Battle of the Best affordable bookshelfs Help Me VOTE

[Hiddenlotus]

Hello Forum, im entry level music enthusiast that enjoy and love music. I recently began to look for bookshelf speakers to upgrade my current pc speakers so after reading a lot of reviews i came to conclusion and bought the Pioneers bs22, i like this speakers but i cant really enjoy them because the treble is killing my ears they are too towards and imaging is bit week also in my first impression of the bs22 i was not impressed, they sound really good for their price but are missing previous stated points.
After more research i came across the best reviewed bookshelf under $500. My current budget is $400 for a pair.
The Speaker are the follow im going to include a small opinion according to reviews.

HB-1 MK2 Horn Bookshelf Speaker: This speakers looks great to me. PROS: Excellent bass, looks, smooth high frequencies, non colored mids, excellent imaging and fun to listen.
CONS: No the best clarity or suited for high quality recordings.


CBM-170 SE: Looks decent nothing else. PROS: Great soundstage, excellent mids and highs, great linear frequency and awesome for high quality recordings. CONS: I haven't listen to them but im afraid this will be boring due to extreme linear frequency also to light in the bass area, not sure how this compare in bass quality to the HB-1 MK2. Not sure if fun or emerging to listen.



Chane A1rx-c: Looks awesome. PROS: People have compared this to CBM-170 SE, not a lot of reviews about the speakers but I have read this speakers are awesome for the price. Not sure if they are fatiguing or how good the bass is. CONS: I dont know much about them .




JBL 530: I heard people call the the king of the Booksleft speakers, They look amazing to me i know some people dont like the looks of it. PROS: Well everything i have read about this speakers are great from the soundstage to highs and mids, Also how realistic they sound, great bass. People have said that this speakers can easily beat those from $1,000 to 2,000 dollar speakers
. CONS: they only cons i can find is that im i will have the same issue that i have with the Pioneers and that is the Super sparkle that will make my ears bleed since the main use will be for computer speakers.



Well Hope you guys have experience with any of the previous speakers any suggestions or tips will be greatly appreciated thanks guys.

 

[ImcLoud]

$400 bookshelf budget is simple EPOS EPIC 2 BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS (PR) at Music Direct

 

[Lulimet]

The Boston M25 is a good candidate at $340 a pair.

BOSTON ACOUSTICS M25 2-way 5 1/4" Bookshelf Speaker Black Each | Accessories4less

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Such "battle" is doomed from the start, but here some ideas for affordable, but good speakers:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/loudspeakers/91567-cheap-good-speakers-thread.html

 

[Hiddenlotus]

Thanks for the suggestion

 

[Jeff R.]

How do the HTD Bookshelves stack up against some of these? I am putting a system together for a friend was going to recommend the level 3 HTD bookshelves and center?

 

[zieglj01]

How do the HTD Bookshelves stack up against some of these? I am putting a system together for a friend was going to recommend the level 3 HTD bookshelves and center?

I like the Level Three bookshelf speakers - they are real nice for the price, and built well.
I prefer them over the likes of the stock Pioneer speakers > and entry level choices from
the likes of Klipsch, Polk, Infinity and bottom level JBL. > They are good for home theater
and music and will not slap your face.

Now on a side note, for one on a tight budget needing speakers under $225 a pair - the new
Sony Core bookshelf speakers are some nice ones. I much prefer them over the stock Pioneer
speakers - and for those who seem to be stuck on measurements > they measure +/- 3.4 db
from 70 hz to 20 khz > a lot of more expensive speakers can not touch that.

 

[zieglj01]

JBL 530: I heard people call the the king of the Booksleft speakers, They look amazing to me i know some people dont like the looks of it. PROS: Well everything i have read about this speakers are great from the soundstage to highs and mids, Also how realistic they sound, great bass. People have said that this speakers can easily beat those from $1,000 to 2,000 dollar speakers
. CONS: they only cons i can find is that im i will have the same issue that i have with the Pioneers and that is the Super sparkle that will make my ears bleed since the main use will be for computer speakers.

