Monitor speaker with the best bass at $500 used

Sunnyjim, I have decided to check out the 301s also. I have to find out for myself since there has been so much controvercy about Bose in general. My friend says the bass is insanely good and the speaker presents a big relaxed sound with excellent imaging. They play loud with ease and the speakers are responding well to every system improvement. If the results are as good as I think they will be I am going to write a review.

That would be Von Schweikert VR-1. Easy to drive 8 ohm load and great bass with -3 db at 40 Hz.

Sunnyjim, $500-$550 is what VR-1s sell for. What do reviewers know about speaker value? They don't pay for anything. If I were selling VR-1s I wouldn't sell them for $375 either. Speakers for $375 don't come with a beautifully finished wood cabinet. For that price you get vinyl. Bose 301s have good bass and they are only $300 NEW. You should check them out. They might be just what you are looking for and they are in your price range. I have a friend using 301s with a Wyred4sound amplifier and he likes them. He likes them so well they replaced his Maggie 1.7s. Go figure. He says all Bose engineers come from MIT and his Bose speakers have incredible design and engineering. Find a store with a 30 day trial. If you don't like them you can take them back for a refund.

I'm not a big fan of Totem although my experience is with the Model One. It requires a great deal of high quality power to become balanced. If you are a late night lower volume listener the sound would be lean.

Sunnyjim, I think you should listen to the Maggie 1.7s with the same Onkyo surround receiver, Onkyo CD player and cables in the same listening environment as the Bose 301s and tell us what you think of the highs and midrange. I find it interesting how audiophiles reject Bose speakers without ever giving them a serious listen. Maybe it's because of the Bose stigma with audiophiles or maybe it's because they already told their friends Bose speakers are crap even though they have no knowledge of their sound quality. I recently picked up a pair of Bose 301s to satisfy my curiosty and I am very impressed. Listening through the 301s I have a better understanding of the singers, musicians and the music. The Bose 301s will not dazzle you with the bright thin sound you get from many audiophile speakers designed for marketing purposes and don't be afraid to turn up the volume because the Bose will not get hard and irritating, they just keep getting bigger sounding. These Bose 301s are very low in distortion giving vocals and instruments an incredibly natural sound. I find myself going through my music collection playing all kinds of music because it sounds good. I recall one reviewer saying Bose speakers are only good for listening to music and I agree.