Alright. It's my virgin post and I need help.

[That dude]

Hi,

Don't bother telling me to turn back from audio now, I'm in too deep already.

I'm currently using a very basic/budget rig consisting of "Oppo DV-980h (Source), NAD 3020i (Amp), Tannoy Mercury M2 (Speakers)". The cables I'm using are QED Silver anniversary XT and Van Den Hul CS-122. The components are on a DIY "tnt-audio FleXy table" and my speakers are on my desk sitting on $14 spikes.

As you can tell, my speakers are much in need of changing. Even though I love my system now, the tannoys tend to get conjested easily when there are multiple instuments playing at once, moreover the limited soundstage and imaging leaves more to be desired.

I'm currently looking at a budget of around $1k. Preferably a pair of bookshelves. Thanks.

P.S. I can't squeeze out more cash since I'm only a student, $1000 is my life savings at the moment.

 

[Seth=L]

Sounds like you have a pretty good plan. Just go out and audition as many speakers as you can in that price range. Usher is pretty popular in that bracket.

Don't spend too much on cables in the future as most of them don't are neutral and do not affect the sound of your system. I would not buy cables that color sound, I would consider them faulty.

 

[That dude]

Hi,

I've tried out the Ushers [edit* S-520] and I found them a little harsh/bright for my liking. Moreover they were pretty difficult to drive (86db sensitivity), hence the bass was too lean. I've been around a lot of stores and the only 2 speakers that amazed me was the Dynaudio Focus 110 and the Dynaudio Audience 52 SE. Both of which are out of my budget. Moreover if I were to upgrade my speakers, I'd have to get a more powerful power/intergrated amp and buy a pair of speaker stands. My 3020i is only a puny 25 watts, although NAD provides high current, I don't think it's sufficient.

Ideas?
Thanks.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

You can find some Paradigm Studio 40's in that price range.

Has your room been treated? That may change how you feel about the M2's.

 

[That dude]

Nope. My room is not treated. My speakers are not on stands, my floor is wood and the speakers are placed close to the wall. I know it isn't ideal but due to the size constraints of both my room and wallet, I'll just have to deal. I might get a pair of stands at the most. To spend so much on tweaks to improve an ultimately cheap pair of M2s with peeling coating of the tweeter... It's just not worth it.

I'll look into the Paradigms, thanks.

BTW, do you know the MSRP of the Tannoys when it first came out?

 

[InTheIndustry]

I'm Snowed In = You Benefit

I pulled up a bunch of my price sheets and started going through them to find some things that sound great and are at the same time unique. To me, it’s no fun to have boring speakers. The list compiled below are all very unique models from manufacturers that offer something different for your ears and eyes. All pricing (save 1 or 2) is MSRP @ $1K or less. You should be able to get a little price break and come in under your budget.

In NO particular order:

Jamo C 803 (the Apple coloring is gorgeous!) $800pair
Very laid back and detailed sound. I really like the new C 80 series which is rare because we’ve stayed away from most of the Jamo line because it’s gotten a little stale. This speaker has inject new life into Jamo in my opinion.

http://jamo.com/Default.aspx?ID=5908&M=Shop&PID=17140&ProductID=17852

BG Radia Z1 (phenomenal sound, boring esthetics) $600pair
The BG sound is incredible. We use BG in-ceiling speakers for roughly 8 out of 10 whole house audio systems my company does. I find every single one of BG’s speakers to be unique in sound. I wish they would make a prettier box, then they’d be perfect. Down side to this model is the bass is a little thin. It’s not missing. It’s just thin. Although with the money left over in your budget a sub would fix that. Life time warranty.

http://www.bgcorp.com/uploads/product_specs/Z-1-literature.pdf

Energy RC-10 (beautiful speaker, huge value) $500pair
This bookshelf speaker is a favorite of mine. The Rosewood finish is extremely class. Sound is much better then you’d have any right to expect for this amount of money. If you HAD to spend $1K I would go with the RC-30 towers. Those retail at $1K. While, yes, this is a more budget conscious choice I don’t feel that you’re compromising SQ by any stretch. Very close to the Jamo C803 and considerably less $ in the $1K price range.