I am a big fan of the Studio 530 speakers and they do not have a blaring aggressive horn character,
however I would not use them for desk top, nearfield use. For nearfield, close up use - I would put
the Boston M25 on a short list > the dimple dome tweeter is clean/clear, smooth/refined with good
detail and definition.

 

[3db]

The PSB Alpha series and Image series respectively make some affordable excellent performing bookshelves


Alpha Speakers - PSB Speakers

Image Speakers - PSB Speakers

 

[j_garcia]

You can't judge speakers by reviews alone, since what you seem to have come up with are opinions that may or may not match your own. What speakers have you heard already? If you can find some of these local, like the JBLs, go listen to them. Then come back with an opinion of your own, as that will give you and us a starting point for your actual speaker tastes. Horn loaded speakers tend to be a love or hate sort of thing so that's a good example.

I've heard the CBM170SE and the CMT340SE. I like them. They are certainly not "boring". Detailed, but flat and even handed yes. Meaning they work with everything. I like the Epic 2 recommendation as well. You might add the new SVS Prime lineup to your "should check out" list.

My favorite speaker in your price range? Carnegie CSB-1.

 

[theJman]

Of the speakers you listed I've only heard the Chane A1rx-c (which I'm listening to now, and will be posting a review on in November). I haven't found them to be the least bit fatiguing. Quite the contrary, actually. Another one to toss into the mix would bet the XTZ 93.21. I own those myself, so I'm very familiar with them, and they have proven to be quite smooth as well.

None of the speakers you're considering, or have been recommended, are going to provide much in the way of bass though. Are you planning on coupling them to a subwoofer?

 

[j_garcia]

I've heard the ARX A1b and found it to have very nice mids, but sort of dished highs, perhaps a design choice? Hopefully the C is an improvement.

 

[Hiddenlotus]

Yes i will use the speakers for near field i was recommended the
EPOS - EPIC 2 BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS they are $400 pair seem like people really love the clarity and overall specs. Is hard to choose speaker based in reviews. But treble in my current Pioneer bs22 make my ears bleed, i own the Audio Technica ATH-A900X and i can use them for hours and dont feel any fatigue from treble. I will use the speakers 90 percent for music and i own a 12inch Sub, i listen to Disco, Classical, Electronic etc.

 

[ImcLoud]

Yes i will use the speakers for near field i was recommended the
EPOS - EPIC 2 BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS they are $400 pair seem like people really love the clarity and overall specs. Is hard to choose speaker based in reviews. But treble in my current Pioneer bs22 make my ears bleed, i own the Audio Technica ATH-A900X and i can use them for hours and dont feel any fatigue from treble. I will use the speakers 90 percent for music and i own a 12inch Sub, i listen to Disco, Classical, Electronic etc.

I recommended the epos because they have the opposite of what you are describing in the top end. Their top end is not at all bright, they have a great sound and for $400 they are a no brainer in my opinion...

 

[j_garcia]

You must be sensitive to highs, so horn speakers would be a bad idea IMO. I don't find the Pioneers to have a forward top end at all. They do have that "sparkle" at the top, but I actually find them fairly soft. For near field, I'd probably look at something more geared toward that type of listening (studio monitors), which the Pioneers are not really meant for IMO. Perhaps something like the Behringer 2030p. And if you ARE sensitive to highs, it is going to be even more important to listen to some speakers first otherwise this will end up being a big merry-go-round.

 

[zieglj01]

Yes i will use the speakers for near field i was recommended the
EPOS - EPIC 2 BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS they are $400 pair seem like people really love the clarity and overall specs.

No one can speak for your ears

The Epos Epic 2 will need some careful set up - as it has an on axis treble rise from 7 khz up
You do have a 30 day return policy, so you will be able to test it out nearfield.

