Advice on a few bookshelf speakers

[Shintsu]

I'm planning to put a pair of bookshelfs in my bedroom for night time listening and what have you. I plan to get some kind of stereo receiver most likely, not needing something especially fancy though but I have a Technics SA-EX140 for $25 in mind (albeit it lacks the remote I desire...).

Anyways, the audiophile friend of mine who has a huge collection of equipment has lots of bookshelf speakers. So I asked him what he had for me. He gave me a list of speakers, most for $80 that consists of the following:

Altec Lansing 77 - 3 way - 23"H X 12W X 12D - Black w/Black grills $80

Infinity Q e - 2 way - uses emit tweeter - 18' H X 12"W X 10"D - Walnut w/Dark Brown Grills

Linn Hi-Fi Index - no dimensions (at studio) - 2 way - Black w/Black grill

Klipsch KG1.5 - 2 way - 13"H X 9"W X 9"D - Oak w/Black grills

Polk 5 - 1 way - uses 6" woofer w/ 8" passive radiator - 21"H X 10"W X 9"D - Rosewood w/Black grills

JBL HLS810 - 2 way - 19"H X 10"W X 10" D - Black w/Black grills

PSB Alpha SE - 2 way - 12"H X 8"W X 10"D - Black w/Black grills

Sony ES APM22 - 2 way - 20"H X 11"W X 12"D - Walnut w/Black grills

Celestion SL6si - 2 way - 15"H X 8"W X 11"D - Walnut w/Black grills


Among all these, what would you folks suggest given my room isn't too terribly large (11' x 8 and 1/2' x 7 and 1/2')? I tried a google, audiogon, and ebay search and found barely any results for most of them.

 

[Reorx]

What is your budget for speakers?
Are you looking for a bookshelf + sub, or just 2 speakers.

I would cross out the Sony's. I have never heard a good pair of speakers by them.

I would cross out the Altec Lansing. They make ok computer speakers. Their larger speakers left me wanting.

I tried a google, audiogon, and ebay search and found barely any results for most of them.

I would suspect that you won't find much because they are probably older cheap speakers.

 

[Shintsu]

What is your budget for speakers?
Are you looking for a bookshelf + sub, or just 2 speakers.

I would cross out the Sony's. I have never heard a good pair of speakers by them.

I would cross out the Altec Lansing. They make ok computer speakers. Their larger speakers left me wanting.


I would suspect that you won't find much because they are probably older cheap speakers.

Pretty low on this setup, not looking to exceed more than $100 or so. Given he wants $80 for most pairs and the receiver I'm looking at is now $20, I'm on target. I don't need a sub, I purely want this for music listening so I want accuracy in my sound with no excess bass to make things inaccurate or boomy.

The Sonys are APM (piston driven) ES series. Not a normal Sony speaker, whereas I would tend to agree with you. The drivers look like this:

Not saying I know how they compare to the others but they sounded nice when I listened to them (The only pair out of those I did hear).

I wouldn't say they're all old, several of them appear to be from the '90s which judging from some people on here that is very new. The PSB speakers look like this only solid black:

Pics of the Polk Monitor 5s can be found here. Below is a picture of the Celestion SL6si speakers:

These were all I could find though. Does any of this help?

 

[Pyrrho]

Will your friend let you listen to them all? If so, I recommend you take over a variety of your favorite recordings, and listen to them and decide for yourself. No speaker is perfect, so it is always going to be a question of what flaws bothers one the most.

I doubt you will find anyone here who has heard all of those speakers, in the same room, with the same music, to be able to give advice based upon a fair listening. And even if there is someone who could do that, their taste may very well be different from yours, so you would still be well advised to judge for yourself if it is possible to listen to them all.

 

[Shintsu]

I have updates, he has given prices for every speaker (not as close to what I originally thought, dammit)

Infinity Qe - $90 pair
Klipsch KG1.5 - $120 pair
Polk Moniter 5 - $80 pair
JBL HLS810 - $120 pair
PSB Alpha se - $80 pair
Sony ES APM22 - $150 pair
Celestian SL6si - $300 pair

Linn Hi-Fi Index - 2-way based on 8" woofer - Black w/Black grill $120 pair

Camber Prisma-3 Concert Series - 2 way - 15"H X 8"W X 11"D - Black w/Black grill $80 pair (Comes with original packing).


