Bookshelf speaker recommendations

[besjr]

Hi everyone, guess I'm kinda a newbie again since I've been out of the A/V market for a while. I started out in the mid to late 90s with my first dive into A/V. The first dolby digital receivers were being offered to the consumer for a decent price so I took the dive. I ended up with a Yamaha RX-V995 receiver and some Definitive speakers. As time went on, I got married, and flat TVs were becoming the norm. My wife decided she didn't like the bulky floor standing/bookshelf setup I had so I decided to get something a little more esthetically pleasing. I ended up getting some Paradigm Cinema 330s for the center/left/right and the Cinema 90s as the rears. Fast forward to today, I have now been divorced for a little over 2 years. I had just been doing the bluetooth speaker thing, but decided I want to set up a decent bookshelf system.

Anyway, sorry for my life story...lol. I ended up picking up some used Paradigm Studio 20 v3 speakers...which have very good reviews over the years, but are a little older than I had realized. I still had my subwoofer from my previous theater system, which is a Acoustech PL-200 12", so I paired that with the speakers for a 2.1 system. Then on the recommendation of some audiophile guys, and the many positive reviews I saw, I ended up getting a Cambridge CXA61 Integrated Stereo Amplifier, which I will agree with the reviews, it's an amazing stereo amp.

All this being said I can't help but question if there might be a better option out there for bookshelf speakers. The Paradigm Studio 20 v3's sound great with the Cambridge Stereo Amp, but the age of the speakers...which is around 20-25 years old...have me wondering what else might be out there. I'm looking to spend around $1k or a little less, for a pair of bookshelf speakers, but after looking around online, I realized there are so many options from throughout the years.

So here I am looking for recommendation on bookshelf speakers in the $1k or less range. They can be the latest speakers that are out, or used is fine as well. I'm just really looking to get the best bang for the buck. I know there is not one speaker that is for everyone and sound reproductions is very subjective, but just trying to find some sort of baseline of what are considered some of the better bookshelf speakers out there. What does everyone recommend? Or are the Paradigm Studio 20 V3 speakers I have good enough? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks!

-Bruce

p.s. Oh and as far as what music I listen too...well I have a pretty broad range of genres. Not really into classical or jazz, but anywhere from oldies(50s/60s), classic rock/pop/r&b, classic/modern country, hard rock, metal, new wave, prog rock, maybe a little older rap, and so on...

 

[diwit]

Hi everyone, guess I'm kinda a newbie again since I've been out of the A/V market for a while. I started out in the mid to late 90s with my first dive into A/V. The first dolby digital receivers were being offered to the consumer for a decent price so I took the dive. I ended up with a Yamaha RX-V995 receiver and some Definitive speakers. As time went on, I got married, and flat TVs were becoming the norm. My wife decided she didn't like the bulky floor standing/bookshelf setup I had so I decided to get something a little more esthetically pleasing. I ended up getting some Paradigm Cinema 330s for the center/left/right and the Cinema 90s as the rears. Fast forward to today, I have now been divorced for a little over 2 years. I had just been doing the bluetooth speaker thing, but decided I want to set up a decent bookshelf system.

Anyway, sorry for my life story...lol. I ended up picking up some used Paradigm Studio 20 v3 speakers...which have very good reviews over the years, but are a little older than I had realized. I still had my subwoofer from my previous theater system, which is a Acoustech PL-200 12", so I paired that with the speakers for a 2.1 system. Then on the recommendation of some audiophile guys, and the many positive reviews I saw, I ended up getting a Cambridge CXA61 Integrated Stereo Amplifier, which I will agree with the reviews, it's an amazing stereo amp.

All this being said I can't help but question if there might be a better option out there for bookshelf speakers. The Paradigm Studio 20 v3's sound great with the Cambridge Stereo Amp, but the age of the speakers...which is around 20-25 years old where...have me wondering what else might be out there. I'm looking to spend around $1k or a little less, for a pair of bookshelf speakers, but after looking around online, I realized there are so many options from throughout the years.

So here I am looking for recommendation on bookshelf speakers in the $1k or less range. They can be the latest speakers that are out, or used is fine as well. I'm just really looking to get the best bang for the buck. I know there is not one speaker that is for everyone and sound reproductions is very subjective, but just trying to find some sort of baseline of what are considered some of the better bookshelf speakers out there. What does everyone recommend? Or are the Paradigm Studio 20 V3 speakers I have good enough? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks!

