Best value speakers available

The very early AR's have to be on this list. The various iterations of the AR-2 and AR-3 were budget speakers based upon price, but have stood the test of time as great sounding boxes. Of the more modern offerings, I agree that Vandersteen makes good speakers in their price range. However, when I compared them to Thiels, I was universally convinced that the Thiels were worth the extra money. Pretty much the entire Thiel line are good bang for the buck speakers. My father-in-law has some CS.5's, which sound ridiculously good for under $1k. I have a pair of CS3.6's, and I think that they hold their own against speakers costing up to twice their MSRP. A little lower on the price scale, I think that PSB and Paradigm offer good value for the money.

Tom.

The Green Mountain Europa is an outstanding value speaker. For the price is there a better monitor?? (or ever 3 times the price???)

Green Mountian Europa's. Anything better at three times the price? Not that i've heard.

The Green Mountain Europa is the finest small speaker I have heard. It is honest, clean, and non-fatigueing. I own Maggie 20.1's, a planar speaker, but the Europa is the least box-like I know. They sound a whole lot better than they have any right to at the price (or for several times the price).

I owned Maggies for six years but unfortunately I had to part with them due to smaller size room in the new abode. The room I have is not big enough for the Maggies to breath in. I switched to the Paradigms Studio 40 v.2 but actually derive more pleasure from the circa 1978 Chartwell LS3/5a mated with the REL Strata III.

My answer to the question would be, LS3/5a (with or without the subwoofer) for smaller rooms and Maggies for larger rooms. If and when I move again and luck is on my side (larger room for system setup) I will go for the Maggies agian and nothing else. The model I would consider would be 1.6 or 3.6 (or newer offering at the time in same series). IMHO Maggies are the best bargain in the hifi business.

By the way, this thread can be split into two categories, one should list only new with mention of list price so there is a proper comparision between various brands and models. Value for money used speakers is a very vague term. I have heard stories of folks buying Mint LS3/5a's at garage sales for as low as US$5 (five) from old ladies who thought their husbands got them with the secondhand $200 computers. The person who bought them knew what he was buying, certainly a mint LS3/5a for a fiver cannot be beaten when it comes to "value for money"