Best speaker under $500

The B&W 302 list for $250 a pair brand new; not sure what speakers Puresound is talking about. For the CDM-1 used, get the original ones. They are the ones that won all the awards. The CDM-1SE is not as good. The new CDM-1NT are OK, but will cost closer to $1K used.

If you do not mind used the 302 go for $175+ on places like eBay and here. A steal at $250 leaving more money to spend on the rest of the system. Great re-sell value if you upgrade later.

Not speaker. You might check out the Cambridge Audio electronics. Their CD player d500se (349) and a500 integrated (389) are excellent starter audiophile quality stuff. The Paradigm Studio 20 is a step above the B&W 302 and 602 IMHO. Used for about $450-500.

HI, FOR UNDER $500. I WOULD LOOK FOR A PAIR OF USED DAHLQUIST DQ 10 SPEAKERS.THEY ARE TRULY STATE OF THE ART.YOU HAVE TO HEAR THEM TO BELIEVE HOW GOOD THEY ARE!!THEY LIKE A TUBE PREAMP AND AT LEAST 200 WATTS/CH. OF SOLID STATE POWER. ENJOY,RICH

OK, more blind reponses/suggestions which could be available used in your range should include (generally in my order of preference): Vandersteen 2's in some variant, ProAc Tablette in some variant, NHT 2.5i, PSB Stratus Bronze, NHT S1/S2, etc. I have heard all of these set up well and sounding great - but in very different conditions and with very different gear ahead of them. YMWV (Your Mileage WILL Vary) :-)