And yes, he will let me listen to any of them. The only reason I ask is because I don't know so much about how these will sound given the size of my room and the power they will receive. I am looking for accuracy in sound over all else. Given his prices though, I would go no higher than $120 (Mainly for those Linn Hi-Fi Index speakers). In his words, all of them sound great so there is no need for me to particularly spend more than $80 on the other pairs. That said, I'm liking the PSBs and Polk Monitor 5 the most out of the bunch that is $80 but I will give the Cambers a listen as well.

I was just hoping to find some general opinions compared to the speakers available here. I know some speakers are known for being brash or bright, others are muddy, etc etc and I wanted to try and find out from some other folks what they thought about them so I can keep that in mind when listening to them. If someone tells me the speakers are excessively bright I'll listen for it and then be more apt to hear it than if not. I'm a beginning audiophile so my ears are not so well trained. To me, they'll probably all sound nice. I know it's about personal opinion but I want to take my opinion in and combine it with popular opinion to make a good choice.

So basically, between the PSBs and the Polk Monitor 5s - which do you all think will sound better given my dimensions and desires for accurate sound? I prefer something that isn't so weak in bass that the music sounds unnatural because I will not add a subwoofer to this setup.

 

[Pyrrho]

I have updates, he has given prices for every speaker (not as close to what I originally thought, dammit)

Infinity Qe - $90 pair
Klipsch KG1.5 - $120 pair
Polk Moniter 5 - $80 pair
JBL HLS810 - $120 pair
PSB Alpha se - $80 pair
Sony ES APM22 - $150 pair
Celestian SL6si - $300 pair

Linn Hi-Fi Index - 2-way based on 8" woofer - Black w/Black grill $120 pair

Camber Prisma-3 Concert Series - 2 way - 15"H X 8"W X 11"D - Black w/Black grill $80 pair (Comes with original packing).


And yes, he will let me listen to any of them. The only reason I ask is because I don't know so much about how these will sound given the size of my room and the power they will receive. I am looking for accuracy in sound over all else. Given his prices though, I would go no higher than $120 (Mainly for those Linn Hi-Fi Index speakers). In his words, all of them sound great so there is no need for me to particularly spend more than $80 on the other pairs. That said, I'm liking the PSBs and Polk Monitor 5 the most out of the bunch that is $80 but I will give the Cambers a listen as well.

I was just hoping to find some general opinions compared to the speakers available here. I know some speakers are known for being brash or bright, others are muddy, etc etc and I wanted to try and find out from some other folks what they thought about them so I can keep that in mind when listening to them. If someone tells me the speakers are excessively bright I'll listen for it and then be more apt to hear it than if not. I'm a beginning audiophile so my ears are not so well trained. To me, they'll probably all sound nice. I know it's about personal opinion but I want to take my opinion in and combine it with popular opinion to make a good choice.

So basically, between the PSBs and the Polk Monitor 5s - which do you all think will sound better given my dimensions and desires for accurate sound? I prefer something that isn't so weak in bass that the music sounds unnatural because I will not add a subwoofer to this setup.

When listening to speakers, it is good to compare several right after each other, with music with which one is familiar. Then you select what you like. I personally would be interested in listening to the Infinity speakers, as the Emit tweeters were highly regarded in their day, and similar kinds of speakers can have very good, detailed sound. But I have not heard one of their old speakers with the Emit tweeter in so many years that I cannot properly say how they sound compared with other things, particularly newer speakers.

Another thing to consider is how you will use them. Some speakers sound better off axis than others, and this may affect your choice, as one set of speakers might sound better when listening in the "sweet spot" (usually at approximately the point where you are such that you and the two speakers form the points of an equiangular triangle) and another might sound better when you are off to the side somewhere. This can matter if you are going to listen to them from more than one place in your room. So, you might want to listen to the speakers from different vantage points as well, if that will be relevant to how you will actually use them.

