According to your system page you already own Kef Cresta 2s, which cost you $250.
In my opinion spending $300 for an upgrade will not be worthwhile. Every time you trade gear you lose money, so it makes sense to make bigger steps up the hifi ladder. To upgrade from a $250 speaker I'd be looking at a budget of $500+, as it will cost you less in the long run if you buy something that you can live wit hfor 10 years or more.
Also soundstaging and imaging are extremely dependant on placement, and usually require the speakers to be well away from walls (both side and rear). Even expensive monitors, when placed close to the rear and/or side walls, can fail to do any imaging. |
I tend to agree with Seandtaylor99. If you already have a 250 dollar pair, wait until you can afford something a little better. You'll be glad you did.
Paradigm Studio 20's or the B&W 601 are two that I would consider looking at on the used market. |
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Jaybo, I'm sorry but that's a useless answer. The spicas are great, but they are very limited. They have limited HF response (nothing above 15 kHz), very limited dynamics and SPL handling, and do not image unless placed very carefully, well away from the side and rear walls.
Used within their limits they're a great speaker, but recommendations without these caveats are likely to lead to great disappointment. |
In this price range, the omission of "caveats" regarding Spica's is not a problem at all--the limitations on ANY speakers in the price range is going to be great and the compromises many compared to expensive hi end speakers. Doesn't mean he can't find some good sounding speakers, and certainly doesn't mean that Spica's might be just the ticket. |
I agree with the posters above that making a sideways move is expensive. It's better to save a bit until you can move up. And when you do move up, you should move up big time rather than a nibbly little bit because small upgrades are expensive too. When you do move up, I would suggest you look to the $800-$1000 used price point as the next worthwhile upgrade. (Boy it's fun spending other peoples' money!)
However, having said that, if you want a change and want to do it cheap, one of the best audio bargains is the PSB Alpha. It's cheaper than the model you're looking at and with a sub it would be a great bookshelf monitor until you're ready to move up. |
Another vote for PSB. I've had a number of monitor speakers over the years and think Barton offers the single best value in High End audio. A very affordable, forgiving speaker that "plays well with others." You can mate the PSB monitors with just about anything and get great results. |
The x-ls from av123.com($219) would bring you great musical satisfaction. |
I have not logged onto this site for months, but I really felt compelled to respond to your question. I have owned these speakers for years, and use them with my HT. They stll never cease to amaze me.
(url)http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1173144396(/url) |
thanks for the responses guys. sorry i didn't fully clarify my situation. i do own the kefs and i like them but i share them with my brother and long story short we are both moving out of my parents house so he will be taking the kefs and giving me a little startup money for new speakers. that said, i would like to at least equal the kefs in performance if not improve on midrange detail resolution and soundstaging. i am trying to figure out what speakers will do this so i can try to listen to some of them before i make my decision. again thanks for the help and more suggestions are welcome! |
If you could stretch to $500 then look for used Green Mountain Audio Europas. I don't think you'll find a better speaker for under $1000, and I wouldn't be surprised if they left the Kef speakers for dead.
Plus they beat the Spica TC-50s in imaging. I know, I used to own Spicas and upgraded to the Europas. |
check out a pair of paradigm titans. should be under $200 from a reasonable dealer and very nice balance sound with the attributes you seek - very flat response. |
thanks for all the help guys. i really liked what i heard about the green mountain audio europa but i wasnt able to strech the extra $$ plus i ended up getting a really good deal on a pair of infinity speakers. they are more of a side move but i couldnt pass up the deal and they do beat the kefs in soundstaging and midrange detail. they have been great for the money. although i think eventually i would like to audition the green mountain speakers because they are intriguing. but i will save that for another day. thanks again guys. |
