Bud, My advice is to go out and listen to as many speakers as you can and decide for yourself.Speakers are probably the most personal audio purchase you will make.What someone else thinks is great,might disappoint you.I personally like Tyler Acoustics speakers,but,you might not.Good luck in your search.
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Depends on your room size, musical tastes, listening preferences, etc. Speakers are probably THE most subjective component in any system. As mentioned by the others, you need to get out and hear as many different types as possible, so you can at least tell us what you do and don't like in brands. A few examples and I'm sure everyone can come up with some great suggestions. |
By all means, buy used. You can get some (gently) used 2-3 year old speakers for 1/2 of their original cost. And, providing they are well-made to begin with, you'll get another 20-25 years of use out of them. Then, take all that money you saved and use it to purchase the best quality source material you can find. Your ears will thank you profusely! -RW- |
Of course you should listen to lots of speakers. We all should. But, if you can't and you want a suggestion (seems that's what your looking for) I suggest the Gershman V-1s. I use them in my living room with a Denon receiver and hear excellent tonal balance, very good soundstage and engaging music. You will need good stands- Altlantis is what I use. There is a pair for sale on Adgon at $550. Not a bad price. If you go there, demand that the seller ship the speakers in separate, very well packed boxes. My speakers were dinged up because the seller shipped them in one box. Good luck. |
Seasons greetings fellow A'goner.B&W speakers are usually a pretty safe bet with Rotel electronics.You could start with something in the new 6 series & some decent Bi-Wire cables for less than $1000.00 new, or if so inclined invest in something REALLY good that you could grow into like the 705's which I see for sale here for around $1000.00 in gently loved condition(plus get some decent Bi-Wire cables BUT don't go crazy).Another option might be a pair of Vienna Acoustics Haydn Grands,ABSOLUTELY stunning fit & finish with a beautiful,organic sound that should mate well with the Rotel.Although EVERYONE is going to tell you they are 4 ohm speakers & a very tough load I have spoken with Sumiko & have been assured that although they are 4 ohm speakers they have a very gentle impeadance curve & are fairly efficient & should NOT be a problem for any decent amp(unless you listen VERY LOUD).1 more thing,take Rlwainwrights advice above & save some money for GOOD recordings.The more resolving your system gets the WORSE some cd's are going to sound,that is your going to here how they are actually mixed which can sometimes be really bad.Most important,have fun with the process & enjoy the music. |
Having owned Rotel(amp/preamp) and B&W together, they are a good match initially, but over the long run I, personally, found the slightly lean nature of the Rotel preamp and the zippy high-end of B&W became fatiguing and etched. It was through this that I learned I am partial to soft dome tweeters over metal in lower end speaker. My suggestion is the used Jean Marie Reynaud Trente($1,400) speakers here on Audiogon as long as hard rock/heavy metal/electronica is not your primary music of choice. They are extremely easy to place for good sound, have fantastic soundstage and imaging, and really present a deeply rich sound. If anything, they might err slightly on the warm, forgiving, side. But, their performance improves as your system does up to a very, very, high level. Match them with a good tube integrated and forget about it! |
Personally I'd rethink the Rotel integrated. In my experience it would be easier to get good sound by getting a top notch amp and some less expensive speakers than the other way around. I'm totally familiar with the Rotel model you have so maybe I'm out of line here but I think getting a great integrated like a Creek Destiny or Krell or Naim and spending less on the speakers might be a better way to go. In my experience pairing any kind of high quality speakers with less than a great amp yields less than great sound but I've had all kinds of luck making 300 bookshelf speakers sound great with a great amp. If it were me I'd budget 1500 or so for the amp, sell the Rotel and put the other 500 and whatever you get for the Rotel towards speakers. I would bet you'd get better sound. Sorry if I'm offending anyone here but this has been my experience. |
North Creek Kitty Kats if you really need them close to the wall. Tiny speakers with huge sound--however they are only just under your $2K limit and that in kit form--cabinets would cost a few hundred more. But if you need small and close to the wall, check out North Creek. Design and materials second to none. http://www.northcreekmusic.com/ Just recently they seem to have brought back their free-field designs too. Now about that amp... I humbly agree with what Ejlif says, above. My small experience says that you will probably enjoy your system more if you invest more in amplification at this stage. If you do go that route, I suggest you check out the North Creek site anyway. There's a lot to learn there. |
Agreed that you can do much better musically than the Rotel and still meet your budget of $2k + the $500 you'd get for the Rotel. I'd still recommend the JMR Trentes along with a used Yba Integre DT integrated($1,100) to come in at ~$2,500. Or, if tubes are an option, Trentes with a Melody/Onix SP-9, SP-3, or H88. Tubes + JMR is truly something of beauty to behold. This all depends on how big your room is, musical tastes, listening volume, and what type of sound you prefer. |
I would consider looking at some of the used Merlin monitors for sale that are in your price range;if you are interested then call Bobby at merlin for his opinion on how well they would perform with your rotel as I am not familiar with it;you may even find yourself moving to a different intergrated, amp, or even tubes in the future. |
Try right here on Audiogon for a used pair of Usher Be-718's with stands if possible. I have seen them as low as $1200 or maybe around $1400 or so depending on condition, age, and finish color. If no stands, try them at partsexpress.com and get their heavy weight pair for about $120 a pair or so perhaps. Try Paradigm too perhaps. Used though is a great way to get them much cheaper and still get a great product. Tom |
"12-18-09: Rleff I would consider looking at some of the used Merlin monitors for sale that are in your price range;if you are interested then call Bobby at merlin for his opinion on how well they would perform with your rotel as I am not familiar with it;you may even find yourself moving to a different intergrated, amp, or even tubes in the future. Rleff (Threads | Answers)" If it weren't for the use of Rotel, this (TSM) would be the stand-mounted speaker I would recommend. Now if you had tubes, let's say a Manley Stingray, then your talking. |
Amps for speakers instead of the other way around because the differences between the sounds of different speakers are less subtle than the sonic differences between amps. That doesn't mean you can't fall in love with an amp and then start looking for speakers for it, if that's how it happens. It's just that finding a good match may be easier if you have the speaker you love first. |
Koven I'm going to assume that the OP understands that any suggestions by folks posting on this thread come with the caveat that listening to any of the speakers they mention/recommend is a must for the OP. Buy before you try is an expensive gamble that doesn't always work out as we all know. With that in mind I'm going to put out another speaker option (note I did not say recommendation as I have not personally heard the speaker, but the designer is well known and highly respected). Over at Positive Feedback online the NOLA Boxer monitor comes highly praised by one of the writers on that site. Now will I go out and buy this speaker based on the write-up? Of course not. But it's an monitor speaker that I did not know about, and I think it's the type of info that the OP is looking for. GLR |
Koven-I think your comment maybe out of line as I have bought my speakers without audition using responses from the members who post here on a regular basis;it is not possible always to audition a speaker you really want to consider and asking for some memebers experiences to me have been very positive experience. My Dunlavy SCIII's and Soundlab M2's were bought without auditioning and only on recommendations,reviews and peoples direct experiences on this forum. |
Koven, so you audition every speaker on the planet before you buy one? Just go to the store audition what few they have and pick one? Or perhaps you actually do some research to see what fits your needs so you can narrow done your search? Regardless why waste time posting what's truly useless. ;) OP: Check into Selah Audio I know you can audition those risk free for 60 days. Course if you didn't read up on the Internet you probably wouldn't even know they existed, lol. |