Best used speakers under $3,500?

Tomryan- I love my Merlin VSM-MMs, but if you can find me a pair of MXs for well under $3.5K, I will eat my shorts. That's well over 50% discount for the latest, top of the line version of a very highly regarded speaker. In fact, if you could get the MMs for that price, it would be a steal.
BTW, my last speaker before the VSMs was a pair of Vandy 3Asigs with the 2Ws. They ARE a very good speaker; maybe a BIT laid back, but not boring, IMO. At under $2500 for the mains, a real bargain. Work well with most any good electronics. YMMV.

I have enjoyed reading this thrread. First off, I do not think that combining HT and 2 channel listening can give the best of both worlds. Whatever. I listened to many of these speakers at CES 2005 last month.

1. The advice about you going and listening is the best. Of course, its hard in one city to hear all of this stuff; hence this forum.

2. In general, I would emphasize two channel; I am one of those folks who thinks that if you get great 2 channel speakers then HT makes it along for the ride, while good HT doesnt always translate into great two channel listening. That is a bias.

3. Given that, there are two clear two channel winners listed above; The Silverline Sonata 3s, and the Gallo Reference 3s; Dollar per value; these two speakers represented the better of the bunch mentioned that have heard. The Gallo reference threes might present a more difficult placement task( great but finicky) and may in fact do better with more expensive hardware behind them. This is only an opinion.

4. Vandersteen would NOT be my choice for HT. In DVD playback, they have an unusually recessed sound in direct comparison to the other choices mentioned. Also the soundstage changes as you move in a room in a way that other choices do not. "Sweet spot" is truely that for these speakers.

5. For HT, I actually really like that whole Totem rainmaker series. Quite good. Its actually better for HT than music; opposite of the model performance listed above.

6. Joseph Audio is a no go for me. I have never heard the merlins mentioned above and cannot comment on them.

7. One speaker brand not mentioned would be the Green Mountain Callistos ( used they should get into the budget scene for you). They would work well for HT as well as 2 channel music listening.

Good luck- a great bunch of choices mentioned here.

Hi Jonsher,
Yep, there is a person who has the exact same speakers (Tyler Linbrook System) and is in NYC... His name is Mark, and you can find his email on the Tyler Acoustics web page (www.tyleracoustics.com)... If you go to the upper left hand corner of the home page screen, there is a link called "Home Demo Program."

This is a new program (that I just joined myself) that allows prospective buyers to go to a volunteer Tyler speaker owner's home and hear their speakers for a home demo in a "real world" setting. The list of names, locations and email addresses are on the page the link points to. Just look for Mark's name on the list (or New York City).

All you have to do is email Mark, and you can work out all of the details as to when you would like to listen.

Good luck, and please let me know what your impressions were after the demo (both the good and the bad...). :-)

---Dave

My thoughts are that the best value in used speakers under $3,500 are Thiel CS3.6's. Of course, you should be able to get them for a good bit under that. I have them in my 2-channel/HT system, and I use a Thiel SCS3 for center channel. Currently, my surrounds are an old pair of AR TSW-110's, but I am thinking of either two more SCS3's or PowerPoints. In my opinion, Thiel speakers do well on either 2-channel or HT.

Totem and ProAc would probably make my short list, too.

"Vandersteen would NOT be my choice for HT. In DVD playback, they have an unusually recessed sound in direct comparison to the other choices mentioned. Also the soundstage changes as you move in a room in a way that other choices do not. "Sweet spot" is truely that for these speakers".

I do not experience this at all. Would not the "recessed" sound you refer to occur during stereo/music playback as well? I experience no "soundstage" changes either. Why would you "move" in the room while your watching a DVD/movie anyway?