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Small room, "budget priced" speaker advice, please

Hi,

I recently sold my dearly beloved, old Vandersteen 2C's here on Audiogon (and I hope SgtPeppers is loving them at this moment!) :-) I did this because in our remodeled house, my new listening room (which will double as a guest room) is just too small for the 2C's. The Spousal Acceptance Factor was just too low. ;-)

I have a PS Audio Elite-Plus integrated amp for power (around 70 W/Ch) and a soon-to-be-shipped-off-for-a-refurb Sota Sapphire for an analog front end (I have "miles" of vinyl)! I will also get a CD player at some point.

For now, I need to find a pair of best-of-breed, truly "budget" speakers. By "budget," I'm talking upper limit of $850/pair. (Gone are my free-spending, single days... I'm a dad now...) :-)

Listening habits: lots of 60's and 70's folk and rock, some jazz, Donald Fagen/Steely Dan, a little classical. Listening volume: not too loud. Sonic preferences: I value transparency and imaging/soundstage. Bass should be accurate above all, as opposed to chest-pounding powerful.

I've looked at Paradigms, which I know are highly regarded at lower price points. Trouble is, our one, local dealer is primarily a TV/home theater outfit, so you're trying to hear them in a showroom crammed with other stuff... you know the drill. I've also hit a high end shop. Listened to a pair of PSB small towers and disliked them; they sounded muddy and veiled to me. Listened to a pair of the smallest Rega's and liked them quite a bit, but would want to go back to listen again. I even wrote to PS Audio for advice; they recommended the "baby" Epos monitors, but they're out of my price range.

Thanks if you've read this far. Knowing how subjective all this is, I'd still welcome any advice you have to offer about what I should try to audition.
rebbi
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,784 posts
 
Hi Rebbi:

A question to run by the wife ... will these speakers need to be wall or shelf mounted? Often with children and pets, monitors on stands are not always a workable option. If wall or shelf mounting is how it will be, make sure to consider speakers that are acoustic suspension/ sealed box (like the NHT Classic Line) or front ported or designed specifically to be placed near rear walls (like the Rega R1).

Regards,

Rich
rebbi OP
1,326 posts
 
Hi, Rar1,

Tell me more about the Rega R1 or R3. I went to hear the R1 at a local dealer. I liked the way they sounded, but (and I know this is silly) that paper cone midrange driver looked like something out of a 1960's transistor radio. Is the quality really there?

I'm definitely thinking sealed box or front-firing port at this point... I am not going to be able to put these speakers far out from the wall.
bud_h
2 posts
 
There are lots of people who like the Triangle speakers. The ES series are on sale lots of places because they are an older model.
shoe
204 posts
 
Do you like yellow...here is a great buy. http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1215267566
Ag insider logo xs@2x
knownothing
1,584 posts
 
Quad 12L - well rounded and smooth sound
Quad 11L - if you can't afford their big brother
Totem Rainmaker - imaging kings
B&W 685 - front firing and good value
B&W CM1 - little speakers, big sound, and sound good next to wall
Era Design 5 - not quite up there with the B&W CM1, but what a beautiful cabinet!
Dynaudio Audience 42 - well rounded but like a lot of current
Usher S-520 - if you like the way they sound and look, a great bargain

If you like how the Rega's sound, don't worry about what the cones are made of. Wilson Audio, high end Ushers and many other makes use paper cone driver to very good effect, and at many times the price of the Regas.
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