1K speaker advice?

i've always kinda liked the thiels - for relatively compact full-range floor-standerds, they do so many tings so well, w/o falling on their face in any one area. - accurate, transparent, decent - sometimes disappearing - imaging... if yer room isn't too large, the nad amp should do all right w/them, even if other spendy amps mite be better. ackshully, it should ber a pretty good match, as nad stuff is kinda soft & warm, in my experience. but, i woodn't get the 2's - i'm partial to the 3.5's, which, thanks to their equalizer, are flat down to 20hz. i still have mine, in a second system (26x28 kitchen), where they can still crank it out, when required, driven by a measely 35wpc audio-innovations integrated amp. (of course, no critical listening here, up against a wall, flanking a butcher-block countertop!) these are awailable used for ~$500 to ~$1300, depending on condition. my wife wood *kill* me, if i ever sold ours - in fact, i don't tink she'd mind if i put 'em back in the main system... ;~)

go to av123.com and look at the Diva 5.1 speakers.under $1000 and many say sound like $2000

www.audioc.com--the sapphire III le. Well-reviewed. Also see www.audioasylum.com and do a search or audioreviews.com.

nht 2.5 i / can pick them up for 700-800$ used. full range and very musical. i have had them hooked to a hafler 9180 (similar to nad). placement is important. they sound even better with upgraded amplification.

Thanks for the suggestions. I've not heard the Aegis 3a or the Audiovector M1 super.

Pick up a pair of Martin Logan Aerius speakers used, ideal for your needs. Jeff

I was helping out a friend look for speakers in the 1k range. We audition everything from b&w, Thiels, definitive tech and the Paradigms. In my opinion, I find the Paridigm Monitor 9s to be a very good value. They retail new for less than $800 and are full range. If you listen mostly to Vocal, you owe it to yourself to listen to them. I've compared them to my Hales speakers and come very close in performance for half its price. The build quality is something I'm not a fan of but its a great bang for the buck. Other speakers that I can suggest are Canton from www.cantonusa.com. Let your ears be the judge.

Ditto Dklap on the Aegis 3s. It misses some range on the extremes, but what it does, it does right. IMO somewhat more sophisticated than the B&Ws, but some might argue less engaging.

for under 1k, you must give the acoustic energy aegis 3 a listen. new at $700, they are based on the award winning aegis 1's, but are 3 way floor standers that have an added woofer. while all music enjoyment is subjective, i've got to say that these are probably the best speakers you'll find for under $1400. they are very warm, laid back speakers that fit perfectly with vocals, acoustic, and blues - their strong point is the aluminum midrange (super detailed). would be a good match with NAD amplification. i urge you to give them a listen. for budget speakers, they can't be beaten. MUCH tighter / cleaner / more detailed than the B&W 600 series. very musical speaker. sounds like its what you're looking for.

I'm not familiar with the C2, but an excellent used Thiel at that price point would be the CS1.5. This is a fine sounding floorstanding 2 way design. It is excellent with vocals and has wonderful timbre. I don't know what NAD model you have - if it's too bright it will not partner well with the Thiels. If you don't have enough current, you will lose bass extension. Thiels are all about detail. You haven't described your front end, but a pair of Thiels will ruthlessly expose every upstream shortcoming. They could cause an unwanted upgrade chain reaction in the wrong system. But, if you take the effort to properly configure a system for them, Thiels will thrill.

Listen to the B&W CDM-1NT. You should be able to find a new pair in your price range. Don't just take our advice, go listen and make your own decision. Good Luck!

click on "monitor demo's" and check them out. I'm not sure he hs any left at $795 at Synersound. Better than Reynaud Twins. They origally sold for $1,695

I will Ditto the B&W 600 series or the CDM-1.

I'm not sure abou the exact prices, but B&W's 600 series and their cdm bookshelf are really good with vocals, jazz and acoustic & classical but are a little muddy with rock. I owned a pair of the dm603 series1 with an NAD 314 and found it to be a good rig with great vocals and a huge soundstage. I hear that Magnepans are pretty good too. Have fun.