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Need Small Bookshelf Speakers With a Big Sound

Good morning.  I have been out of any kind of audiophile circles for a long time.  We moved into a house with built-in speakers about 5 years ago, which I really enjoy, but of course it's better for casual listening at a party than for quality listening.  Our family room is in a pretty open space that borders our living room and kitchen, so my wife is very focused on speakers being unobtrusive in appearance.  I was therefor looking for small speakers and got turned onto KEF LS50s, which sounded really nice for the price, and more than good enough for my desires.  And they are small.  But I didn't really focus on their "untraditional" looks.  It turns out that was a deal-breaker when I brought them home to demo.

So, I am back to square one.  What I would really like is a speaker that is about the size of the LS50s, or maybe a little bigger, and has a nice looking, traditional wood finish.  Bright colors and artificial surfaces, no matter how good they sound, need not apply...

I would say my self-imposed budget is around $2,000 at the top.  Unless new speakers leads me down the audiophile slippery slope, the speakers would be powered by my old Adcom 545 II amp and GTP 500 II tuner, with either an Adcom CD changer or Apple TV streaming the music.  Not exactly Audiogon Best In Class, but I think it will bring a smile to my face.  And you never know if this will lead to upgrading the whole shebang.

Any thoughts appreciated.  Not that it matters, but I am in the Chicagoland area.
chiguy
maggieman55's avatar
maggieman55
1 posts
 
My favorite bookshelf speakers are the AE (Acoustic Energy) AE1 MKII Reference made in the UK. Make sure you get the MKII as the difference is HUGE. I compared both side by side! These speakers play surprisingly loud when called upon to do so, and as you turn the volume up, the sound only gets better, no compression, just beautiful music, unconstrained and imaging is second to none. In a blind test you will mistake them for floor standers. The new version is $5000 per pair, so I suggest you track down on the used market. Best of luck! 

213runnin
562 posts
 
I just read through the thread, and realized that the OP, Chiguy, never gave some of the basic facts one needs when making speaker decisions, unless I missed the info.

When shopping for speakers, the size of the room they are going in is paramount.  We also need to know the power amp being used, or considered.  Chiguy did mention the amp is a 20 year old one that he might be replacing, but that doesn't help much.

Also what he'll be using the speakers for, music or movies, and what volume levels he's hoping to attain.

We can throw out ideas all day, but without some basic information such as above, it's not really much help.  One thing I would suggest, if the OP is allowing his wife some say in this speaker decision, he better be bringing her along on the shopping trip rather than bringing yet another pair home to only have her veto them.


chiguy OP
17 posts
 
I mentioned my Adcom amp and tuner in the very first post.  I mentioned the classic rock music I mainly listen to in subsequent posts.  The room size is the issue.  It's kind of a family room and living room in one open area.  And that is open to the kitchen as well.  That is why the speakers have to blend in visually and be more traditional looking than the LS-50s.

The area, excluding the kitchen side of the house, is about 13' wide and 28' long, with about half the length of the room being the family room area with tv and stereo, and the other half being the living room.

I am zeroing in on the Harbeths, but haven't yet seen them, heard them or pulled the trigger.  ;-)
sandydennis11's avatar
sandydennis11
51 posts
 
Check out Krell Resolution 3's.  Kind of heavy but look good and well worth the 2000.00 going price.

chiguy OP
17 posts
 
Well, I ordered a pair of Harbeth P3ESRs, sight unseen, woofer unheard.  I appreciate all of the responses here.  With this being my first set of posts here, it was very helpful and somewhat surprising to get so many good, well thought out ideas.

I ended up with the Harbeths because I felt that they were about as compact and nice looking (and traditional looking) as any of the suggestions, and the reviews were overwhelmingly favorable.  I was able to get a deal through a friend's connection that was cheaper for a new pair than any of the slightly used pairs of Harbeths here or on eBay.  The deal includes speaker stands and cables, so I should be good to go.

Perhaps this will encourage me to replace my vintage Adcom amp and tuner and start spending way too much money on a sound system.  We will see!

Thanks again for all the thoughtful comments and ideas.
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