If you have a good ear and a prepro with a lot of eq band options. Cant beat Klipsch klf 30 with crites titanium tweeter upgrade for 800. Magnepan 1.6's might sound a bit better with a sub, but for full range, and all they do, cant beat them until you go up to 2k used range IMO. Sadly most wont be able to eq them to reach their potential(add weight to upper bass, lower mids). As a sound engineer it suprising so many dont understand eq is key to maximising your speakers tonal sound.
Best Cheap Speakers - New or Old
Sure if money is no object there are many speakers that we all "drool for". But having said that, there something to be said for a good "cheap" (less than $500 a pair MSRP) speakers. Granted they're not going to be in anybody's main system (probably they'll be found in somebody's bedroom, office, garage system, usually with some older vintage components driving them). But nevertheless, they deliver decent performance at a resonable price and they're honest in what they do. Not "state of the art" by a large margin, but still good "musical" friends. My choice is an old pair of Boston Acoustics A-60s, that I bought back in the late '80s for probably $200 a pair. Granted there are tons of better speakers out there, but for what they do, and age they are, and the money I paid, they still deliver some pretty damn good sound and performance. Anyway, curious on what others may think and what "cheap" speakers have held a "soft spot" in their "sonic" hearts?