Speakers for very near-field listening?

Paradigm Atom would be a good place to start. Or you could move up to Monitor Audio Silver Series S1 at 600 bucks a pair. Either of those work well for near field. Especially the S1's. I listened to them in nearfield position and was very tempted to buy them.

I second S7horton. I use a pair of Atoms in system no.2. I open their backs, rewired them with Kimber 4TC and the result was quite impressive for such a budget speaker!

The real Pros use Westlake, they start higher than your price range but not 2 much.

Go to a pro sound shop that sells studio equipment. There are many small speakers made for mix monitoring that are specifically designed to be heard in the very near field, such as being placed atop the same mixing console the engineer works at. (This advice would be seconded, no doubt, by J. Gordon Holt :-)

Check out the new PMC DB-1 monitors. Very popular with studios. I would also recommend ProAc's

Aego2 system for sale here for $399. Good reviews in TAS and Stereophile.

No speaker should sound as good as the Paradigm Atoms at their price. Ridiculous value for the money.

May want to consider Joseph Audio RM7si signatures. They can be had used for the high end of your price range, and sound wonderful.

Rogers LS3/5As again!!

I owned the Joseph RM7si and although they are nice speakers and I did enjoy them....I didn't find them to work that well in the nearfield.

That's interesting Jla that you didn't find the Josephs to work well in the near field. With their super high-order X-over design and reputation for a mellow balance, you'd figure they might be good for this. Guess not...

Actually, I should take back some of what I said about the Joseph's. I didn't care for the RM7's in the nearfield in my room....however, I forgot that I let a friend of mine borrow the RM7's who also has a smal listening room and listens in the nearfield. The Jospehs in his room worked very well in the nearfield. I can't believe I forgot about this....I guess I have had way too many speakers. This is why, if possible, it is always a good idea to audition speakers in your room.

Richards -

Near-field listening calls for a very smooth on-axis response without any harshness or midrange colorations. Ideall, the radiation pattern would be symmetrical and the drivers would blend well at very close range (not always the case, especially with first order crossovers). If the speakers will be placed near a wall, then preferably they'd be voiced to have extended, smooth bass with the nearby boundary reinforcement. If the speakers will be placed out in the room a ways, then they should have rather full bass response so they won't sound thin.

Speakers with concentric mid/tweet units - such as the KEF Uni-Q series, small Tannoy dual concentrics, or Gradients - are inherently well suited to near-field listening (assuming they are voiced correctly - I haven't heard the KEF and Tannoy offerings). I'm most familiar with the Gradients, 'cause that's what I sell. The Prelude is a little above the specified price range, but occasionally a pair shows up used. The custom Seas concentric midwoof/tweet unit they use is the same unit as used in the highly respected Revolution. The midrange is very smooth, and overall tonal balance is neutral when they are fairly close to a wall, but the bass is a little thin if they are placed well out in the room. They use a sealed cabinet, for good transient reponse and a slow roll-off.

I'd be glad to answer questions and/or arrange for an in-home audition.

Best of luck on your quest, Richards!

Duke

The Jordan jx92s. They are designed as "near field monitors". Of course you'd have to build your own box around these full range drivers.