Bookshelf Speakers For 350 Or Less?? new & used

I would look for (used) Triangle Titus xs or Dynaudio 40. Or get her to pony up a little more cash for pretty little Silverline SR 12s. She might develope an affection for one of these nice sounding AND attractive speakers, sparking a new love affair with all things audio.

I recently needed to pick up some cheap speakers for both a home theater and 2nd system and would suggest the following:
1. B&W DM302 or 303
2. B&W DM601 or 602 (these would have to be used to work within your budget)
3. Paradigm Titan. However, be careful here. These sounded great in the store, but would not work in my room. They have a rear port and need plenty of room or they boom.
4. If you really want to go cheap, try Cambridge Soundworks small Ensemble system. Very forgiving (but also not revealing) of cheap electronics.

I had little Paradigm's and I heard several other speakers. I ended up with Soliloquy Sat-5's in my office. They are in a beautiful maple, and have the same drivers as their larger (and more costly) 5.0. Also, the speaker is a sealed box, so you can put it quite close to the rear wall.

They are about 500 or more new, but used, or b-stock (from Underwoodwally) you can get them for less.

These are one of the great buys I've found.

Hey! Where are the accolades for the Sound Dynamics RT-3 ?
These are Harry Person's favorite small speaker for under $500, and I could not agree with him more ( I rarely agree with this guy, and his typical overpriced recommendations).

I bought these speakers for a small office system, and cannot believe how much they offer for around $200 new! We are talking about high end sound here. The sweet treble and integration of both drivers is utterly amazing. (I have another serious high end system that is over $30k+ , and I'm not complaining the least about these small wonders).

Since I have owned these, I have compared them (at my home) to Spica TC-50's , the NHT super ones and the Paradigm titan. In my opinion the Sound Dynamics are in a totally different class by themselves.(The Spicas had some interesting qualities of their own, but DON'T even think about playing them loud, these things do NOT rock).

Something to note about the Sound Dynamics is that they can get quite boomy sounding if they are too close to a rear or side wall. Like almost every speaker I've ever tried, you can't put them against boundries without sonic comprimises.

As of right now I think I'm leaning towards the Axiom 3MTi, the B&W 302/303, or the Sound Dynamics RT-3. I've also owned several pairs of Mission speakers, so I'm fond of those too. I'm not sure if she's going to want to deal with ordering several and comparing, or if she'll just pick one. She may have to try several to see which sound best with her placement.

Unfortunately, she has her left speaker sitting on top of a bookshelf (in the open...not closed in) with its back to the wall, and her right speaker is about six inches above the floor (but away from both walls). I know that's not ideal placement, but I'm not sure if the placement is negotiable...ya know?