3k for speakers

Probably not bookshelfs or anything absurdly large. In a 16x14 room. Thoughts?

I'm leaning toward Kef r500's but i do feel like buying used and resalable is almost always a better idea?

thanks,
Nate

 

What would you like that the R500s don’t give you?

 

I have heard such good things but when i listened to them at echo the other day they didn't sound that great - i think that could be their setup - they were running them through parasound stuff and it wasn't super impressive. I'll probably get them i just wanted to sound the waters for other opinions?

 

I'd be looking Harbeth.

 

Harbeth

 

I think they are very resolving and coherent, but I don’t ultimately LOVE the sound of the metal tweeters/mids. See if you can listen to the Revel F206 or even 208. They seem to in a sweet spot with their wave guide technology at the moment.

I don’t know that you will get the range of frequency for three bills in the Harbeth world.

 

thanks for all the input guys - Kefdirect had a an open box pair in the color i wanted for 2079 shipped and that made it a pretty easy choice. $1000 dollars or records or food is hard to argue with!

 

Let me guess: a shoebox-sized speaker with bass extension down to 65 Hz mated to 85 db efficiency.

 

You might be able to get a nice ProAc pair in this budget. Edit - Now I see the deal is done.

 

Too bad. Excellent suggestions, ProAc and Harbeth. ATC are worth taking a look at as well, in that price range.

 

My brother has a pair of the R500s in a room about the same size and they sound great. I find them to be a very good speaker for the money. They have a very clean and well balanced sound quality. I think you'll like them a lot. Good luck.

 

Check out DeVore Fidelity. The Gibbon series is probably in your price range new, but you can definitely get these used as a lot of people are selling them to upgrade to more expensive DeVore's. These speakers are really easy to drive and you get a lot of sound for the money. I'd buy these even if you can't hear them locally. If you don't like the sound, it seems like these sell pretty quickly and DeVore's reputation seems likely to continue improving. Plus, their speakers are deceptively beautiful.

http://www.devorefidelity.com/gibbons.html

 

Pair of beautiful used Devore's down there in the USA...

http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/deta...bin-super-8-italian-ebony-amp-birdseye-maple/

 

While my possible budget was larger (up to $5k, I think), I was on my own speaker quest not that long ago and detailed it here:

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/my-speaker-quest.331233/

I listened to Harbeth (multiple times), Spendor, KEF, Triangle and a whole slew of others. The Nola Contenders I bought were listed for $3500, but I got them for over $1k less, so it's always worth asking for a discount. They are not bookshelf speakers OR absurdly large.

...I am still loving the Contenders.

 

I really enjoy the sound of the Focal speakers, might want to look at them too.

 

Uhhh...he already bought some speakers.

 

That's OK, I still like to see more suggestions as people discover the thread

 

Sorry... missed that. So sue me.

edited to add -

Speaking SOLELY for myself, but I really needed to be impressed to part with my money, and that meant listening to a pretty good number of possibles. Buying a pair you didn't really like the sound of? I hope that works out for you.

 

I like Spendor and Proac speakers, so I ditto those suggestions. I would add the following to the list of good speakers in that range worth auditioning:

LSA 2 tower speakers; Odyssey Audio Lorelei.

 

I think i'll be okay. They are just speakers and I'm sure they won't be the last. They weren't hooked up to great gear I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now. Even in portland it's not that realistic to listen to more than a few brands and a lot of people like these. Also I'd always rather buy a speaker with good resale value so if I get sick of it I can move it. These will be good for at least what I've paid for them. People can say what they want about B&W's but i've cleared $2400 between the last two pairs of speakers I've sold.

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't come onto my thread and be a total downer

 

Sorry, man. They seem to get decent reviews. I do, honestly, hope it works out.

 

Have you had the opportunity to listen to them in your room/place/space?

 

nah they aren't getting here until next monday

I'll post up when I have gotten to hear them

 

Good

 

If your going to spend that kind of money then look at the Audio note Speakers, such as the AN-K SPE or the AN-J models. i use a pair of AN-K SPE in a room that measures 13' x 12' and they are by far the best Ive had to date, and Ive had quite a few pairs of speakers, the best about the AN speakers is that you can push them right on the corner of the room and they just, well, sort of get out of the way and let the music flow.