create a product that is beyond mid-fi. I'll keep you posted.

Regarding, the Totems, even "used" they seem over priced, however the imaging and soundstaging are a marvel I have to confess, I only heard the Totem Hawks, but everytime they sounded great

To Ablang, I had a pair of Vandy IC's about 5-6 years ago. I enjoyed them, but did not think they were overachievers. At the time, I was driving them with an Aragon 4004 MKII amp (200RMS) and a Conrad Johnson PV8 pre-amp. From what I can remember, they sounded pleasant but a bit dull with a limited high-end.....I also had the misfortune of calling Mr Vandy himself about setting the the so-called "rake angle" of the speakers which must be precisely measured, and he berated me for 15 minutues for not reading the one page manual. Unfortunately the 1C are bigger than the Totem Arro, or Staff speakers, and would be awakward in my room along with my main speakers. Thanks

Rrog, I finally got to briefly listen to the Bose 301. The following report is the short (and only) version. Driven by a Onkyo surround receiver and matching CD player, I found the highs to be limited in detail, and also "tinny" sounding; however, bass was above average, and the midrnage was fair. Imaging and soundstaging were what you might expect from Bose's design, but the images were not sharp, and soundstaging was only fair. They were placed horizontally on 14 inch stands, and wired with 18 to possibly 16 gauge wire.

Conclusion. Despite their low price of $328.00, I really believe these speakers would benefit form better electronics, like a NAD 326BBE, or the new Rega BrioR integrated amps. Overall, I think your friend should have his hearing checked and keep his Maggie 1.7's, the Bose 301 is a mid-fi speaker, and is not in the same league with speakers like PSB's Monitor V.6 or the Wharfedale 10.1.... Jim

Sunnyjim, I think you should listen to the Maggie 1.7s with the same Onkyo surround receiver, Onkyo CD player and cables in the same listening environment as the Bose 301s and tell us what you think of the highs and midrange. I find it interesting how audiophiles reject Bose speakers without ever giving them a serious listen. Maybe it's because of the Bose stigma with audiophiles or maybe it's because they already told their friends Bose speakers are crap even though they have no knowledge of their sound quality. I recently picked up a pair of Bose 301s to satisfy my curiosty and I am very impressed. Listening through the 301s I have a better understanding of the singers, musicians and the music. The Bose 301s will not dazzle you with the bright thin sound you get from many audiophile speakers designed for marketing purposes and don't be afraid to turn up the volume because the Bose will not get hard and irritating, they just keep getting bigger sounding. These Bose 301s are very low in distortion giving vocals and instruments an incredibly natural sound. I find myself going through my music collection playing all kinds of music because it sounds good. I recall one reviewer saying Bose speakers are only good for listening to music and I agree.

Quad 12L...