Looking for a Pair of Speakers $1500 Range

[Jimmy G]

I'm looking for a pair of speakers - to be powered by a Nakamichi AV-10 amp/receiver that I recently was GIVEN. I was planning on buying one of the the "all-in-one" Bose 5.1 systems for stereo and home theater use. My brother-in-law was so vehemently against it that he wanted to GIVE me with his Nakamichi AV-10 - to prove his point and free up some of my "bread" for some great speakers. I did come research on the amp; it's a little light on the features but everyone loves how it sounds. I'm going to forego the 5.1 system for now. I'll probably wait a year for rear speakers, center and a sub. I don't like debt.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I'm a musician and am somewhat sensitive to "OVER-hyped" bass and treble. I want the MUSIC to sound great.

thanks - jim

 

[trnqk7]

Go out and audition in your neighborhood-look for brands like B&W, Revel, Dali, Wharfdale, etc. Try some online companies, some have free shipping both ways, such as Aperion (both ways), SVS, or Axiom. There are many other brands as well-but you need to listen to see what you want.

Price range wise, you have a lot of speakers to choose from.

Dali Ikon 6's can be had for that price. Axiom M60's as well. M80's too. B&W 68? series are in that range, might be able to get CM series or a good deal on 700's as well. Other brands, I'm not sure on specific models.

Personal experience wise, I found the Dali's to be neutral, with a lot of clarity on the high end. The B&W's were neutral, with no emphasis in anyone area, but didn't appeal as much to me. Axiom M60's were "accurate" with decent bass and good high's (some find them bright-I think accurate is a better term, IMO). I went the Dali route, as you can tell from my sig and couldn't be happier for the price range.

 

[3db]

PSB's Synchronicity is a very nice sounding speaker as well with tight not bloated bass, detailed highs and realistic sounding mids. Well worth your audition time.

 

[MinusTheBear]

I was planning on buying one of the the "all-in-one" Bose 5.1 systems for stereo and home theater use. My brother-in-law was so vehemently against it that he wanted to GIVE me with his Nakamichi AV-10 - to prove his point and free up some of my "bread" for some great speakers.
thanks - jim

You have an awesome brother in law. Tell your sister, never to let him go.
Check out www.av123.com. I have read a lot of owners say that there speakers are not fatiguing at all. There speakers get rave reviews as well.

 

[gmichael]

You have an awesome brother in law. Tell your sister, never to let him go.
Check out www.av123.com. I have read a lot of owners say that there speakers are not fatiguing at all. There speakers get rave reviews as well.

I have to agree with this. I love mine.
They make a few different lines for different tastes and budgets. They'll let you try them out for 30 days and return them if you don't like them.

 

[Matt34]

Here is what I would audition:

PSB T65

Revel Concerta F12

Ascend acoustics Sierra 1 (ID)

Salk Song Towers (ID)

Rocket RS850 (ID)

Vandersteen 2CE Signature (used)

Monitor Audio GR 20

Nht Classic Four (used)

Polk Audio LSi15 (used)

Quad 22L2 (used)

*The ones marked used are speakers I found on Audiogon near your price range.

 

[Jimmy G]

Thanks - Dali IKON 6

I'm reading tons of good reviews for the Dali IKON 6s. I have to drive a couple hours to hear them - but sounds like it's worth it. It's a bit overwhelming to me - all the brands. I feel a little defeated with respect to the fact that I can run around and listen many speakers and still not hear them in MY house with MY amp. I'm thinking if I get the IKON 6s I'll be happy.

 

[mazersteven]

Here is what I would audition:

No love for the SVS MTS series of speakers?

http://www.svsound.com/products-spks-mts01.cfm

 

[jostenmeat]

I feel a little defeated with respect to the fact that I can run around and listen many speakers and still not hear them in MY house with MY amp. I'm thinking if I get the IKON 6s I'll be happy.

That's a good point. Tough cookie man! You can always ask you know. There's a local chain that sells B&W that allow a one week period to return, which is pretty nice. ID brands of course as well, shipping being one possible deterrent.

I really like Matt34's list, even if I only heard a few of them. FYI, the T65s are pretty huge imo, particularly its depth. The t55s and t45s are much less imposing in their looks. I don't know if the 22L = 22L2, but the 22L have very low tweeters as they are pretty short towers. I A/B them with some 7xx series BW towers, and the latter blew them away IMO at that time. To add to the confusion, I would try to hear Dynaudio Focus series, or B&W CM series at the given price point, whether used or new, whether towers or bookshelves. Sierra-1 would be on my short list as well.

Good luck fella.

 

[Grantc79]

I'm reading tons of good reviews for the Dali IKON 6s. I have to drive a couple hours to hear them - but sounds like it's worth it. It's a bit overwhelming to me - all the brands. I feel a little defeated with respect to the fact that I can run around and listen many speakers and still not hear them in MY house with MY amp. I'm thinking if I get the IKON 6s I'll be happy.

Where are you located?

 

[fredk]

If you are going to listen to something from Axiom, go with the M80: deeper bass, more well defined mids and trebble.

I just finished listening to some bass viola and the clarity of sound is incredible. I find the M80s very transparent with this particular disc.