The AA speakers [Pioneer modded] from Philharmonic Audio are with in 1.5 db from the midrange
up to 13 khz - they are different and more refined and smooth over the stock Pioneer speakers.

The Sony Core bookshelf has a slight downward slope after 1 khz, and no treble boost in the upper
frequency range.

You have to test some speakers and find out what is right for you - we can not guarantee anything
for your ears.

Enjoy the adventure search.

 

[shadyJ]

You must be sensitive to highs, so horn speakers would be a bad idea IMO. I don't find the Pioneers to have a forward top end at all. They do have that "sparkle" at the top, but I actually find them fairly soft. For near field, I'd probably look at something more geared toward that type of listening (studio monitors), which the Pioneers are not really meant for IMO. Perhaps something like the Behringer 2030p. And if you ARE sensitive to highs, it is going to be even more important to listen to some speakers first otherwise this will end up being a big merry-go-round.

Horn's aren't what make a speaker forward or treble heavy, its the voicing. Klipsch gives horn-loaded speakers that reputation since its the most common horn-loaded home audio speaker and has fairly hot treble on some models. If anything, the Hsus sounded opposite, they are a bit laid back with respect to most speakers and very non-fatiguing.

The passive Behringer Truth monitors have been discontinued for awhile now, and the only way to get any is the used market, which is a real shame. They were some of the very best affordable bookshelf speakers.

 

[Hiddenlotus]

Thank you all guys for suggestions and tips, the OPPO 2 seem like amazing deal and probably im going to order them next week also the Carnegie CSB-1 seem awesome too but at $800 are out of my $500 budget. Again i appreciate all the help guys i Really like this forum.

 

[ImcLoud]

Thank you all guys for suggestions and tips, the OPPO 2 seem like amazing deal and probably im going to order them next week also the Carnegie CSB-1 seem awesome too but at $800 are out of my $500 budget. Again i appreciate all the help guys i Really like this forum.

My brother has a set of csb1's like new only taken out of the box and played around an hour he will probably sell for $500 plus shipping if you are interested... I own a pair also and with at least 8 other pairs of bookshelfs they are my favorite, look in my sig you can see mine setup...

 

[j_garcia]

Thank you all guys for suggestions and tips, the OPPO 2 seem like amazing deal and probably im going to order them next week also the Carnegie CSB-1 seem awesome too but at $800 are out of my $500 budget. Again i appreciate all the help guys i Really like this forum.

You can get the CSB-1s for $399 B-Stock via GR Research. Link is in my signature. He's a one man shop, so be patient if he doesn't answer

I'm not sure about the tweeter on the CSB-1 for near field, though I had another member come listen to mine for his near field system and he ended up buying a pair. They throw a huge image, and actually sound better with some space between you and them to my ears. I am only about 9.5ft away from mine, but they sound good at 15-20 feet in my current and previous room too.

Horn's aren't what make a speaker forward or treble heavy, its the voicing. Klipsch gives horn-loaded speakers that reputation since its the most common horn-loaded home audio speaker and has fairly hot treble on some models. If anything, the Hsus sounded opposite, they are a bit laid back with respect to most speakers and very non-fatiguing.

The passive Behringer Truth monitors have been discontinued for awhile now, and the only way to get any is the used market, which is a real shame. They were some of the very best affordable bookshelf speakers.

It is the voicing yes, but for the most part horns tend to be voiced that way. I've heard differing reports of the HSUs; some say they're bright and others do not, so I'd still have to hear them first, and I still likely wouldn't choose horns for near field regardless.

Where did you hear they were discontinued? As far as I know, the 2030p is still available and they're listed on Behringer's site and I saw them at Guitar Center the last time I was there.

Behringer: TRUTH B2030P

2030p was just an example; there are plenty of other good pro monitors out there like Mackie, KRK, even the JBL studio monitors, etc...