Best Value Speakers??

Agree with the above recommendation of the TC50's. Get a SET amp, put them in a small room and you are good to go.

While i agree that the little Spica's are great for what they do, they are limited in terms of total performance ( as was noted ). They will not "jam", do low bass or have real extended treble. If you can live with what is left in terms of total performance minus those aspects, it would be hard to go wrong with those speakers in terms of the expenditure involved.

Responding to posts like this is tough. Given the "open field" with no restrictions or guidelines posted ( price, size, type of music, room size, SPL range, etc...) "generic" answers could send someone off in the wrong direction EVEN THOUGH the suggestion or products mentioned ARE excellent. They just don't fit what the person is looking for. That is one of the reasons why posting questions with as much information as possible is likely to net you answers that are more pertinent to your specific situation. Sean
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In terms of your criteria, Vandersteen seems an obvious contender for your short list. Most Vandersteen models HAVE no cabinet, so you are not paying for that. Are you paying anything for the name? Surely, but they are still a good value.

As a long-time owner of various Vandersteen speaker models, I think they represent one of the best values in high-end audio. Richard Vandersteen has always stressed high value in his products, which is why he invests the great majority of the manufacturing cost in the drivers, cabinet, and crossover. You will also find high value in several well-regarded Canadian-made speakers, such as PSB and Paradigm. I've also heard the lower-priced models made by Joseph (RM7?) and Krix, and think they represent good value.

For straight forward, bargain speakers that you can buy in almost any place in the states for a reasonable price I like NHTs and Paradigms. I have had both the Paradigm Atoms and Mini Monitors which are both very inexpensive and I believe that they sound better than comparably priced klipsch, jbl, and B&W products. My Brother-in-law is using an inexpensive NHT system (less than $2500) for his home theater with the top of the line Denon receiver and they sound terrific. Have fun listening to them all and good luck finding one to match with your components and listening room.