Are Buchardt A500 Signature Edition A Good Choice For First Speakers?


For the past few years I've been limited to a headphones only setup due to having three kids, five and under, at home. Now they're all off to school and I'm looking to purchase my first set of desktop speakers, or similar size, for my desk area. I'm still confined to the loft, so nothing too big, but the Buchardt A500 Signature Edition look to fit the bill. Are these good speakers for $5,000? I like that they are active and I don't have to figure out an additional amp and crossovers to power them. How is the sound quality compared to other speakers in their price range? Is there anything cheaper but better? I was hoping that Borresen will have a new X model desktop version, like the new X3, but only smaller, but that may be out of my price range if it ever becomes available. Thanks for the advice. 

jackjohnson316
thecarpathian

3,522 posts

I always wonder if Audiotroy is either drunk or likes to close his eyes when he types...

 

 

The search bar is a great tool, can keep your foot or keyboard out of your mouth.🙄

steakster

1,629 posts


audiotroy OP

I have to write replies on my phone as it is easier to finger type as I h ad a stroke which was mentioned previously

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

excerpted from this discussion.

 

Buchardts can sound amazing.

So Can ATC or ProAcs or Genelecs

and another dozen in the active, great sounding bookshelf category.

Audience makes an active, one-way desktop that sounds great.

Be aware the Michael Borresen said that Active

speakers do not necessarily sound better than passives.

Note how many he offers. None.

 

@recklesskelly ,

Oh, my.

My apologies to @audiotroy . Thank you for pointing this out. I shall now attempt to pull the keyboard from my mouth...

$5k for active bookshelf speakers? That sounds painfully steep... Can’t you browse the classfields on Audiogon? Surely, you can find an excellent amp around $2k or less and an excellent pair of speakers around $2k as well... Or search for some Active Genelecs...

EDIT: There's a lot of cool stuff around $2k over on Audiogon. From powered DALI Rubicons to a NAD M22 amp, to Golden Ear BRX speakers etc... 

 

i've only heard the passive s400, which are vg, but based on features/specs $4k doesn't seem like a bad deal for the a500, considering you get a full range speaker, amp, wifi streamer and dac in one package. i would be curious to hear how these compare to the similarly configured kef ls50 wireless, which don't go as low but are a grand cheaper.