I saw that you were advised to listen to the larger PSB bookshelf, the PSB Imagine B. I have owned a pair for about 4 years now and can say with some confidence that they would make it past the aesthetics committee, particularly the Dark Cherry finish. Great fit and finish. You and I appear to have similar musical tastes. And I am pleased with the sound overall. More about that below.
I normally listen to these with a Bryston B60 integrated amp, but I have hooked them up to my ancient Adcom GFA 535 and they sound fine. No comparison with the Bryston, obviously. And they sound even better with my newer Benchmark AFB2 amp. (And by the way, I hated parting with my old Adcom CD player too, probably the best piece of equipment I’ve ever owned in terms of price/performance.)
Regardless of the amp used, you’ll probably want at least a small sub-woofer for fuller sound, though they do sound pretty good without. You’d have room in your budget for that, and I find that it is easier to hide a subwoofer out of the way than to negotiate for big speakers.
These sound best at least 12" from the wall behind them, the bass port being at the back. I would recommend against this speaker if you’re planning on actually putting them on a shelf. You’ll want at least 24" stands for them - I prefer them on my 28" stands - so you might try to stretch your budget for the Imagine T2 and forego the sub. These have only a slightly larger footprint, but they are floor-standers with the same drivers as the B, just an extra woofer and cabinet volume for more low end.
About the sound: The tweeters in these are very good and will give you a nice, reasonably tight image for critical listening, albeit in a pretty narrow sweet spot. Don’t be afraid to toe them in - in my room, I like them pointed just wide of my shoulders. The bass is tight and accurate. And both work well together - you’ll be surprised at their sound for their size. Once broken in, I was amazed at how well they play even loud, complex passages (i.e. Staind). They might struggle with this type of music, however, if you have a huge living room. These speakers aren’t my first choice for classical music, though.
I’ve taken a while here to say that I think these are pretty decent speakers for the money, and I’ve heard them respond well to most of the other tweaks I’ve made in my system - power, interconnects, new amp, etc. I don’t think you’d be at all disappointed with the addition to your current gear. Hope this helps.
Oh, by the way, do listen to the Joseph Audio speakers recommended by an earlier writer, if you get a chance. The only thing is, my spouse HATES my similarly-shaped Pulsars, so you’d want to check that box before you fall in love with the speakers. I don’t quite get her reaction to them, but mine are placed deep in the man-audio cave where she doesn’t have to see them. Good luck!
I normally listen to these with a Bryston B60 integrated amp, but I have hooked them up to my ancient Adcom GFA 535 and they sound fine. No comparison with the Bryston, obviously. And they sound even better with my newer Benchmark AFB2 amp. (And by the way, I hated parting with my old Adcom CD player too, probably the best piece of equipment I’ve ever owned in terms of price/performance.)
Regardless of the amp used, you’ll probably want at least a small sub-woofer for fuller sound, though they do sound pretty good without. You’d have room in your budget for that, and I find that it is easier to hide a subwoofer out of the way than to negotiate for big speakers.
These sound best at least 12" from the wall behind them, the bass port being at the back. I would recommend against this speaker if you’re planning on actually putting them on a shelf. You’ll want at least 24" stands for them - I prefer them on my 28" stands - so you might try to stretch your budget for the Imagine T2 and forego the sub. These have only a slightly larger footprint, but they are floor-standers with the same drivers as the B, just an extra woofer and cabinet volume for more low end.
About the sound: The tweeters in these are very good and will give you a nice, reasonably tight image for critical listening, albeit in a pretty narrow sweet spot. Don’t be afraid to toe them in - in my room, I like them pointed just wide of my shoulders. The bass is tight and accurate. And both work well together - you’ll be surprised at their sound for their size. Once broken in, I was amazed at how well they play even loud, complex passages (i.e. Staind). They might struggle with this type of music, however, if you have a huge living room. These speakers aren’t my first choice for classical music, though.
I’ve taken a while here to say that I think these are pretty decent speakers for the money, and I’ve heard them respond well to most of the other tweaks I’ve made in my system - power, interconnects, new amp, etc. I don’t think you’d be at all disappointed with the addition to your current gear. Hope this helps.
Oh, by the way, do listen to the Joseph Audio speakers recommended by an earlier writer, if you get a chance. The only thing is, my spouse HATES my similarly-shaped Pulsars, so you’d want to check that box before you fall in love with the speakers. I don’t quite get her reaction to them, but mine are placed deep in the man-audio cave where she doesn’t have to see them. Good luck!