Best $500.00 B/S speaker for 2 channel

[procell]

Looking for a good pair of bookshelfs at about $500.00 a pair.
For 2 channel powered with Adcom amp and pre. For Rock
and heavy metal music. Let me know what you think.
thanks

 

[FirstReflection]

Will you be using these bookshelf speakers with a subwoofer? Or will you be using them just by themselves?

It's also important to note that the speakers are only half of the audio equation. The other half is your room. A room with lots of flat, hard surfaces is going to work best with different speakers than a room with lots of irregular and/or sound absorbing surfaces. And a really big room will work best with different speakers than a really small room.

So please tell us as much detail about your room as possible! Basic dimensions; is it closed or is it open to other rooms? Are the walls, floor and ceiling bare and flat? Or do you have acoustic treatments, carpet, thick drapes, lots of plush furniture, etc.?

And what is your basic set up? About how far away are you sitting from the speakers? Are the speakers really close to any walls, or are they on stands out into the room?

You want your speakers and your room to work together, rather than against one another. There are many different rooms, which is why there are many different speakers! At $500/pair, there are many choices, so we want to recommend to you the speakers that will work best in YOUR room

 

[ack_bak]

I would probably look into Klipsch if you like you rock/metal music loud and forward

 

[shadyJ]

The best deal for that is a pair of Ascend Acoustic CMT-340 SE speakers currently. Ascend is having a moving sale, and you can get a pair for $518 shipped, which is a fantastic deal. These are extremely efficient with a sensitivity rating of 93 db and will go very loud with low distortion. For your needs on your budget, those are just about perfect. The sale page is here.

 

[lsiberian]

Looking for a good pair of bookshelfs at about $500.00 a pair.
For 2 channel powered with Adcom amp and pre. For Rock
and heavy metal music. Let me know what you think.
thanks

With subs or not?

with a sub get a pair of Behringer 2030p's

 

[shadyJ]

Good point. A rocking system needs a good sub. At $500, it will be difficult to get an all out rockin' system and a sub. He would pretty much have to go DIY for a massive sub or scour ebay, craigslist, and audiogon for a decent used one. That is what I would do on that budget anyway. Maybe it would be better just to spend everything on speakers now and save up to get a sub later. For me, subs are crucial, and I wouldn't want to just 'get by' on a passable one.

Also damn you Isiberian for going on with those behringers, now I am curious about them, but I really shouldn't be spending any more money for speakers. Stop making me want stuff I don't need! so where can I get them for a good price?

 

[just listening]

The CMT -340s are at a terrific price, but they do require pinpoint positioning. But once set, the listener is rewarded.

I'd try to find a used pair of Paradigm Monitor 7's used. You'll get 92 db, and much closer to full range sound

 

[Robof83]

If you need a sub, lsiberians recomendation is good. If you don't I have heard great things about ascend acoustics. Also, you might look into Aperion Intimus 5b which can be had for $450 a pair, or Axiom M22v2 which can be had for $470 a pair.


Last semester, my friends and I did a blind listening test concerning speakers of about this price range.

One of my friends borrowed the behringer 2030p from his church where he works sound, the rest of the speakers we used we actually owned.

The speakers we used were
Aperion Intimus 5b
Infinity Beta 20(mine)
Behringer 2030p
Polk M10

There were also two computer speakers in there aswell(Bose Companion 3 and Logitech z300), but those aren't that relevant.

Overall, most of us preferred the Aperion Intimus 5b with the Behringer and Infinity tied for second(pretty much). Was the Aperion Intimus 5b worth 4x the price of the other two? Probably not, at least not imo, but it may just be a case of diminishing returns.

 

[procell]

My room size it about 10' by 12'. I do have 2 subs a polk
PSW111 and a older dayton 10". I do have a pair of energy
C-500 floor standers but moved them to the basement. I
will be useing an Adcom GFA 555II amp to power them 200
WPC @8ohms. And would like to be able to crank them up
more offten then not. Maybe $500.00 a pair is too much to
ask?
thanks

 

[abboudc]

Looking for a good pair of bookshelfs at about $500.00 a pair.
For 2 channel powered with Adcom amp and pre. For Rock
and heavy metal music. Let me know what you think.
thanks

Usher S-520's or the aforementioned Ascends would be my pick.

You can see Audioholics review of the Ushers here:
Usher S-520 Review

 

[fredk]

Given your music preferences, you should be able to find a number of speakers that do will in that size room. I would actually stay away from the Axiom M22. They are a brutally honest speaker reproducing everything in a recording, good and bad. You probably want something a little more forgiving that will not highlight not-so-well-recorded tracks.

From Axiom, the M3 would be a better choice and in your small room, they would still be plenty loud.

 

[wrczx3]

For rock and shear dynamics it is hard to beat the Klipsch RB61 for about $400.00 shipped.

 

[lsiberian]

Good point. A rocking system needs a good sub. At $500, it will be difficult to get an all out rockin' system and a sub. He would pretty much have to go DIY for a massive sub or scour ebay, craigslist, and audiogon for a decent used one. That is what I would do on that budget anyway. Maybe it would be better just to spend everything on speakers now and save up to get a sub later. For me, subs are crucial, and I wouldn't want to just 'get by' on a passable one.

Also damn you Isiberian for going on with those behringers, now I am curious about them, but I really shouldn't be spending any more money for speakers. Stop making me want stuff I don't need! so where can I get them for a good price?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/321847-REG/Behringer_B2030P_B2030P_2_Way_Passive.html

http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHB2030P

Use the price match policy from zzounds. And report the bh photo and video price. You'll get something slightly less than the bhp price.

 

[oppman99]

For rock and shear dynamics it is hard to beat the Klipsch RB61 for about $400.00 shipped.

I will respectfully disagree. I've owned those same speakers and found them harsh and difficult to listen to for long periods of time. IMO there are options in that price range that provide more value.

 

[wrczx3]

I will respectfully disagree. I've owned those same speakers and found them harsh and difficult to listen to for long periods of time. IMO there are options in that price range that provide more value.

And what do you say they are? Some may or may not like horn loaded speakers but you can't deny the fact there are few bookshelf speakers that are rated at 95db and reach down to 43HZ.

 

[sawzalot]

If you scan through our own classified there are many great deals on bookshelf speakers from some longtime members,I just looked through and , well just take a look and you will be pleasantly surprised, Sawz..