bookshelf's to match older rotel 30watt

thats the problem, auditioning isnt really possible except the polks maybe but for some reason ive never heard a polk speaker i liked! Heard a lot about NHT but not availible around here! AGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! whats even more stupid is the fact that im looking at b&w's that are not the specific model I heard!!!!! The ones I heard are about 150 out of my range and im hoping that other bookshelf b&w's sound similar!!!! Wow after typing that I realize how silly I am!!!!

Glowplug, you should realize it takes a while to warm up! Take a breath and relax - remember 0 to 60 in, oh, well, something less than a day for a diesel, right?

Here's some ideas...

-the Usher idea is a great one.
-you cannot go wrong with the B&W 300 series, I have yet to hear ANY of their products that I have thought were losers.
-I really like the Energy C-100 and C-200's
More award winning Canadians
-Paradigm Atom v.5
-PSB Alpha B1
More English designed speakers to duke it out with the B&Ws (although the B&W 300 series may be the only English made of this bunch)
-Monitor Audio BR1 new, and BR2 and R90 used
-Cambridge Audio S30
-Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 or 9.2

I addition, here is a previous thread, and I'm sticking to my advice there as well, although these speakers are a bit pricier if purchased new:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1199418973&openusid&zzKnownothing&4&5#Knownothing

There are a lot of great speakers available in this price category. Turn the key on, surf the Internet, and when the plugs are warm - light it up!

Glowplug,

Everybody is in the same ballpark as far as being able to hear a lot of the speakers that they may be interested in. About the only way you can audition many speakers is to buy them, listen to them for awhile and if works out, keep them. If not, sell them for pretty much the same price you bought them for and try something else. One of the best places that I have found to do is, is through Audiogon sales listing (hit browse). In here, many people, just like me and you are buying and selling various pieces of audio equipment. And quite often you can get some pretty damn good deals. Believe me, this is the route many Audiogoners have gone down in trying to find equipment or speakers that they would like to try and/or can afford. If I was you I would go to Audiogon sales listing on a regular bases, as there is many good speakers turning up there at a variety of price points. Find what you're looking for, contact the seller, ask needed questions, work out the details of payment and shipping, and then, hopefully, happy listening. Fact of the matter is, this is exactly the way I put my system together.

Btw, B&W speakers show up there quite often, as do many of the other speakers that have been suggested in this thread. Check the listings daily, as you never know what might show up.

If you can find some used mission/cyrus 781's or 782's. I just got a pair of 781's here on A-gon for $250 shipped. The day I got mine I found a second pair here too for $200. I prefer and own the 782's but havent seen any used. I bought the 781's for spare parts since they are the same drivers and crossovers. The sensitivity of the 781's (ported) are about 90db and the 782's (sealed) are about 91db. I recommend 24" stands for either and a sub.

I've owned and used the 782's for over 19 years. Even though I just purchased Dynaudio C1's (3 weeks ago) to replace the 782's to me they are worth a lot more than the retail ($800) I paid 19 years ago. I'm hoping I can afford a small second system for my computer room. So why did I buy the C1's after getting the 781's for parts? I didnt think I would ever find a monitor that would 'WOW' me like the C1's did. The top 2 closest contenders were the B&W 805's and the Sonus Faber cremora auditor m's. Both were only slightly better 'in my opinion' and couldnt justify the bucks spent.

Take your time and be patient. It took me 3 years (on and off) of bringing my 782's to stores to compare just the speakers before finding something worthy of an in-home demo. I did this because what I thought was better by listening without comparing them to my speakers it turns out that I was listening to all different electronics in different rooms. Besides if I demo-ed a speaker in my home and didnt care for it it meant only 1 trip to the store instead of 2.

thank you all for helping me on my quest!!! I didnt think my meager budget would garner so many options!!I have heard good things about the dynaaudio's,usher, wharfdale and psb, but any thoughts on thier sonic signature in comparison to B&W book shelfs? I think I have read that english speakers are laid back? Is that what i liked so much? And also based on my rotel which is only 30 watt is there a minimum sensitivity I should be looking for? Thanks again you guys are great!!!! ohhhh 1 thing.....signal cables good for a system like mine?