I formerly worked for a small but respected speaker manufacturer in Australia. (Used speakers made by them are higher than your suggested budget).
Things I'd consider if were I in the market for loudspeakers.
Things I'd consider if were I in the market for loudspeakers.
- Cabinet design, the more it sounds hollow and drummy when you rap your knuckles on it, the more energy it will release when your drivers compress air within it in the audible spectrum (bad for accuracy). The cabinet will have it's own resonant frequency. This is where less is more, less uncontrolled noise = more controlled sound. Inert cabinets potentially sound better.
- Crossover design. Clever crossover design can produce a good sound, however quality parts in the "recipe" simply confirm that the laws of physics (specifically electronics) cannot be denied.
- Drivers that work well with each other, after all the drivers will be fed specific frequencies from the crossover, the exchange or frequencies where two or more drivers are both providing the same notes (the crossover point) is important. Drivers that match each other in where they perform together within their frequency range is very important.
- Synergy of all of these elements and more are something your ears (and personal tastes), will tell you. How they sound in the room, the electronics connected to them, cables..the list goes on.