Is new better than old?

Older speakers in good working order in general may represent better values but that really doesn't matter. Nor does it matter that in general speaker technology may have improved over the years, albeit for a premium The devil is in the details. You can do equally well either way. The key is to do your homework to determine the best fit for you at a particular price point. If you buy used and do not overpay, you can try something different without taking a big financial hit. Speakers should fit into your room and listening habits like where you listen from well. You should have an amp capable of driving them to the max. Often you will not know what they really sound like in your setup until you try them.

Older speakers in good working order in general may represent better values but that really doesn't matter. Nor does it matter that in general speaker technology may have improved over the years, albeit for a premium The devil is in the details. You can do equally well either way. The key is to do your homework to determine the best fit for you at a particular price point. If you buy used and do not overpay, you can try something different without taking a big financial hit. Speakers should fit into your room and listening habits like where you listen from well. You should have an amp capable of driving them to the max, not the minimum or even somewhere in between. Often you will not know what they really sound like in your setup until you try them.

Also dealer blowouts of models being updated, discontinued, etc.

I have version one of the these: (tempting me as backup pair)

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ddspkrfull&1280552790&/Gemme-Audio-Tanto-V2-Price-low

An older Dynaudio would be better than a new PSB, Monitor Audio stuff. Anyway, here is a boutique brand which makes some of the most cost effective yet high performance speakers:
http://www.selahaudio.com/

personally I'd go new or not too old, as per my comments above.

IF YOU HAVE REASONABLY GOOD POWER 150 – 250WPC, I’D THINK WELL ABUOT THE USHER SPEAKERS.

I HEARD THOSE SPAEAKERS AT A NEARBY DEALERSHIP SOME TIME BACK AND WAS SUMMARILY IMPRESSED. Great esthetic. Very good range. Powrd by a tube pre and tube amp… Cary I believe. Not to big an amp either. Very nice. Nice sound. I’d have opted for the bigger ushers but they are simply too big and I thought they would be too tuff a load for 100wpc tube amps. But they do look great IMHO.

I’ve had loads of BW, the top Monitor Audio series, VR4 JRs, Several Phase Tech units, a few Silverlines too. The room is as key IMO as is the power you’re going to feed them with. Think about those two items. A lot.

Buying used isn’t a terrible notion at all. The shipping issue is the big deal in that equation. If it’s a very good seller, and the packing is in great shape… not just the orig packing either.. you ought to come out oK. That is the rub on speakers. Shipping. There’s two of them instead of just one box. So twice the risk. Bigger ones cost more to ship.

Also think about just where are you headed in audio. Always gonna have SS power? Wanna do tubes? Big diffs right there at times. Not really sure just now? Maybe, maybe not? Shoot for units that have steady imp curves which don’t fall below 6 ohms.. have a 90 or higher Eff rating… and the world becomes your oyster. SS or Tubes will then work. Higher numbers in each range enables you still more choices in power amps… as well as the need for less of it too.

The Usher is as popular a speaker as any other I suppose… and after all, this is just one of maybe many more or at least some more most likely. So don’t fret too awful much on it and get what you like hearing the best… but do take your amp if possible to try any out… again, if possible. Bass gets more predominant in a smaller room, and less so when room size increases. Remember that when auditioning..

Have fun.