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Any recommendations for a decent pair of bookshelf/satellite speakers, $200 or less, for casual listening to music / movies / television in living room??? I intend to use them with some old equipment still lying around - Pioneer DVD player, Rotel surround processor and 5-channel amp.
Thanks in advance.
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My budget favorite is the Athena speakers audition series made in the early 2000s before Klipsch bought them out and killed off the brand - surely because they were taking all their lower end sales. If you can get them used they go for a song, having been inexpensive to begin with, and common
JaroTheWise
Since audiophiles' listening to music is never casual, there is no sub $200 speaker that they would be happy with.
Cheers
Bill
Going out on a limb, Minimus 7s?
Infinity Primus P163
At that price I would buy used. The Energy C-3 is an outstanding bookshelf speaker and they're going for around $200 on eBay.
You get a very nice performing LSR-305 from JBL and you never have to worry about amplification - Two Amplifiers Built in!
"The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat" - Confucius
Edits: 06/25/15
420's, 500's, 730's, etc.
"A lie is half-way around the world before the truth can get its boots on."
-Mark Twain
Have owned the 810s and 780s and they are excellent vintage speakers. My friend still has his 420s from 1977 - they are in mint condition and he uses them daily.
I agree. The L780 usually goes cheap, but many models are great values.
710's and 810's are nice, but might be hard to find for <200 without some junking time. OTOH, I've bought two pairs of 810's for $20/pr or less at garage sales.
$20 or $200? Its a steal at $20.
Cheers
Bill
+1 on the vintage ADS. I have a pair of 520's doing duty just as you describe only in a bedroom.
I bought a pair of these used with some other equipment. They are a great speaker that I use in my bedroom with an older creek amp hooked up to a dac and squeezebox clone. They are well built and the when they came out very pricey and the reviews are excellent even at the original price. You should be able to pick up a pair around $200 on ebay. Other things to look for locally is the Klipsch KG4 which are another often overlooked speaker. They are old enough to be great speakers, but new enough not be a "classic." I've bought multiple pairs of these in my adventures for my family and friends.
They are ridiculously good for the nominal cost.
-Wendell
The bookshelf versions sound better than the floor standing versions.
I picked up a pair of these for less than $100. Gave them to a friend who lost his stereo in a divorce settlement - along with a vintage Sansui 6 receiver ... For a very little amount of cash these speakers are really quite good.
These are great little speakers ( even for the music ) and can be easily had for under 100$ for a pair.
I still use them for testing hardware. Recently recommend a pair to a friend and he's also pleased with them. Affordable even if you decided add rear surround later on. They also come with an integrated stand which the monitor can be rotated sideways.
They were on bedroom duty until I put them in HT rear duty, great speakers,
Edits: 06/26/15
Driven by that kind of system any speaker would sound good!
Cheers
Bill
so I used them from Adcom, Panasonic digital amp or host of other solid state multi channel amps and they sounded fine, too. It is better when you feed a better source but I was very surprised they are capable of showing upstream component change in spite they are generally sympathetic to ancillaries. What I like about them most is that they are not picky in terms of placement and capable of throwing a decent dispersion and excellent integration. Also, they are highish sens. at 90db. and benign load which you can use with almost all amps and easy to fill the living room with music.
A pair of used Polk RT25i speakers can be had pretty cheaply -under $100- they are very musical especially with a decent modern tube amp, for example the fairly cheap Audiorom FU29 amp that I've used them with.
Deep bass isn't possible from a speaker this small, use a sub if you need to shake the walls. Mids from the RT25i are GREAT and highs are smooth and musical.
http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/417/
The ELAC B5 has been getting a lot of good press recently. $229/pr
i heard these at THE Show Newport driven by 100wpc and they were FANTASTIC. i can see me owning these when they are available. the lows went down far enough to forgo a sub, at least for a while.
highly recommended.
...regards...tr
Including A-25 as Bill suggested and many others.E
T
Edits: 06/24/15
Spica TC-50s
Any of the smaller B&Ws esp the DM-5 (I avoid the small ported ones, but that's a matter of taste)
Braun L-300s (or 400s, 500s) - the 300s especially
Advents, Advent IIs, Smaller Advents, Advent Utilities, etc.
KLH 17, 23 et al. - all the small ones
Dynaco A-25
WW
"A man need merely light the filaments of his receiving set and the world's greatest artists will perform for him." Alfred N. Goldsmith, RCA, 1922
dynaco a 25 with upgraded caps and new SEAS tweeter.
they are amazing imo. I could live with my dynaco a25. the bass is stupid fun, the mids are very musical but lack serious refinements and the highs are just sweet.
...and wait until September when they are released, the Andrew Jones designed Elac Debut B5 speakers would be a strong recommendation.
I'm in for a pair...or two...
I haven't heard them but given the press so far and knowing what a wonderful designer Andrew Jones is, I second your advice.
I hope they are as good for long-term listening as they were during my short initial impression when I heard them at the Newport show recently. They sure embarrassed many more expensive speakers.
Edits: 06/24/15
I'm a fan of used speakers; they rarely break unless they are abused. I'd suggest checking audiogon, usadiomart, and eBay. I've had several PSB pairs, and always liked them.
For Dennis Murphy modified Pioneer speakers, try :http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=128301.0If you are into a little woodworking...
Please do not throw your cigarette butts on the floor. The cockroaches are getting cancer.
Edits: 06/24/15
Vintage Dyna A25
A little over budget but these are quite nice.
I bought these for my nephew and they are real nice !
Nt
Not in Philharmonic Audio as far as I have seen.
Try emailing Dennis
Info@philharmonic,com
Great guy to deal with,
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