Speaker Advice -- Which to Buy

You might want to check out a used pair of Vandersteen 2ce signatures if you have a medium sized room (12'x15') or larger. I have them paired with an Odyssey stratos and Audible Illusions M3A, it's a pretty incredible combination. Very musical. You should be able to pick up a used pair in excellent condition for $900-$1100. You won't be sorry.

Thank you all for the comments. I just came back from Pro Musica in Chicago. Let me tell you, I just listened to the Medowlark Hot Rods. Man those are nice. Dealer wanted $1600.00. Could'nt swing a deal. But i did get some good ideas from this forum, about some different speakers instead of the usual B&W's & dynaudio's. No offense too those who have these, they are good speakers. But something different was refreshing. My priorities are 1-3-5-6-8-11-13-16- and not in that order. Listenting to emmylou harris. beatles, mark knopler and julie & buddy miller.

You might be able to find some used Thiels in your price range. An old CS2 (or maybe even a 2.2 with some small cosmetic damage - this model normally sells closer to $1300 used) or a CS1.5. These are GREAT sounding very flexible speakers that don't require devatating amounts of power.

I would agree with Rjones about the Vandersteen 2CE Signature loudspeakers. I have seen them on Audiogon for around $1000 with stands. I have found the Vandersteens to be a simple loudspeaker to drive. They sound better with bettter equipment, but they sound fine with lower priced equipment as well. They are full range speakers with great bass. You cannot go wrong with the Vandersteen 2CE Signatures at that price point.

While I have been a long term Vandersteen 2c and 2ce owner, I have found that they sound their best with tube amplifiers. The Vandersteen 1c is a more forgiving and easier speaker to drive and sounds good with solid state. It also available new for under $1k. For about $700, including stands, I just picked up a pair of B&W dm 602s2 for a second system. These were surprisingly good for the money and are very easy to drive. They're not floor standers but sound as good or better than some. This would leave you $300 to put towards some good cables or maybe a better preamp.