 

[Shintsu]

This is how my bedroom is laid out (Please excuse the shoddy paint work, just to give a rough idea):

The red X is where I have an old Pioneer boombox (25-CD file system, dual tape, etc) that I want to replace with this new setup (It is on top of a dresser that is about 5' tall). I could place the speakers there but not on each side of the receiver - not enough room. So they would be sitting extremely close and I think have poor seperation. I'd mount them on the walls but the door at the top opens and would bang into the speaker and the closet to the other side would cause problems with that too.

My main dilemma is how to place these speakers. I plan to mostly listen from the bed, with my head being at the end near the window and my feet near the entertainment center. Any suggestions on what I can do? I left out some specific details but I'm open to any ideas what I can do to still get decent sound in this room.

 

[3db]

Just an idea

Why don't you place your speakers on stands on either side of the spot name entertainment center. Can you not put anymore electronics into the enterainment center? We need a little more info about that entertainment center.

 

[Shintsu]

Just an idea

Why don't you place your speakers on stands on either side of the spot name entertainment center. Can you not put anymore electronics into the enterainment center? We need a little more info about that entertainment center.

Well, I could fit them there but given where I would listen to them at I would be left of the sweet spot. I can fit electronics on the very top of the entertainment center, but there's a 31" TV inside and the glass door part at the bottom is full of a VCR, PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, SNES, and NES. Heh, it's full to say the least. Theres not actually much room in-between the entertainment center and the door like I drew it, but I could move the thing over some. Still, the right speaker would be aimed at the window and I don't sit there.

 

[Pyrrho]

I think 3db's suggestion is a good one. Given where you will be listening, you are not going to be able to set it up perfectly. You might want the speaker that will be to the right of the entertainment center aimed in the direction of where you will be when you most often listen. With a mono source (or simply switch the stereo/mono switch to mono, if you have such a switch on your stereo), adjust the balance control to make the volume from each speaker to be equal at the point where you will be listening. Then switch the system back to stereo and enjoy.

Alternatively, if the head of the bed would fit between the entrance door and the closet (where the red X is), you could put the speakers on the opposing wall (where the bed is now) and have the speakers properly spaced for where you will be listening. The entertainment center would be moved to the wall opposite of the head of the bed (where the bed is now), and the dresser might be put along that wall as well. But then you would have to walk around the bed to get from the door to the closet. Of course, if you are really an audiophile, only what will get you the best sound will matter.

As a bit of trivia, my wife was somewhat surprised the first time we moved in together, as I first set up the room for the stereo, and everything else went in according to that. She, however, liked the results, and is not surprised that that is the first consideration for me whenever we move into a new place.

 

[Shintsu]

Thanks for the suggestion Pyrrho, that actually isn't a bad idea. I thought about setting it up like this:

Except there is not enough room between there. It's just not possible.

In any case, I have to put this on hold. I'm flat broke after today. I bough the Infinity Qe speakers after an A-B comparison narrowing it from the Linn's, PSB's, Polk's, and JBL's. My final A-B was between these Infinity's and the PSB's. Easily to me the best sounding speakers of the bunch (didn't listen to the Celestians - out of the price range). I decided to replace my Polk R50s with bookshelves - they will give better imaging in my small room.

Given $90 for the Infinity's and $20 for some nice solid metal stands for them and $300 I spent on a computer monitor (Samsung 244T), I'm busted for the time being. I need to sell my old monitor and speakers before I'll have some toy around money again! Thanks for all the advice guys, I did a blind 1-2 comparison to pick the Infinity's out over the PSB's.

 

[Midcow2]

Sony SS-B3000 or Cambridge Audio S30

What is your budget for speakers?
Are you looking for a bookshelf + sub, or just 2 speakers.

I would cross out the Sony's. I have never heard a good pair of speakers by them.

I would cross out the Altec Lansing. They make ok computer speakers. Their larger speakers left me wanting.


I would suspect that you won't find much because they are probably older cheap speakers.

