Bookshelf speakers- Buying a Bargain
Buying a bookshelf speaker has more variance in performance than any other audio item IMO. Over the last 30 years I bought sbout 20 bookshelf speskers. Most do not sound good at all. Mission, Klipsch, Pioneer, Wharfedalw were all poor performers. Only two bookshelf speakers I bought sounded good with great articulation and low distorting being Revel M22 and Audio Monitor Silver 3i. Revel M22 are too rare and too expensive. However the Audio Monitor Silver 3i and I suspect any Silver series are great speakers and the Silver 3i are about $300 on eBay. Per what I read the Bronze series are rather ordinary- avoid.
I always used rebuilt and upgraded Tube amps with best sounding tubes thus did not mask speaker performance.
moonwatcher beautiful might be too kind, there are a lot of truly beautiful small speakers to look at, but a 3 way with 10" wooder sure sounds better than any 2 way compact thingy I have heard. for less than $1k delivered, all refurb done, not sure what tariffs will come into play ............................... these stands were available to aim them up, the KLH-5 stands shown above appear to be a more appropriate height, I suppose a box could be placed below them.
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@elliottbnewcombjr those AR-2ax are beautiful! |
Bargain? At what price point? I needed some bookshelf speakers to get me by while my big floorstanders are going to be refurbished. On a lark I got the relatively new Triangle BR04 speakers (bigger than the BR03 and with a better crossover) for just $549. I was pleasantly surprised (I have them out in the room only about 9' from my ears). Now, if you are willing to spend more, then definitely buying direct from Buchardt or contemplating a Monitor Audio Silver speaker would get you much better bass and likely a nicer midrange and dynamic range. There are many good speakers out there, but you have to pick what is important to you. For instance, even today the new Wharfedale EVO 5 series, while amazing according to Steve Guttenberg, are still pinched in dynamic range. Good luck. Just curious, what was it about the Mission speakers that was lacking? Apparently, they had a hit with the 770. |
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if one is willing to deal without the bottom octave and a half of bass, the pinnacle pn2 model [an oldie but is available here and there for rummage sale prices] is hard to beat in terms of its relatively uniform frequency balance and holographic imaging. it is also fairly sensitive in terms of getting to room filling volume on relatively little amp power [less than 10 watts per channel]. |
I still want 3 way, enough bass so I don’t feel the need to add a sub, my conclusion: not gonna get that from a 6-1/2" driver, so 8" or 10"? I chose to refurb AR-2ax, with a 10" woofer: my 1st decent speakers in the late 60’s while in college. They are the biggest bookcase speaker I ever owned, designed with 11-1/2" depth, to fit in a bookshelf on a bookcase on a stand, angled up to aim the tweeter at seated ear height. I have them at seated ear height in my office, imaging dead center of my monitor, what a difference compared to all the prior compromises I made in my office. https://www.hifishark.com/search?q=ar-2ax no port, separate level controls to adjust the mid to the woofer, and adjust the tweeter to the mid while listening, in any space. I have not heard them, but they are currently selling the KLH-5, 3 way, no port, 3 position level control, but they are too deep to fit IN a bookcase https://www.crutchfield.com/p_700M5NNB/KLH-Model-Five-Nordic-Noir.html
I just glanced at all the bookcase speakers The Music Room has for sale, nothing I want, and some of the prices are scary.
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