-Bruce

p.s. Oh and as far as what music I listen too...well I have a pretty broad range of genres. Not really into classical or jazz, but anywhere from oldies(50s/60s), classic rock/pop/r&b, classic/modern country, hard rock, metal, new wave, prog rock, maybe a little older rap, and so on...

I managed to come across a solid find of audio gear, consisting of a Denon AVR-3311CI, a AudioSource AMP-310, and a Polk Audio DSW Pro 440wi sub. I have managed to set it up in the corner of my fairly small room, and with bookshelf speakers mounted via wall mounts, it will see some mixed usage. Problem is I don't have a modicum of knowledge to know what is good and what is crap when it comes to speakers. Which is why I kindly ask for assistance to figure out what I should buy.

 

[Wardog555]

Have a look at polk reserve r200.

It's best to try it out. If you can. I own these myself and are quite wonderful. For music these are great too!

 

[MrBoat]

While I have no recommendations for brands, being there are so many now, I would say if you hadn't done it before, about the most noticeable difference from good speakers decades ago, is integrating a subwoofer or two and bass management to whatever you get now and especially with bookshelf speakers.

For me personally, any bookshelf speaker under 8" tends to be pretty underwhelming for full range, whole room use, but I like louder, life-sized sound so YMMV. IMO, displacement is important with regard to scale. Subs tend to add a lot of that displacement back into the equation.

Overbearing spouses are possibly the biggest challenge to audio. If I had such a condition, I'd ship her off to her sister's or back to her mom's house for a spell until she figured out just who the other half of this house belongs to.

 

[j_garcia]

This is a duplicate thread.... mods please combine.

 

[EthicalEar]

I'm a Paradigm fan. Age shouldn't be an issue unless they are damaged, or falling apart such as the material surrounding the cone. I've got the Studio 20 V5 in my office where I am for most of my life while I work. I'm fine with them. I see their price reduced online because of newer models but newer isn't always better. If your going to spend on speakers, I would suggest a dealer and giving them a listen if possible. I did get a used speaker online from Ebay once and had good luck with it, but I wouldn't recommend that.
Sorry about your divorce. My wife has adapted to having speakers everywhere. It's only when the volume goes to high and it's not John Denver or Joanna Newsome, then she complains or goes into another room to knit something. On a good note, she even likes Rush now! It just took quality gear for her to hear the positive messages in the lyrics of the songs. I wonder if Rush was influenced by John Denver...Nah.

 

[j_garcia]

Bookshelf Speaker Recommendations

Hi everyone, I've been out of the A/V market for a while. I started out in the mid to late 90s with my first dive into A/V. The first dolby digital receivers were being offered to the consumer for a decent price so I took the dive. I ended up with a Yamaha RX-V995 receiver and some Definitive...

forums.audioholics.com

 

[PENG]

If you have the time to do it yourself, get this one:

Philharmonic Audio BMR Philharmonitor Bookshelf Speaker Review | Audioholics

 

[besjr]

I'm a Paradigm fan. Age shouldn't be an issue unless they are damaged, or falling apart such as the material surrounding the cone. I've got the Studio 20 V5 in my office where I am for most of my life while I work. I'm fine with them. I see their price reduced online because of newer models but newer isn't always better. If your going to spend on speakers, I would suggest a dealer and giving them a listen if possible. I did get a used speaker online from Ebay once and had good luck with it, but I wouldn't recommend that.
Sorry about your divorce. My wife has adapted to having speakers everywhere. It's only when the volume goes to high and it's not John Denver or Joanna Newsome, then she complains or goes into another room to knit something. On a good note, she even likes Rush now! It just took quality gear for her to hear the positive messages in the lyrics of the songs. I wonder if Rush was influenced by John Denver...Nah.

Yep I'm a Paradigm fan as well. I actually got my studio 20s off eBay for a very good price. I kinda just got into the "what else is out there" mode since the 20s are kinda old. Regardless of if I get new ones I doubt I'll get rid of the 20s. I still have my Paradigm Cinema 330s from years ago as well. Was considering maybe just trying more Paradigm's. I've seen some good deals or the Prestige 15b speakers.
No worries on the divorce...it'll be 3 years in November and we at least made it long enough for our daughter to graduate high school. It was amicable and still is. Wasn't a bad marriage, just seems like we kinda drifted apart...wife kinda seems like she's going through a midlife crisis now...lol! That was the one thing that always bonded us as a family though...the music. Hell looking for new speakers is probably just my way of getting myself something new since I'm single now. Thanks for the advice.

-Bruce

ps...good choices with John Denver and of course one of, at least in my opinion, best/underrated groups ever RUSH!