What speaker could safely be ordered without hearing it first?


Hi everyone,

I’m in the midst of my speaker search and curious about something.......as noted above. There are some brands I would be interested in based on reputation, reviews, looks etc but may never be able to hear first.

I’m curious what the collective group thinks would be a safe choice having never heard them first. I know there are variables as in size of room, current gear etc. Just want to see what people would suggest. The one I would note based on what I have read is Joseph Audio. I’d also be curious if people would say the same about Borresen.

So it may be a frivolous exercise but I’ll ask the question anyway. Let me know your thoughts.

128x128mtbiker29

I don't think it's a bad question, it's just an out of place question. In a professional studio you can buy speakers that are known in the industry and that have good polar patterns. In a home you usually don't start with a clean acoustic canvas so you have to at least understand the acoustics of your room first to qualify your guess about what speakers would sound good in the room. Big leaps in acoustic dispersion design of speakers in the last few years buy Magico, Wilson, Joseph and the like. 

 

The room acoustics, speaker position, how they sound with your amp and burn in are to be considered.  I’ve taken speakers back because they didn’t sound like they did in the show room.

 I would say depending on the budget preferably a speaker you can try before you buy, has good reviews, and is not fussy about room placement. Make sure to choose a size that is suitable for your room size and will likely have synergy with your amp. If your amp is on the warm side, probably best not to get warm sounding speaker and vice versa.

Some suggestions would be Klipsch RP500 or 600m for small rooms and apartments if a little on the brighter side works. Very easy to drive, sound great at low listening levels, and bass isn't over bearing. Also have excellent reviews. Steve Guttenberg gave the 600m Product of the Year Award.

Similar to these (Sony SS-CS5) for a lot less money; Cheap Audio Man said they were one of the best sounding speakers to him regardless the price, he said they had a similar sound signature to 600m but he liked the Sony's better. Go figure...

Another excellent choice with sound rearing slightly to the brighter side woud be the Emotiva B1+ Airmotiv speakers. They're a direct online distributer and accept returns if your not happy. They are one of Cheap Audio Man's best bang for buck pics. Super detailed, he liked them better then the higher end Kef bookshelfs everyone raves about. A lot of unbiased reviews on You Tube.

 As for a warm sound signature, Wharfedale 1st comes to mind. 

 Make sure room acoustics are decent before auditioning. Any speaker won't sound great in a poor sounding room. The room is the most important to SQ, then speaker placement, and then synergy of components I believe is how it goes.

 Good Luck!