Hey Reorx, you need to listen to the Sony SS-B3000. They sound very good for the price $74 per pair plus shipping
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/493591-REG/Sony_SS_B3000_SS_B3000_3_Way_Bookshelf_Speakers.html

However for $219 delivered, the Cambridge Audio S30 speakers are awesome for the price. http://spearitsound.amazonwebstore.com/Cambridge-Audio-S30-Speakers-Natural-Oak/M/B00196SJOI.htm?traffic_src=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=froogle

The other speakers on you list I do not have direct experince with so I won't comment.

Good Luck!

MidCow2

 

[Pyrrho]

Thanks for the suggestion Pyrrho, that actually isn't a bad idea. I thought about setting it up like this:

Except there is not enough room between there. It's just not possible.

In any case, I have to put this on hold. I'm flat broke after today. I bough the Infinity Qe speakers after an A-B comparison narrowing it from the Linn's, PSB's, Polk's, and JBL's. My final A-B was between these Infinity's and the PSB's. Easily to me the best sounding speakers of the bunch (didn't listen to the Celestians - out of the price range). I decided to replace my Polk R50s with bookshelves - they will give better imaging in my small room.

Given $90 for the Infinity's and $20 for some nice solid metal stands for them and $300 I spent on a computer monitor (Samsung 244T), I'm busted for the time being. I need to sell my old monitor and speakers before I'll have some toy around money again! Thanks for all the advice guys, I did a blind 1-2 comparison to pick the Infinity's out over the PSB's.

I am not surprised that you picked the Infinity speakers. Many people love the old Emit Infinity speakers, and I remember liking them very much when I heard some back in the 1970's. At the time, they were just too expensive for me, so I did not buy them (I remember joking that the name of the speaker was a reference to their price).

I now have something with a similar type of tweeter, though it is a bit different. Here is a link to the current version of the speaker I have:

http://www.kellsieavdesign.com/products/Leisure2SE.htm

Anyway, it is good to try to think of creative ways of arranging one's room so that one can listen at a point half way between the speakers. Often, rooms and the furniture one has do not allow an ideal setup, and then one must simply do the best one can.

 

[Shintsu]

I am not surprised that you picked the Infinity speakers. Many people love the old Emit Infinity speakers, and I remember liking them very much when I heard some back in the 1970's. At the time, they were just too expensive for me, so I did not buy them (I remember joking that the name of the speaker was a reference to their price).

I now have something with a similar type of tweeter, though it is a bit different. Here is a link to the current version of the speaker I have:

http://www.kellsieavdesign.com/products/Leisure2SE.htm

Anyway, it is good to try to think of creative ways of arranging one's room so that one can listen at a point half way between the speakers. Often, rooms and the furniture one has do not allow an ideal setup, and then one must simply do the best one can.

Nice looking speakers! Well above my price range though. Hard for me to imagine comparing pricey speakers with other pricey speakers. Some have told me that expensive speakers don't always sound better than cheaper ones though (Certainly not what I'd wanna hear after spending a lot of money on a set though).

 

[3db]

I think 3db's suggestion is a good one. Given where you will be listening, you are not going to be able to set it up perfectly. You might want the speaker that will be to the right of the entertainment center aimed in the direction of where you will be when you most often listen. With a mono source (or simply switch the stereo/mono switch to mono, if you have such a switch on your stereo), adjust the balance control to make the volume from each speaker to be equal at the point where you will be listening. Then switch the system back to stereo and enjoy.

Alternatively, if the head of the bed would fit between the entrance door and the closet (where the red X is), you could put the speakers on the opposing wall (where the bed is now) and have the speakers properly spaced for where you will be listening. The entertainment center would be moved to the wall opposite of the head of the bed (where the bed is now), and the dresser might be put along that wall as well. But then you would have to walk around the bed to get from the door to the closet. Of course, if you are really an audiophile, only what will get you the best sound will matter.

As a bit of trivia, my wife was somewhat surprised the first time we moved in together, as I first set up the room for the stereo, and everything else went in according to that. She, however, liked the results, and is not surprised that that is the first consideration for me whenever we move into a new place.

Your wife accomodated you? Wowl. Lucky guy. For me it came to trench warfare and an uneasy truce. She can have the rest of the house and I got the basement setup that I wanted. *L*

 

[3db]

Thanks for the suggestion Pyrrho, that actually isn't a bad idea. I thought about setting it up like this:

Except there is not enough room between there. It's just not possible.

