Monitor speaker with the best bass at $500 used

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...

fully agree with rrog re: the vs vr1s--they're a great, well-built speaker with massive thump for their size. $500-$550 is the correct used price--i've never seen 'em significantly cheaper. you could also look at polk lsi9.

Zydo, I am sorry but the PSB Alpha 1 reviews are not convincing to me; they have little bass. In addition, I would use them occasionally as an alternative to my main system speakers, but they would be plugged into major electronics and not a NAD integrated.

At your stated budget, the more upmarket PSB Image B6 is more appropriate, with wider dynamics and deeper bass extension. There are rave reviews everywhere including this one from Stereophile. The measurements indicate a -5dB point at 40 Hz.

Or look for a used pair of Dynaudios at your budget. They're well known for good bass extension from a small monitor.