I think the best looking bookshelves I ever had, and they sounded great too, were the Dali Helicon 300 in Rosenut...
Attractive Bookshelf - Under $3k
I'm looking to upgrade my Dali Ikon IIs for a living room, where the aesthetics are a big part of the decision. I'm heavily leaning towards the SF Sonetto IIs, but I've never heard them, and that is purely based on the appearance and a few reviews. I plan to drive these with a Belles Aria integrated. I know it's a long list, but I'm just hoping for some thoughts, or perhaps a good reason (or not) to go with the Sonettos. While I'd love to listen to them all, It's unlikely that I'll find them on display. I've already heard the Vandersteen CT which was when I auditioned my amp and think they're awesome. I'm just not sure they're "pretty" enough for the room.
Thanks!
Triangle 40th Aniversary Comète
Sonus Faber Sonetto II
Dynaudio Special 440
Dynaudio Evoke 20
Focal Kanta no 1
Focal Aria 906
Vandersteen VLR Wood
Vandersteen VLR CT
Dali Rubicon 2
Harbeth P3ESR XD
ProAc Tablette 10
ProAc Tablette 10 Signature
Fyne F500 SP
52 responses Add your response
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+1 for the Vandy VLR and CT version. I own the non-CT version for my office and boy can it rock! I listened to it at Audioconnection, where it was paired with the Belles Aria Integrated. With the Sub 3 it was amazing, but when Johnny switched out the speaker cables for the AQ William Tell's, he couldn't connect the sub, but the resulting sound had just as much bass as before. (Hence, my changing my cables to William Tell's). Bob |
Love Fritz but disagree that he does finishes upon request. Over 2 years ago I asked him for anything that wasnt "plain" looking (solid color). He had nothing and hasnt had anything that was Flamed, Burl, or any other design until about a month ago. For whatever reason (Covid??) he doesnt seem to have access to different looking veneers like many of the other custom boutique speaker manufacturers. He's a wonderful guy to deal with thou |
I just received the Fritz Carrera 7 BE’s a couple weeks ago, they are finished in striped ebony. They look and sound fantastic, especially after they break in. They sound much bigger than a bookshelf. Fritz is great to deal with, very helpful. He’s even called to check in to see how I like them. They are a little over $3k, at $3,400, but worth it. |
I bought a pair of those exact same SF speakers without demoing them as well. They perform way beyond my expectations. I use them without the grills on my bookshelf. Shockingly fantastic base and all around pleasant listening experience. I primarily listen to Jazz and some rock. You won’t be disappointed. Woots |
From what I have seen so far, Harbeths are so chock full of cheap parts on their crossover boards, you’d have to build a double crossover board and mount it externally to rid them of all their $.18-$.50 cent Chinese parts. They use over 30 of them on a 2 way bookshelf and the overly engineered crossover rack takes up the entire back wall of the removable speaker back. In fact, Danny of GR Research advises Harbeth owners to start over with a different speaker if they want the improvement quality parts guarantee. Yes, Danny guarantees cheap parts degrade the SQ, regardless of how high the SQ is. It simply would be a lot better if Harbeth didn’t use the absolute cheapest parts going. Literally. |
tin_p, unfortunately monitor audio doesn't have the Rosewood anymore because it's the Santos Rosewood is on the endangered list but African Rosewood looks very close to it, and I agree with you I have the platinum 200 Gen 2 with the Rosewood and it has 11 layers of hand polish locker absolutely gorgeous and also with that front leather baffle. |
@ skeptic66 posts“ ….@akg_ca Those may sound glorious, but they’re nowhere near $3k, or did you miss that part of the title? ….” my apologies sir, no…I did not miss it, but I erroneously omitted the paragraph suggesting that he look to a pre-owned purchase with a modest stretch in budget. . The “special” 40th Anniversary 30.2 model had the speaker upgrades from prior 30.2 and 30.1 models, that are now standard fare in the new 30.2XD models. The 40th Anniversary models pop up regularly pre-owned |
Depending on your bespoke room strengths and warts .., here is a wild card option … XAVIAN speakers. There are three ads on CANUCKAUDIOMART ( in $CAD at a 25% discount to $USD) . I’ve posted just one of the three .., check out all three ads . "...sheer quality of pace and timing was unbelievable. It would have been from an enclosure ten times this size, but from this mini it was just sensational. The box simply oozes with musicality and overwhelms the listener with a sense of enjoyment and ‘being there’ at the recording in a way that few designs, even those costing ten-times the price, can manage with such aplomb." - Trevor Butler, The-Ear.net (Editor’s Choice awarded) https://www.the-ear.net/review-hardware/xavian-corallo-esclusivo-bookshelf-loudspeaker
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+1 @elangley01 Salk has a number of different bookshelf-size offerings that would fit your "sound plus appearance" criteria. |
If you can stretch your budget a bit, $3,500, the Audiovector R1 signature is a great looking and sounding speaker. And you can upgrade it to the higher versions of the R1 series.
