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Another "Which Bookshelf Speakers to Get" Thread

Hey folks,

I realize these threads are pretty populous, but I also realize that y'all never seem to have a lack of opinions, so I'll give it a shot ;)

I'm building up a very simple, pure system for listening in my small Brooklyn apartment. It currently consists of:

• Marantz 2235B (35wpc)
• Technics SL-D3 (my Dad's, bought new the year I was born) running a Grado Black cartridge (new last year)

...aaand that's it. I may put an iPod dock into the mix, but for the time being I'm only going to be listening to vinyl and Red Sox games on the radio.

My speaker shortlist is:

• Rega R1
• KEF iQ3
• Paradigm Atom
• EPOS ELS-3
• Cambridge Soundworks Model 6 ($50 used...)

I'm interested to hear what you think, and also where I should look to buy (NYC local, or online)

My musical tastes trend towards the lo-fi (Pavement, Radiohead, Band of Horses), old country, and the occasional John Adams record.

My room is wood floors, fairly narrow (6') and the speakers would be backed up to a brick wall.

Budget gets painful anywhere north of $400, and I'm not shy about used.

And...GO! (thanks)
ryantomorrow
ethanh
48 posts
 
The B&W DM601s3 is surprisingly not bad. I had the 602s2 and was never satisfied with it, but the 601 Series 3 is a much better monitor, in my opinion of course. You could probably find a pair used within your budget. The good thing about B&W is that you can sell them easily should you decide to upgrade (personal experience).

Usher S520 gets recommended on this forum a lot but I've never heard it. And then there's the Onix/AV123 stuff like the Reference 1 or X-LS which have gotten good reviews for budget gear. Lots of options.

Good luck.
klinerm
79 posts
 
If you're not proud and just want the best sound for the money, you are absolutely not going to beat these psb stratus mini's currently offered on Agon http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1245173622&/Psb-Stratus-Minis-cut-rate-pri . I have owned a pair of these for 10 years with a Luxman R-117 receiver in one of my systems, and they ROCK. Additionally, they are front-ported, so there is no problem with placing them against the wall or on a bookshelf. Good luck.
nrenter's avatar
nrenter
691 posts
 
Well...here are a couple of other options.

If you can stretch your budget a bit, consider a used pair of Green Mountain Audio Europa or Europa Max speakers.

Another option would be to DIY. Check out the offerings by GR Research (www.gr-research.com). There are lots of information about GR Research projects over at audiocircle.com. I've never heard a set of GR Research designs, but I like to follow the builds, and the builds seem to have a following. Given your budget, this may be an interesting way to go. Your can order the kits through GR Research, and the pre-made cabinets from Parts Express (or you can have custom-cabinets made for not much more). Seems like a very easy project. Something to think about.
johnnyb53
3,490 posts
 
05-06-09: Ryantomorrow
Wow, you guys certainly aren't narrowing my field down! I'm tempted by the Energys, considering they're well reviewed, real wood veneer (I'm an aesthete, as well) and $290 shipped here on Audiogon.

Any other opinions on them?
You're on the right track. You're going to get a lot of sound quality for the money from a Canadian stand-mounted speaker in your price range, whether it's from Energy, PSB, or Paradigm. They provide similar amp loads, very linear response curves from upper bass on up to 20K, and room-filling and natural-sounding dispersion patterns to provide an even in-room power response.
ryantomorrow OP
5 posts
 
Thanks, all - I'm going to put an offer in on the Energy RC-10s, and if that falls through, will come back to the drawing board!
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