Need Small Bookshelf Speakers With a Big Sound


Good morning.  I have been out of any kind of audiophile circles for a long time.  We moved into a house with built-in speakers about 5 years ago, which I really enjoy, but of course it's better for casual listening at a party than for quality listening.  Our family room is in a pretty open space that borders our living room and kitchen, so my wife is very focused on speakers being unobtrusive in appearance.  I was therefor looking for small speakers and got turned onto KEF LS50s, which sounded really nice for the price, and more than good enough for my desires.  And they are small.  But I didn't really focus on their "untraditional" looks.  It turns out that was a deal-breaker when I brought them home to demo.

So, I am back to square one.  What I would really like is a speaker that is about the size of the LS50s, or maybe a little bigger, and has a nice looking, traditional wood finish.  Bright colors and artificial surfaces, no matter how good they sound, need not apply...

I would say my self-imposed budget is around $2,000 at the top.  Unless new speakers leads me down the audiophile slippery slope, the speakers would be powered by my old Adcom 545 II amp and GTP 500 II tuner, with either an Adcom CD changer or Apple TV streaming the music.  Not exactly Audiogon Best In Class, but I think it will bring a smile to my face.  And you never know if this will lead to upgrading the whole shebang.

Any thoughts appreciated.  Not that it matters, but I am in the Chicagoland area.
chiguy

Showing 1 response by avanti1960

The ELAC UB5s will deliver what you are looking for.  Incredible bass capability in a neutral, detailed sound.  They will need power though- a good hefty 100WPC.  

@kalali-  I have heard the JA Pulsars and without hesitation they are the best speakers I have ever heard and worth every penny of their $7700 retail price.  Very good bass, excellent dynamics and an unparalleled clarity and transparency yet with sweetness and delicacy.  
Other more costly speakers have more scale and can fill larger rooms (not that the Pulsars bad in this aspect) but they simply do not sound as good.  
The Prisms (~ 3700 I believe) are not close to the sound of the Pulsars and can easily be beaten for the money- e.g. Harbeth C7ES3.