Best speakers under $500? Fire away!

I had paired Jolida 502 int amp with Totem Rainmakers for several years for 2 channel music in my home office. I got a pair of Monitor  Audio Bronze 2 for about $350 on sale to use for front wide in my theater. I hooked MA2 to Jolida just to test but what a surprizpse. MA 2s were as good as Rainmakers. 

You you might try the Emotive Airmotiv 4s active speakers and just use the preamp out on your NAD 3020. Each speaker is bi-amped with a 25 watt amp driving the air motion ribbon tweeter and and another 25 watt amp driving the woofer. The price on these speakers I believe is $299 for a pair direct from the manufacture. The received a good review in Stereophile and have a C class rating although one of the reviewers thought it to be class B. Plan on getting some good interconnects to hook the up to your preamp. I'm using Kimber Cable "Hero's" on my Airmotiv 4s' so that will bring you to your $500 give or take any deal you get on the interconnects.

Greetings, Have you tried the Marimbas' from Music Hall?  Musical with Pretty decent reviews and reasonable prices.  They are 6ohm and 87db efficient, so your receiver may work with these.  Talk to/ask the experts (which isn't me), all I know is that they sound good. 
Good luck...

you're at the point 34dean where it becomes personal preference and system - many good suggestions - some like Infinity some B&W and some dislike them...you have a good amp - to some it is underpowered, to some it is ok...

The Bass in the 2’s is more deap and tight, better soundstage as well .However the 1’s are very good  too if you can’t afford the 2’s.

I can catch a great deal on Monitor Audio Bronze 1 speakers.  Is there a noticeable upgrade in the 2's?

B&W 685 and Monitor Audio Bronze 2 are safe bet very easy speakers to drive with excellent sound, The Infinity are very medicore speakers I wouldn’t touch them at all .

Your rebuilt 3020 should not have any trouble driving 6ohms 86db as you listen to normal levels. The 3020 was renown to drive difficult speaker loads. That’s what made it a best seller. I have had the 315 driving such loads and it was just fine (before the pre-amp section started to short... but that one was a cheap made in china).
I would definitely not limit my search by speaker efficiency if the goal is not too reach the highest db possible with the given amp. But I agree, the 3020 would be a bad choice to drive MMGs or, given the specs and reviews, the Elac.
Also, keep in mind that you can try for 30 days and return if it does not fit...

34Dean - 

About 10 years ago I picked up a pair of Bowers & Wilkins DM604s locally on Craigslist for $250 (a steal).  They were absolutely amazing speakers, particularly for the money.  They are 90db and I recall having powered them w/ a 100WPC Denon AVR at the time and that was plenty to fill a large room.  If you can find a set locally at a good price, they're going to be pretty tough to beat for under $500.

BTW - It's a 3-way floor-stander w/ two 7" woofers and are good down to 30Hz.

Greg

I agree mesch.  The Infinity's are 92db and would probably match up well to my 3020.  

I  have a pair of Infinity primus 363’s that I use for two channel and multi channel, I will say that for the price the p 363’s are a darn good speaker, I recently bought a pair of wharfedale Diamond 220’s online, the 220’s are pretty good but they DO NOT compare to the Infinity p 363 in my A and B test, that said... I returned the wharfedales, the p 363 sound really nice with a small tube amp.
Another good sounding speaker is the revel f12, I bought a pair used a few years back for $600, these sound even better than the p 363 if you can find a pair used.

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.

jl35... I would very much like to try the Infinity's and have read nothing but rave reviews.  The problem is I can't find them?  Can anyone help?
Also read great things about the Tannoy Eclipse 3 but again... tough to find.

the Primus 363 is both high sensitivity and easy to drive

Most of the standmount speakers have relatively low sensitivity but are more easy to drive than floor standing speakers with higher sensitivity .

Really?  Even a speaker that is 4 ohms with sensitivity of 85dB like the Elacs that keep getting recommended with no concern over the OP's limited amp capabilities.

Please explain.

Most of the standmount speakers have relatively low sensitivity but are more easy to drive than floor standing speakers with higher sensitivity .

I really would like to try the ELAC's but their sensitivity concerns me with my 20 wpc 3020.  

tls49... I agree.  I need a 90db+ speaker which eliminates many including the ELAC and Diamond 10.2's.  

I need to look at the specs on some of the other recommendations here.  

Elac UB5.  Slam dunk.  

Used B&W 685 is a great option too,one of the best B&W ever made ; spacious soundstage ,extremely detailed and great dynamics. 

"tls49... going to listen at higher levels and will see how many lights illuminate.  I was at only 10 o'clock volume the other night and 4 of the lights lit up."

If you listen at levels that cause that 5th light to illuminate frequently, then that is extremely close to the maximum capability of your system. It has nothing to do with the position of the volume control. Also, I'm thinking you should only consider speakers with a sensitivity above 90db unless you plan to replace the 3020 with a higher wattage amp. A 92db speaker would require 40 watts to have the same capability as your Klipsch/3020 combo, a 89db speaker would require 80 watts, and a 86db speaker would require 160 watts. Every 3db is a double or a half of power depending on the direction you're going.

