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B&W 603s gone; I'm lost down the rabbit hole

Howdy, All.

When I moved to a small apartment a couple weeks ago, I sold my enjoyable old B&W 603 S1s and began looking for used bookshelf speakers at around $600. Now, after bleary nights of research and days of auditioning, I've lost focus.

Should I invest in Totem Mites? Or just buy an inexpensive pair of Paradigm Atom speakers? Or upgrade the receiver but keep my SACD player and…? Or maybe I should just sell it all and start over with something simple, like a Peachtree and a ? In my darkest hours, I want to know if I should just give up and accept my girlfriend’s offer of her old Bose computer speakers.

Any tips or advice would be much appreciated.

My current set-up is…

* Marantz PM 7000 integrated amp (95W, 8ohms)
* twice refurbished (but running surprisingly glitch free) Marantz SA 8001 SACD player
* $100 interconnects and maybe $50 speaker wire

My listening room is also my living, roughly 15’ x 15’ with standard ceilings and essentially wall-to-wall carpet. I can place the speakers anywhere…near a wall.

I listen to jazz 80 percent of the time at a volume just louder than a normal speaking voice, and adore my handful of SACDs, including Ella and Louis and Jazz at the Pawnshop.

My budget is $600. I could wait and save more, I guess.
emhans
12 responses Add your response
tiggerfc
153 posts
 
You can get Monitor Audio GS10s for around $700-800 now. Mine have done me great justice and have nailed every kind of music I could throw at them (nine inch nails was a little taxing but they survived). However, I mostly listen to acoutic guitar and piano. They aren't bright at all. Very smooth and mellow but have an attack that'll knock you socks off if you turn 'em up a little. And your amp is perfect. I run a Bada amp at 95wpc @ 8ohm and the monitors just sing. the RS1s are even cheaper but a bit bright. Still sound great though. Not quite the inviting mid-range of the GS.

Good luck with your search and with whatever you get.
pep21
59 posts
 
I think the Usher S520's would serve you very well for what you are asking.
pdn
438 posts
 
If you enjoyed your 603's but need to move to bookshelf units, definetely consider the B&W 685's. Audition them if you can. I believe you won't be disappointed and you should be able to negotiate a price for a pair of brand new 685's for around $600.00. I believe they list out at $650.00/pr.
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
The responses you have received so far are a perfect example of why listening in your system is the only way to find your way out of the rabbit hole. While I agree with James63 about your amp, I disagree concerning the PSB speakers. I owned the PSB Stratus Minis and did not care for them at all, way too bright for my taste. I also owned the newer PSB Platinum M2. They were an improvement over the Status Minis but were underwhelming to me.
Also owned the Totem Model Ones. At the time I was comparing them to the Silverline Audio SR-11s. In my system the SR-11s were much better.
This is all opinion from people who's ears don't really matter to you.
james63
534 posts
 
I have an old Marantz reciever from 1976 (40 watt) that I messed around with on my 703s. It sounded pretty good to my ears but I only listen at about 75-80db.

I would not be too quick to replace your amp, just try it and see. Ignorance is bliss anyway. You can always buy one later.
emhans OP
2 posts
 
Good feedback. Thanks all. I'll certainly try to audition the models you suggest. I also like the look of the Amphion Helium's.

One follow-up question: Does anyone have any concerns about my amp? I talked to someone at Totem who said an old Marantz amp was less than ideal, not a classy dance partner.

Would I be foolish to pay for nice speakers when I'm running a ten year old, consumer grade amp?
james63
534 posts
 
The small totems never did much for me. I always felt PSB has better speakers for the same money.

I would look into used PSB speakers.... They would be a very noticable upgrade from your B&Ws.

I used B&W 703 for a few years in college and moved on to other brands (tannoy, thiel, etc) and I still can't get over how bad the 703s really were.
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
The answer is easy, listen to speakers until you find the pair that work for you. Now if geographical reasons keep you from listening to all the various models you've read about, you'll have to purchase them for home trial. Home trial is the only way to know for sure.
Get a pair of good stands and start listening. Buy used from reputable sellers here on Audiogon and resell speakers that don't work. This is not the most economical or quickest way to find the answer but it's how I did it. Probably owned fifteen or twenty pairs of monitors over the last five years.
Here are my top five favorites in order:
1. Soliloquy 5.0 (I kept them)
2. Polk Audio LSi 7
3. Revel M-20 (probably more than your budget)
4. Silverline Audio SR-11
5. Silverline Audio SR-14
I won't mention the speakers that I did not care for. Many of them will show up though as recommendations in threads like this.
One factor not addressed is how the wife feels about these boxes showing up every few months. Good luck with that one.
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,769 posts
 


These would work out very nicely for you Opera Platea . They are on the smallish side for floorstanders and would work well with close to back wall placement. The sound would be somewhat fuller and warmer than your B&Ws. These work well with most music types. Yes, I own these in my main system.

I also have the Totem Mites in a room about your size. I auditioned them, along with the B&W 685, and went with the Mites. I just thought the Mites sounded better ... a bit cleaner, a bit warmer.

Rich
Post removed 
artmaltman
769 posts
 
I like the Usher s520's which show up fairly often. They don't discount much used and under $500 new anyway..
LSA model 1 ("standard" model) would be fantastic but you don't see them used often.
esmith3671
30 posts
 
B&w 685?
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