Small room, "budget priced" speaker advice, please


Hi,

I recently sold my dearly beloved, old Vandersteen 2C's here on Audiogon (and I hope SgtPeppers is loving them at this moment!) :-) I did this because in our remodeled house, my new listening room (which will double as a guest room) is just too small for the 2C's. The Spousal Acceptance Factor was just too low. ;-)

I have a PS Audio Elite-Plus integrated amp for power (around 70 W/Ch) and a soon-to-be-shipped-off-for-a-refurb Sota Sapphire for an analog front end (I have "miles" of vinyl)! I will also get a CD player at some point.

For now, I need to find a pair of best-of-breed, truly "budget" speakers. By "budget," I'm talking upper limit of $850/pair. (Gone are my free-spending, single days... I'm a dad now...) :-)

Listening habits: lots of 60's and 70's folk and rock, some jazz, Donald Fagen/Steely Dan, a little classical. Listening volume: not too loud. Sonic preferences: I value transparency and imaging/soundstage. Bass should be accurate above all, as opposed to chest-pounding powerful.

I've looked at Paradigms, which I know are highly regarded at lower price points. Trouble is, our one, local dealer is primarily a TV/home theater outfit, so you're trying to hear them in a showroom crammed with other stuff... you know the drill. I've also hit a high end shop. Listened to a pair of PSB small towers and disliked them; they sounded muddy and veiled to me. Listened to a pair of the smallest Rega's and liked them quite a bit, but would want to go back to listen again. I even wrote to PS Audio for advice; they recommended the "baby" Epos monitors, but they're out of my price range.

Thanks if you've read this far. Knowing how subjective all this is, I'd still welcome any advice you have to offer about what I should try to audition.
rebbi
Used Spendor S3/5 or S3/5se would be within or below your price range. They are leagues ahead of the Paradigm, IMO. The S3/5 has an excellent midrange and a large soundstage.

In excellent condition, a pair of used S3/5 should sell for about 600.00.
There are a couple of pairs of Spica TC-50s for sale on A'gon. Easily within your price range. Also a couple of pairs of Celestion sl700s that would stretch you budget by a few dollars. Both are classics.
Baby Epos out of your price range? You can find the being discontinued M5 for $650 list or less.

http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/405epos/index.html

FWIW, Robert Reina's review of the Paradigm Studio/20 in the May 2008 issue of Stereophile:

I compared the Paradigm Reference Studio/20 ($998/pair) with the NHT Classic 3 ($800/pair), the Nola Mini ($695/pair when last offered), and the Epos M5 ($650/pair).

The NHT Classic 3 was as delectable and rich in the midrange as the Paradigm, but had more silky, extended, and detailed high frequencies. The NHT's articulation of sibilants was noticeably more delicate and subtle. Its midbass was much warmer than the Paradigm's, but its high-level, bottom-end dynamic slam was in the same league.

The Nola Mini resolved more inner detail and low-level dynamics than the Paradigm, and had more top-end air as well. The Nola's bass seemed to extend deeper, and its midbass was more neutral than and not as warm as the Paradigm's.

The Epos M5, too, resolved more inner detail than the Paradigm, and its high-frequency extension, detail, and articulation was the best of the four speakers. However, while the Epos's midbass was the cleanest and least colored of the four, it lacked the Paradigm's dynamic bass slam at high levels.

http://stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/508para

Also see
http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/1106nht/index.html
If you're coming from Vandys, I'd suggest Ohm MicroWalshes. The Talls are a little more than $850, but if you can stretch, I think they're an amazing speaker. They also have a short version, that's closer to budget.

Otherwise, the Totem Arros are nice too.
From my own experience, I would look at:

Rega R1
NHT Classic Two

From reading reviews, I would add to the list

B&W 685

Regards,

Rich