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.

Not sure what speaker characteristics are most important to you, but an excellent all-arounder is the Silverline Minuet Supreme Plus.  It's not a hard speaker to drive and should be in your price range used.  Best of luck. 

Monitor Audio Bronze 1 the best bookshelf speakers I heard under $ 500 .
Amazing bass and resolution for its price.

Markr is a friend of mine, he has the alnico omega and 3i, he is upgrading to Omega alnico high output, I think he is selling his 3i, he might be able to give you a good prize.... if you are interested send him a message....

The omega 3i, it has addicting musicality, they like tubes too, they are fast , but you can get away with Elac B6 is that good...the 10,2 is just as good...

TY jay.  Which of the four speakers you mention are your favorites?

I heard the b5 and the uni b5 Elac they are good, but I prefer the B6, the stereophile reviewer of B6 is right on the money, The B6 has many wow factor.Markr is right Omega 3i is hard to beat, New is $600 I think.I have the wharfadale 10.1 and 10.2 both are highly musical, I also own Elac B6.i also own the Omega 3i....either one you can't go wrong....

Jbl lsr 305 or 308, active studio monitors, no amp needed, amazing dynamics 

+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.   

Randy-11 brings up a good point.  If they do, take advantage of it.  Along with other online venues like Music Direct and Audio Advisor.  Even if you have to pay return shipping, that's a small price to pay for an in-home trial.

doesn't crutchfield have a listen & return policy?

You'll get as many opinions as there are Agonners here..... I will put my 2 cents in... without a doubt a used pair of Omega Super 3i monitors!

KEF X300A can be had on Amazon for $500. I bought a pair and it is OK for the bedroom system.

Monitor Audio has some very nice entry level stuff in that price range. I’ve heard their line and am very impressed with what you get for the dollar. the bronze 1 and 2’s are surprisingly musical and a sweet spot in the lower range. silvers if you can stretch but the bronze are surprisingly good for the money.

I have a pair and they are awesome for the price.  I used with an Onkyo A-9555 Integrated

great review by REG in TAS

Ty jl35... researching those Infinity's.  

tls49... going to listen at higher levels and will see how many lights illuminate.  I was at only 10 o'clock volume the other night and 4 of the lights lit up.  

GREAT info gents.  Much appreciated!
The 95db RB-61's sound great but I wanted to compare them to another contender.  The sensitivity of the ELAC's do concern me though with my vintage 3020 driving them.  
I have always been a Wharfedale fan and the Diamond 10.1's are supposed to be killer for their price.  Have no idea about the Denton's.  Will need to research.  

Any other suggestions?

Agree with paraneer. I’m sure the ELAC UB5 is a fine speaker, but not a good choice for the 3020 since it is very inefficient speaker. Take a look at it’s specifications here,

http://elac.com/product/ub5/

Since it is a 4 ohm speaker. that 85db sensitivity is actually a 2 watt rating, and it’s 1 watt rating would be 82db. That’s 13db lower than the Klipsch RB-61 which is 95db. The UB5 needs more power than the 3020. Elac recommends 40 -140 wpc and I’m thinking at least 100 to be somewhat comparable to the capabilities of the Klipsch/3020 combo.

When you are playing your system at it’s loudest, how many of the lights above the volume control blink? That can give you a good indication of how low you could go in speaker sensitivity.

Infinity Primus 363 - great small floor-standers, very efficient

Wharfedale denton, new.  Superb cabinets, laid back and smooth sound, good soundstage, at this price no problem.

At that pricepoint and the specs of your NAD, here is another contender.

Wharfedale  diamond 10.1

google the reviews 

I've heard no speakers that compete with the ELAC speakers,  at or close to there price range.

Another vote for Elac.  They are designed by Andrew Jones, the same person that designs TAD.  They perform well above their weight class.  I have a set of his monitors connected to a NAD 390DD in my office.  Great sounding setup!

Using Infinity 4000a's and ADS L470's with my 3020 with good results. 

Looking for suggestions for budget speakers under $500. Can be floor or bookshelf.

First, there are no best speakers at $500 pair. Or at $1000 pair. And so on, so forth.

Only the speakers that are best for you. And the speakers that can best be driven by your vintage NAD. And the ones that integrate the best with your room.

While I am sure that the Elacs that were suggested are good speakers, they probably are not the best speakers with your 20 wpc into 8 ohm vintage amp. The Elacs are 4 ohm with a sensitivity of only 85dB making them rather hard to drive and not the "best choice" for you. They are also rear ported so should be used with stands to sound their best. Do you have stands or did you plan on putting them on a bookshelf?

My suggestion is to understand your amps capabilities and how they relate to the two key specs of a speaker - impedance and sensitivity. Then make up a short list of models that are within your budget and go out and audition.

So there is a lot more to it than simply asking for suggestions on the internet. Doing that seldom results in the best speaker for you.