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
I contacted Usedcable.com for a recommendation and they offered JPS Labs Ultra Conductor for $105 for a 6 ft pair, and XLO HT Pro HTP1 (RCA) $ 75 for interconnects. Thoughts?
My guess, the XLO will be fine and probably similar to the Audio Quest Coral.

JPS is a great company. I think the Ultraconductors will provide a more sophisticated and airier upper end but will sacrifice some of the bass response you would get with the Audioquest GBC.

Nice thing about The Cable Company is they will let you try them before you buy them. I would try try their suggestions and compare to what you currently have.
Well, I went with the Audioquest Coral interconnect for the CD player and the Audioquest GBC speaker cable, all from HCM. The price is right (under $180, shipping included, for both) and it's gotta beat the old Monster Cable I'm using now. :-) I'll report back when I can listen to the combo.

Got a quiet work week ahead next week, so I should have more time to listen and break in the Arro's. :-D
Rebbi,

Will be curious to hear of your results. The cables will need some time to settle in as well, at least ~100 hours of continuous play or so. With that said, you should notice a difference right away with improved resolution.
Knownothing,

Thanks, and I will report back. I have to say that I'm impressed with HCM so far... I ordered this morning and already have a tracking number from them. :-)