ID companies like Axiom AV123 and Aperion etc. have auditioning programs where you can locate someone locally who will let you have a listen to their speakers.

Find two or three that you like and arrange to audition them in your house at the same time. Pick the best pair and send the rest back.

 

[Matt34]

No love for the SVS MTS series of speakers?

http://www.svsound.com/products-spks-mts01.cfm

I didn't want to steal your thunder.

 

[Jimmy G]

I live in Miami

I live in Miami

 

[AVRat]

You definitely need acoustic room treatments to get rid of that echo!!!

 

[gus6464]

As a Dali Ikon owner let me tell you that placement is very important with any Dali. Even the tiniest amount of toe-in will make the speaker sound bright no matter the room. Make sure they are positioned correctly when you go audition them. If you are going to be listening at a close distance (3-4ft. away from the tweeter) I suggest even toeing the speaker outwards by a bit. This will not hurt soundstage at all but instead give you a smoother top end. If you are 5ft.+ away then have them pointing straight.

 

[Soundman]

I'm looking for a pair of speakers - to be powered by a Nakamichi AV-10 amp/receiver that I recently was GIVEN. I was planning on buying one of the the "all-in-one" Bose 5.1 systems for stereo and home theater use. My brother-in-law was so vehemently against it that he wanted to GIVE me with his Nakamichi AV-10 - to prove his point and free up some of my "bread" for some great speakers. I did come research on the amp; it's a little light on the features but everyone loves how it sounds. I'm going to forego the 5.1 system for now. I'll probably wait a year for rear speakers, center and a sub. I don't like debt.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I'm a musician and am somewhat sensitive to "OVER-hyped" bass and treble. I want the MUSIC to sound great.

thanks - jim

Here you go, Man. These will leave you $100 under budget to buy some CD's with, plus free shipping. These speakers are very easy to listen too, not fatauging at all. I love these speakers.

 

[Soundman]

Here you go, Man. These will leave you $100 under budget to buy some CD's with, plus free shipping. These speakers are very easy to listen too, not fatauging at all. I love these speakers.

Sorry. Forgot the link: http://av123.com/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,shop.flypage/product_id,27/category_id,19/manufacturer_id,0/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,37/

 

[abboudc]

I'm looking for a pair of speakers - to be powered by a Nakamichi AV-10 amp/receiver that I recently was GIVEN. I was planning on buying one of the the "all-in-one" Bose 5.1 systems for stereo and home theater use. My brother-in-law was so vehemently against it that he wanted to GIVE me with his Nakamichi AV-10 - to prove his point and free up some of my "bread" for some great speakers. I did come research on the amp; it's a little light on the features but everyone loves how it sounds. I'm going to forego the 5.1 system for now. I'll probably wait a year for rear speakers, center and a sub. I don't like debt.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I'm a musician and am somewhat sensitive to "OVER-hyped" bass and treble. I want the MUSIC to sound great.

thanks - jim

Any preference -- bookshelves or towers?

In the bookshelf category, i'd audition the Ascend CBM-340's.

Towers -- so many great choices in your budget. Salk SongTowers would be near the top of my list. Rocket 850's are nice (if you can get them...usually on backorder), or B&W's.

It's tough to recommend speakers as everyone has different preferences...some like a bright speaker, others hate them. Some like them laid back, others don't. If you went down to a local store and got a sense of what brands you liked and didn't, and reported back here, most people could make better recommendations -- at and very least tell you where to find the speakers you liked cheaper

 

[Wolverine72]

Any preference -- bookshelves or towers?

In the bookshelf category, i'd audition the Ascend CBM-340's.

Towers -- so many great choices in your budget. Salk SongTowers would be near the top of my list. Rocket 850's are nice (if you can get them...usually on backorder), or B&W's.

It's tough to recommend speakers as everyone has different preferences...some like a bright speaker, others hate them. Some like them laid back, others don't. If you went down to a local store and got a sense of what brands you liked and didn't, and reported back here, most people could make better recommendations -- at and very least tell you where to find the speakers you liked cheaper

I have to 2nd MinusTheBear for giving kudos to your brother-in-law for steering you away from Bose. I also agree with ABBOUDC above - you really should take some quality time and audition speakers at local dealers so you can identify your own musical taste. For all the rave reviews for internet-sold models, stats or even user reviews, you really can't get a feeling for what sounds good to YOU.

Take along some of your favorite CDs which include female or male vocals. Live jazz recordings are excellent as well to help test the full range. If you have a pair of quality headphones (like Grados), listen to a recording first on those to give a sense of the nuances of a particular recording before hitting the stores. Your ears will thank you!

Personally, I'm a bit biased towards B&Ws - particularly the CM series as of late. Considering B&W's reputation for their 800 series and trickle-down technology, you can hardly go wrong. Some other recommended speakers people have made make me wish I had better access to audio dealers to audition.

Good luck and happy listening!

 

[cubbie5150]

I second the recommendation for Salk Songtowers!! Just bump up your budget a little to cover shipping, and get a "standard" finish, voila!! Audio nirvana at a budget price.. I finally got to hear a pair earlier tonight, and man, if I were in the market for a lower cost tower, these would be it!!