Best speakers under $500? Fire away!

I own a set of the B&W 685s. I have been driveing them with the NAD 326BEE. Recently purchased the 356BEE to provide a little more power. Do not believe the 3020 is a good match for them.

I am thinking that your Klipsch speakers are very easy to drive making them a good match with your integrated. In what size room are you placing this system, and how loud do you play it? 

+1 paraneer. The power requirement is what I was eluding to and should have expanded on with my post. There are many quality speakers in the $500 price range, few of them will be at their best with 20 wpc. Too many have overstated sensitivity ratings and represent a greater load to a speaker than the impedance rating would indicate. 

Making a short list of speakers that can be driven by your amp and then consulting with dealers, local and the aforementioned online ones, makes for a good approach.   

I believe the Wharfdale 10.2 is on sale by Music Direct. Better than the 10.1s for your size room.  I believe easier to drive than the Elac B6, which is otherwise a easy recommendation at it's price.

Again, once one gets past the speaker/amplifier synergy issues, the choice of speaker is so subjective I hesitate to recommend a specific pair.

Good luck in your search.

34 dean, have you purchased a pair of speakers yet? 

OK, given you have a pair of speakers you enjoy time is on your side. Again, good luck in your search. Also, congrats on the generation of a 3 page thread! :-)

I agree that the NAD 3020 can drive many reasonable sensitive (87-90dB) speakers. Many especially those above the $500 price point, will not preform at their best until driven by an amp that provides more clean power than this amp.  

34dean, you might want to take your amp with you to audition a few speakers of interest. Maybe ask the dealer to play the same speakers with another amp having more power as an educational experience.  You have me interested in the Q3020s and I will look up info on them. Glad you found a speaker you enjoy. 

I agree that the 3020 will drive many reasonably sensitive  speakers (87-90dB). However many of them, especially those that are priced higher than the $500 class, best return the investment when driven by more clean power than provided by this amp. Again, I am a fan of NAD and have owned several models over time. I believe that there are several $500 class speakers that make for a great combo with the 3020. It is always up to the individual to select which combo is best for their needs.

34dean, you might want to take your NAD to a dealer when listening to a few speakers of interest. Maybe ask the dealer to use their recommended amp (one with more power) with the same speakers as a learning experience. You have me interested in the Q3020s, I am going to look them up.