In any case, I have to put this on hold. I'm flat broke after today. I bough the Infinity Qe speakers after an A-B comparison narrowing it from the Linn's, PSB's, Polk's, and JBL's. My final A-B was between these Infinity's and the PSB's. Easily to me the best sounding speakers of the bunch (didn't listen to the Celestians - out of the price range). I decided to replace my Polk R50s with bookshelves - they will give better imaging in my small room.

Given $90 for the Infinity's and $20 for some nice solid metal stands for them and $300 I spent on a computer monitor (Samsung 244T), I'm busted for the time being. I need to sell my old monitor and speakers before I'll have some toy around money again! Thanks for all the advice guys, I did a blind 1-2 comparison to pick the Infinity's out over the PSB's.

Congrats

 

[Pyrrho]

Nice looking speakers! Well above my price range though. Hard for me to imagine comparing pricey speakers with other pricey speakers. Some have told me that expensive speakers don't always sound better than cheaper ones though (Certainly not what I'd wanna hear after spending a lot of money on a set though).

I like the sound of them very much, and have not heard less expensive speakers that I like as much. And they look much better in person than in any picture I have ever seen of them. If you ever have the money for them, and can find a place to audition them, I recommend listening to them. In my home theater, with a pair of SVS CS-Ultra subwoofers (a discontinued model), I do not feel any need to upgrade my speakers, ever.

 

[Pyrrho]

Your wife accomodated you? Wowl. Lucky guy. For me it came to trench warfare and an uneasy truce. She can have the rest of the house and I got the basement setup that I wanted. *L*

I find it interesting all of the troubles that so many married people report with their spouses. My wife and I have a great relationship. We are not just married; we are friends, who actually like each other (in my opinion, this is the main key to getting along; my advice, to any single person contemplating marriage, do not do it, unless the person is also your best friend). We both understand the concept of give and take, and both are willing to allow that the other person, being another person, is likely to have a different opinion about something occasionally. We both are willing to be reasonable about such things, and are both willing to make some accommodations for each other.

As for being lucky, I was lucky I met her, but the decision to marry her instead of some crazy person was not a matter of luck. Marrying her was a good and, if I do say so myself, intelligent decision. Marrying someone who is crazy is, well, crazy.

 

[Reorx]

Hey Reorx, you need to listen to the Sony SS-B3000. They sound very good for the price $74 per pair plus shipping
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/493591-REG/Sony_SS_B3000_SS_B3000_3_Way_Bookshelf_Speakers.html
MidCow2

I'll run down to circuit city to go listen to them.
I've become pretty harsh when listening to speakers in my old age (33). There are too many brands, and models out there. Hopefully the crappy economy will weed out some of the crap.

To the op.
Grats on your decision, and purchases. As long as you are happy, that's what matters.

Square speakers...I've been told by many, and have read that you should stay away from them. They are generally inaccurate, and have more distortion then round. I've only heard 1 pair of squares a few yrs ago, in a bookshelf, and they didnt sound to hot.

 

[Shintsu]

I'll run down to circuit city to go listen to them.
I've become pretty harsh when listening to speakers in my old age (33). There are too many brands, and models out there. Hopefully the crappy economy will weed out some of the crap.

To the op.
Grats on your decision, and purchases. As long as you are happy, that's what matters.

Square speakers...I've been told by many, and have read that you should stay away from them. They are generally inaccurate, and have more distortion then round. I've only heard 1 pair of squares a few yrs ago, in a bookshelf, and they didnt sound to hot.

Might wanna time going to Circuit City a bit, they're shutting down all 570+ stores they still had open in the US. Wait long enough and they'll have some good sales on their audio equipment. So far I haven't seen any good deals but maybe they'll be like CompUSA and end up with 50% off sales on some pretty high priced goods.

Trust me, the Sony's use Acurate Pistonic Motion (APM) and they sound great. They were too boomy to me though, and more expensive than the Infinity's. I don't think in their case that the square driver made much of a difference, other than being boomier than I cared for they had good highs and mids.