Best Bookshelf/Monitors Speakers? Suggestions

Farjamed,

My system is pretty modest (click on "system" after my name and you can see what I got) but currently I'm running a pair of Madisound AR.com speakers. Not bad sounding speakers, although at some point I would like to upgrade to something better (and not just different).

As for my suggestions on the curtains, I find that sound reflecting off a hard surface (such as glass) creates more a problem that sound being diffused/absorbed by a softer surface. In may condo, I have a sliding class door that leads out onto a balcony directly accross from my speakers. I've found that having a lined curtain across that door, I can better control the sound in the room, simply by how much I open or close the curtain.

As to your question concerning the Gallo 3/3,1,they can be driven using 25-40W.However,buy them used as I understand they need to be driven hard to break-in the woofers.

Listen to a pair of Linn Katans. They sound great even before you upgrade them to active. I could not beleive how good a small set of speakers can sound, and I've only liked big big speakers until I heard them. You can also bi wire & bi amp them if you wish.

Someone mentioned Totems, which I forgot to mention before and think is an excellent suggestion if you can find a dealer to audition.

If/when you go hear the Ushers and are concerned about synergy with your amp, why not take your amp along and have the dealer demo them together? Or even better arrange for the dealer to loan them to you for a weekend (always the best option, and relatively easy to do with monitors)? Any decent dealer should do that, and then you'd see whether your amp will produce the sound your looking for in your own room/system. I wouldn't dismiss the Ushers just because your amp puts out 100W -- you may find they work just fine together, and the Ushers are good enough to justify an amp upgrade in the future. I believe the Be-718s are available in different finishes if you didn't like the cherry. Don't mean to harp on the Ushers, but given your stated preferences I think it would be a shame if you didn't at least give them a listen.

If you have a big screen TV in the middle of your soundstage you should drape a blanket or comforter over it when you're listening -- same rationale as curtains over the windows.

Best of luck, and have fun.

I'd recommend you determine what 'sound' you like. For example,
1) if you like accurate with deepish bass, consider the Dynaudio:
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1234905743&/Dynaudio-Contour-S1.4
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1235240535&/Dynaudio-Focus-140-Black-Ash
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1236037025&/Dynaudio-Contour-1.3-mk-II---B

2) If you like a little 'faster, wide open' sound, go with the Dicapos,

3) possibly smoother, strong bass, try the Ushers or the Fritzspeakers ScanSpeak 7 version. (May be tought to demo though)

4) I would also recommend a pair of Merlin TSMs which you can get around here for <1,500.

The Merlins would probably be my choice because of a couple of things including easier placement (but I prefer a paper based driver in the midrange, until you move up to well executed exotic materials, but we're startin' to talk about much more $.

Final recommendation would be these:
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1235748276&/Marten-Design-Monk-Price-Reduc, ... but the guy is in Ireland so I'm not so sure about that transaction.

Good stuff out there in the sub $1,500 market - decide if you definitely *DON'T* like a particular sound or material (ie the guy above commenting on the Usher, others may say Dynaudios aren't the best at lower level (hi-rise constrained) levels, others don't like metal mid-woofers, etc.

Good luck.