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I've never heard them, but the reviews have always been stellar for Van L Speakerworks' Quartet Series. Last time i was in the market they were $2,995. I e-mailed John, the owner, about them and he was very prompt in his reply and very detailed. From what i've read, he and his products are well thought of in the Chicago area. http://www.vanlspeakerworks.com/index.html Anyone on this thread familiar with them? |
All the speakers in your list seem impressive. If I were you, I will start by reviewing all the reliable reviews given by the reviewers you thrust and come up with a short list of three by elimination. For example, Fyne Audio F500SP review by What Hi-Fi? was critized lack of dynamic agility although they were appraised impressive sense of scale, punchy and plenty of bass. You might eliminate them if you thrust What Hi-Fi? and care about dynamic performance of the oudspeakers. Upon obtaining the short list, you could start up the home trials if the manufactures offer. Going into the store (if you have access) and take even a few hours of auditioning is not going to be enough for decision making based on my experience. Worser yet, if you throw in so many choices to the Audiogoners and ask for advises without doing your due diligence, you will likely get nothing but even more confusions, not to mention the fact that the Audiogoners will always politely throw in more choices for you. |
Regarding FritzSpeakers custom finishes- I usually have 5-6 pairs of my Carrera BE, Carbon 7 SE Mk2 & Carbon 6 models built in several different standard wood finishes and ready to ship within a couple of days. I have access to many different veneers and can custom build the cabinets in any Exotic veneer that anybody desires if they want to pay the $300 to $800 premium that those burlwoods & others can cost. Thanks, Fritz Heiler |
ZZ Top may be "the little ole band from Texas", but Watkins Stereo and Loudspeakers is the little but GIANT speaker manufacturer from my hometown of Kingsport, Tennessee that has been blowing audiophiles away since the 1970’s. Bill Watkins, Sr., is the engineering wizard behind the famous Watkins Dual-Drive Woofer which he licensed to Infinity Systems, the amazing WE-1 speaker (a Holy Grail find now in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina), and the current Watkins Generation 4 Bookshelf Speaker. I believe this review summary should give you thought about checking out the $2,500 Watkins Generation 4 in your search: "Had I auditioned the Gen Four blind behind a curtain and had to judge its value in the hierarchy of high-end audio I would have been happy to recommend it even at a price tag of $7k. Its asking price at a fraction of that is partly due to the direct sales model—there is no dealer markup. It simply sounds like a much more expensive speaker. And I should add that the Gen Four felt comfortable in the company of far more expensive components in the price range of $15k and upward."
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@allenf1963 - Thanks for you post. I'm a very happy owner of vintage Infinity RS1.5 speakers that utilize the dual voice-coil Watkins Woofer. Still love them. However, I'm always interested in hearing new stuff, especially if it is reasonably affordable. Next time I'm planning a trip to/through the area of East Tennessee, I'm going to try to set up a visit to Watkins Audio for a listen to the Watkins Generation 4 speaker. Would love to have a smallish bookshelf to try in my main rig, and my office system. |
@reubent -- I will give you a fair warning....if you stop by Watkins Stereo and Bill, Jr., demos a set of Gen 4, you will walk out with a lighter wallet! 😆 They are amazing. Especially at $2,500 a pair. They punch WAY ABOVE their weight. I was at Watkins Stereo in February and they are emerging from the COVID supply chain issues. Let me know if you go by! |
@allenf1963 - Do you have the Watkins Gen 4 speakers in your system? Curious about the bass extension. My Infinitys go just a little bit lower and have a solid bottom-end without the need for a sub. They are also a sealed enclosure, so they don't seem to be as affected by room boundaries. I have an odd shaped room and my speakers sit way out into the room, like 8 feet from the walls immediately behind them. Wondering how the Watkis speakers would work in that situation. I can add a sub, if needed. I just prefer to not have a sub in that room. |
@reubent -- I do not use a Sub with the Gen 4's. Bass is quite remarkable. They are in one of my listening rooms approximately 15' x 15'., , This review describes it much better than I could!
