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Speaker Quest Revised

Hello Audiophiles. A while back I posted about looking for speakers. Seems that my requirements have to be revised. While making up my mind, I bought a pair of Wharfedale Sapphire 88 speakers (6" woofer,6"mid, silk dome tweeter)from Ubid for $79.00 apiece. After reading reviews about dynamics and realism I bought some Klipsch KLF-20's(horn tweeter,mid and two 10"woofers). Well guess what? These cheapo Wharfedales beat the Klipschs in almost every catagory that's important to me(timbre, holographic imaging,smoothness, etc.) The detail is just as good, the bass suprisingly better and they seem to bring the vocalist right up front like headphones do. I can't get over how much better these $79.00 speakers sound to me. So now like a good audio junkie I want more of this more musical sound.My question is again, which speakers should I be looking for in the used $1500.00 price range? Suggestions will be GREATLY appreciated as I don't drive and the nearest decent audio store is over 20 miles away.
say811
sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
In your $1500 range, you should definitely include the Vandersteen 2Ce Signature on your short list. A very musical, accurate speaker that represents high value for the dollar and compares very favorably with speakers costing in the $2500-3000 range.
kirk930's avatar
kirk930
285 posts
 
jm lab electra 920 or 915 used. right here on audiogon. no they are not mine , i just think they are very good.
abstract7
541 posts
 
Unfortunately, the new Klipsch speakers aren't much to listen to. I owned older pairs back when Paul Klipsch owned and operated the company. They were terrific speakers for what they did--dynamics with almost no power. But they never did image very well.

The Vandersteen is a good suggestion. I think you could also find a B&W 803 or maybe even an older 802 near or perhaps within your range. I personally like Electrostatics due to their transparancy and imaging. However, they have some issues to consider, such as: the electronics being used with them is very critical (and can be costly), the bass is limited (in some cases severely), and they can be difficult to place (very dependent on room interactions).
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