http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/products/product-page.php?id=269

Energy RC-Mini w/ ESW-V8 $400pair + $500Sub = $900
This might seem strange because this speaker is rather small, but the sound out of the RC-Mini is very close (Identical cabinet materials & tweeter) to the RC-10. But, with this speaker, you could add the stand, which Energy has available (and it really looks nice). To really get great music out of these I STRONGLY suggest a sub. Maybe just a little 8” to blend the low end through. You’ll spend close to the top of your budget, but your SQ would be more complete then say just going with the RC-10. The Gloss Piano Black (GPB) finish on these with GPB on the sub would be very elegant.

http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/products/product-page.php?id=315

Sub
http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/products/product-page.php?id=341

Phase Technology PC-0.5 or PC-1.5 $800pair or $1100pair
PC stands for Premier Collection and with good reason. This speaker uses the exact same components as Phase Technology’s dARTS speaker set ($10K - $20K+) which has won many many awards and garnered rave reviews. To this day the Phase Tech dARTS system is one of, if not THE BEST theatre systems I have ever heard. Why these speakers are so special, to me, is because they use what president/engineer, Ken Hecht called the finest tweeter Phase Tech has ever designed and produced. Which essentially means: It’s got one of the best tweeters in the world. The founder of Phase Tech, Bill Hecht, invented the soft dome tweeter several decades ago and naturally started designing and building them for other manufacturers, many of which are/were on the higher end of the audio world. Phase Tech manufactures/d the tweeters found in the McIntosh reference speakers that fetch $80K a pair. The fact that this speakers tweeter is designed to perform better is quite a cool feature. The point of these details is that this is a serious speaker that houses very fine components @ a great deal. Esthetically they’re beautifully sculpted. The GPB is hot! Very full sound from either of these two with the PC-1.5 giving you a deeper bass experience with it’s 6 ½” woofer. 100% made in the USA. Even their crossover’s coiling is hand wound here in the states.

Canton $450pair and up (way up to $30Kpair if you’d like!)
Canton’s another brand that I think offers a unique approach to speaker design. Every component is designed and manufactured in Germany. To me, Canton is mainland Europe’s answer to England’s B&W. While I’m not a big fan of their in-wall/in-ceiling speakers when comparing to others out there, I feel that Canton’s box product is very very strong. Beautifully finished & beautiful sound from their entry level GLE series to their top of the line Reference Vento. Your budget would top out with their Karat line of bookshelves (Karat 720 $1200pair) if you could find a good deal.

Another brand that I like is RBH, although they really don’t have anything in this price range that I prefer over the ones I mentioned above. Very good sound, but very traditional esthetically.

Hope I’ve given you some things to consider!

 

[That dude]

Is there anyway I can thank you twice? haha

I've tried the Jamo. It was fantastic but the highs dulls in comparison to the Dynaudio (unfair fight, I know), but i want something a little more lively. Moreover, I didn't really like the look of it (black gloss?). I can't find a local BGcorp distributor. I live in Singapore. I'm very interested in the Phase Technology PC 0.5.

I'll try it out once I have the time.

Thanks for your help!

 

[johsti]

Would you consider used? Audiogon has some pretty good deals from time to time. I think there are some audience 52's that were just posted.

The Usher S-520 is a great little speaker but is intended for small rooms or used with a sub. In your price range I would check out the Usher V-601($700 retail) which would be easier to drive and produces a much fuller and less forward sound than the S-520. It is a very well made and attractive speaker that sounds great. Great value.
http://usheraudiousa.com/products/loudspeakers/v-series/v-601

if you live in the Denver area, you can get a great deal on a pair for $420
http://www.tweekgeek.com/_e/Trade_Ins_Demo_Clearance/product/UsherV-601/Usher_V_601_Loudspeaker.htm

 

[Davemcc]

There's also the Era Design 4 for $600. It's small, excellent sounding bookshelf speaker whose port design is tuned for close to wall placement. It also has stunning bass performance for its size that makes it easy to blend with a sub.