The Gen Four is nominally a bass-reflex design with a box tuning of 41Hz. However, the bass tuning referred to as dual-tuned, is patent-pending and unconventional. There are two internal chambers which are said to be damped differently with a proprietary method, proprietary connection, and special absorption material. The end result is a well damped bass range and in-room extension to nearly 41Hz, a remarkable accomplishment for a 6.5″ driver in a compact enclosure. I can’t recall another stand-mounted compact speaker in my experience that captured as much tonal authority as the Gen Four. The bass range didn’t sound like that of a typical bass-reflex design. One of the first things you’re bound to notice about the Gen Four is that bass lines are uncommonly tight, and you’d be hard pressed to believe that it is actually a bass-reflex design. Bloated, tubby, plummy, and muddy are some of the pejorative adjectives that have been hurled at bass-reflex designs over the years. Well, none of them apply here. The bass range was precise and facilitated excellent pitch definition. Electric bass lines often lost in the mix were easily resolvable without any issues. Midbass dynamic punch was plenty adequate in my moderately sized listening room (13.5′ x 19′) though be forewarned that there are limits to what a 6.5″ woofer can dish out, and I would be concerned about pushing the woofer hard in a much larger room. |
Thank you everyone for the informative responses, and apologies for not responding sooner. From the feedback provided, I started to put together a flexible shortlist, and some of my reasoning. Vandersteen VLR CT - I also heard these with my Belles from Johnny, and though they were awesome, so must be considered. Salk - A name I've never heard until a few days ago, along with the number of people who suggested, I love number of different finishes, and find it very interesting to see a variety of models at the same price point. I also like the idea that they're handmade, and don't mind waiting a while for it. After all, that's part of what I found appealing with the Belles, hand made in the USA. Sonos Faber Sonetto II - I've always thought they just look great.
*****Update****** After showing my wife the Salk Songtower and explaining that it is only 8" wide (44.5 H x 8 W x 12 D), a thin tower is now an option. And then it got better. She asked me, "If you spend $5k, will they really be much better?", and then upped the budget to $5k. There's 1 minor catch. As the reason for a bookshelf because the speaker needed to be above any objects directly blocking it (like a chair), I'll need to have the bottom of the lowest driver at least 30" off the ground. So I'm not sure if I need to start a new thread on a new topic due to the increased budget and now open to a few thin floor standers with highly positioned drivers. I showed her the Dali Rubicon 5 in walnut and she loved it. I'm slightly partial to these as well because I've been very happy with my Ikon IIs. The salesmen at the time described them as a lot of bang for buck, and I agree, so I'd expect similar with the higher end models. So is it a no brainer to get a tower, or is there the opinion that high end bookshelf can easily compete with a quality tower in terms of the low end frequency range? |
It's interesting you mention the build quality of the Dali. I'm right now contemplating ordering replacement grills for my Ikon IIs as they got damaged, and when I tried to repair, seemed a bit flimsy. There's also a small section where the veneer seems to be not just right. I also noticed that even the Epicon (top of the line) mas made out of MDF. At the risk of asking an overly subjective question, is wood always better than MDF? |
I honestly don't know if MDF is worse than wood FOR a speaker. A lot of great speakers are made with MDF, because it can be used and built in ways wood couldn't be. And to be fair, if you love the look of the Dali and the sound, and you compared it to other speakers, no one should steer you away from it. My opinion is based on what I read. |
