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I am planning to get a speaker system on top of my Headphone system that I have now. Can anyone suggest me some entry level speaker mainly for classical listening in the price range of $200 - $500 a pair.I currently have Denon Dvd-2910 as source, I'll also need an pre-amp / amp-receiver to go with it for the future speaker, if you wouldn't mind, please do also give me some good choices at around $400
I might end up buying refurbish stuff, so please put that into consideration as to price range.
Thanks for your help
Follow Ups:
Do yourself a favour and get small floor standers, you will save the cost of stands or can put the difference on better speakers. Discontinued Rega speakers offer great sound and great value.
nt
I'm still amazed at how good they are. They shouldn't work well with tubes, but I was cranking up some Bach organ music at a pretty high level last night and the Sherwood S-5500 handled the load pretty well.. Excellent lateral imaging. Kind of laid back, neutral not bright at all.Ping ka7niq or search the archives (of course, I don't think he's a classical fan!)
The IL 40 is an excellent speaker, for what it is.
The Von Schweikert VR 4JR is excellent on classical and chamber music, excellent string tone, and oboes and chello's nicely done, as are french horns and trumpets.
If you're not adverse to used speakers and are willing to wait a bit, Spendor BC-1 or SP-2 speakers used to be available for around your price. They show up from time to time on ebay. They are bookshelf size speakers (large bookshelf for the BC-1) but are best on stands away from the walls.
I have done some research and found these speakers have pretty good reviews. What do you guys think?Wharfedale Diamond 9.1
Epos m12.2
Epos M5
B&W Dm603 s3 (they have a range of sizes in different prices)
Onix x-ls (very cheap and surprised most reviewer)
Axiom Audio M3
Axiom Audio M22
I've owned a pair of Epos M12 for about five years now. In that time I have upgraded my entire system around the speakers.(except for the Classe cdp-10) With a little skill and a lot of luck, I put together a satisfying synergistic combo.
The Epos has spoiled my hearing and now some of my previous favorite monitors( Focal, B&W and Paradigm) dont appeal to me anymore.
I do however like Totem,Revel,Quad and Audio Physic.
I've read good things about the Onix, also Outlaw-Audio Loudspeaker.
I havent heard either of these though.
Thought you would be interested in this article from Stereophile where they did a review of the B&W DM603 s3 and discussed a comparison vs. the Epos M5. As you probably know, B&W speakers are used more in the classical music world than any other speaker. Used to own both the B&W CDM7SE and DM302 speakers which sounded great with classic and jazz recordings I have. Good luck with purchase.http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/805bw/
Not made anymore, alas, but available in the $350-400 range on Audiogon - original MSRP $695.00 Absolutely killer speaks for the money, and one of the only smallish, inexpensive speakers I've ever had that is satisfying for all types of classical music. (In fact, they are good on all kinds of music period, a nice bonus).So what do they sound like?
The Minis are very open, with a large soundstage, good imaging, an excellent midrange and refined treble. They have surprising bass heft for their size without being plump or hyped in the mid-bass. (You won't really hear bass pedal points but how much solo organ music do you regularly listen to?) They have plenty detail and transparency, although they aren't uber-detailed/hyped up speakers. Most interestingly for my purposes, they are quite dynamic, with no congestion even at fairly loud sound levels. I listened to a lot of monitor in the $400-1000 price level and for natural timbrl quality allied with excellent macro/micro dynamics the Nolas are the best to my ears. Large scale orchestral/choral music is great on the Minis.
They are tolerant of modest electronics but will sing with better electronics. The Minis are not especially fussy about placement - you can even put them on a bookshelf or turn one sideways for a center, although they you won't get the full benefit of what they can do without getting them a bit away from the walls on stands.
I've run mine with a vintage Luxman receiver and currently with an Arcam AVR300 - which is a good match. I think the Arcam integrateds are very good sounding and affordable, especially with an after market PC. Should be some nice British kit on A-gon in your price range (Arcam, Rotel et al).
I have just read reviews about Nola Mini and am very interested in this speaker. I also quite like the NHT classic 3 which looks absolutely beautiful but at a higher cost.Does anyone know any sites selling the Nola Mini? I know its been discontinued, but I couldn't find anything on AudiogoN, ebay, and google. (where are they hiding?)
The problem is that people like me that own them don't want to part with them.To find my second pair of Minis, I put a "wanted" ad on Audiogon, which eventually yielded 3-4 responses last fall.
If you can find Alon Lil Rascals those are an earlier iteration, and are also quite nice. (In fact, most Minis say "Lil Rascal III" on them.)
Good luck - they're worth the hunt. I'm not a NHT fan so I was content to wait.
If you aren't opposed to talking to a dealer, give Primus Audio in KC, MO a call. Great store, some of the nicest people in audio (true music lovers) and they have some terrific sounding budget gear. They ship anywhere. Highly recommended.
You say you're looking for "bookshelf" speakers, which is fine so long as you DON'T put 'em on the bookshelf. You will only get the best from this type of speakers if they're mounted on stands. You don't have to spend a bundle on stands - You probably find a pair at audio advisor for 30 bucks or so. But if you like classical, and want to really experience a stereo image with some breadth and depth, they you've got to use stands and keep the back of the speakers 2 feet away from the wall behind them.Happy listening
Without a doubt these have to be the most incredible speakers for Classical music made today for under $1000, and they cost $300 shipped to your door.Making baffles took about 30 minutes and cost $40 inlcuding a few yards of 100% polyester felt.
I say the SI's are the best for 2 reasons: 1) the bass & size of the soundstage are amazing. 2) the price range you listed.
My pair is new, only a week or so old. I've been listening to a demo CD put out by Balanced Power Technologies and it has several tracks of Classical music. Every instrument in the orchestra is produced by the SI's, even the deep drums and horns... My soundstage more than doubled in size compared to my old Thiel CS2 floorstanders.
without a doubt, look outside the box (pun intended) to find absolute bliss for listening pleasure.
last, if people claim a speaker or brand is good for one style of music or another they are a bit misguided (not intentional though). A good speaker conveys the info going through it properly...nothing more or less.
this maybe something new to the market though. For this hobby, these are good days for sure!
matt
Sorry I didn't mention that I am looking at bookshief size speaker.
If it were bookshelf's, here is what I would have on my list of used speakers:1) NHT SB-3 or the newer Classic 2 or 3, or
2) Kef xQ1, or
3) Dynaudio Audience 50You really have to get a feel for the sound you like. I prefer warmer sounding speakers with good bass extension and good driver integration. You may prefer cooler and/or leaner sounding speakers. If that is what you like, ignore my recommendations, except for the Kefs.
The Hawthorne's can be mounted on a tiny baffle. Mine started out from a 2'x2' piece of oak plywood. I have shaved them down to be much smaller.All the SI's need is a 2" ring around the driver and a way to stand them at the proper angle. they are light, do not drive vibrations into the floor (crucial for neighbor issues) and can be moved anywhere easily.
Also, you'll not need a subwoofer... these 15"s go deep.
You should be able to grab a used pair of Vandersteen 2C's in the price range you are looking for (there are a couple pairs on Audiogon right now). These are really excellent speakers in general and especially for classical music. They work best with some power (at least 75 solid state watts or 40 tube watts)- I don't know how much your Denon puts out. Good luck.
Mark
I second the Vandersteen's but recommend you go the 1c's instead as they are much more efficient. The 2c's need a good amp to power them, the 1c's will work fine with a good receiver (check out some used NAD receivers/amps).
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