Bookshelf Speaker Advice

Ikura

Active Member
Hello all,

I am looking for advice after searching the internet and not feeling confident in my choosing a pair of bookshelf speakers. I have a Kenwood KR4140 in the bedroom and have a pair of KLH 911B's I picked up and cleaned from GW. I am not a fan of the way they sound and was looking to purchase new pair (new to me) of speakers as there is nothing in NH on CL or FB.

I have looked into, read about, listed to youtube videos of the following speakers, Boston Acoustics HD5, NHT Superzero 2.1 mini's, Technics SB-F1, Polk RTi A1, Polk Audio Signature Series S15, Klipsch R-14M , Polk Audio TSi100, and one or two others (the SuperOne2.1 but that was 179.00 for ONE speaker! LOL) And are Fluance bookshelf speakers even an option? Or the Polk T15 for 49.99 and save up for the 200.00 options?

It looked like I could get a pair for about 100.00 but then more research showed some models closer to 200.00 that had glowing reviews and looked pretty sweet (looks are very secondary to me though). Wood grain or cherry would be nice to match the wood grain on the receiver.

What are your thoughts? At the under 200.00 prices range, do 100.00 and 200.00 speakers sounds close enough not to worry? Might the 200.00 pair be over kill for a bedroom stereo system? If you had to pick a pair of the listed speaks may I ask which paid you pick up and why?

Thanks for reading and your time.
 
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I have listened to or owned most of what you listed -- one of the best under $200 speakers are the Sony Core bookshelf, and they are an ear opener.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-c...QLlTJRY6iGathqnUDrhxF5M8obkev3uhoCmhsQAvD_BwE

The Cambridge Audio Minx XL would be really nice
https://www.accessories4less.com/ma...25-2-way-bookshelf-speakers-white-pair/1.html

The Polk S15 would not be a bad choice

The NHT SuperZero's are nice, but they are lacking in bass.

The Fluance speakers I owned had some problems
 
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Thank you, I have never even heard of the the Sony’s. This is why I joined this site. I will go read up on them now.
 
If you want to keep open the option of used speakers, there is a very active contingent of AKers in the New England area. As a subscriber, you could place a WTB(Wanting To Buy) ad in Barter Town. Bookshelves are easier to collect and possibly ship but there may be some options through BT that are within driving distance.
 
But which speakers to WTB is the question. Or is it find what’s available and keep upgrading even if what is available is not the end product?
 
If you place a WTB with many of the criteria you have stated here you will probably get many offers.
1. Price you have already defined.
2. Your amplifier is already defined.
3. Are there space issues that would put a limit on size?
4. Will they be against a wall or on a shelf, if so that might exclude anything rear ported.
5. Will you eventually be adding a sub?

The folks in BT want you to be happy with your purchase from them. From my experience here they tend to have more bookshelf type speakers available as they take up less space than floor standers.

I usually buy used local. I did pick up a sweet deal through BT on 2 larger 8" "bookshelf" speakers. The 2 hour drive to Chicago to pick them up was worth it and I got to meet a fellow AKer.:) I am satisfied with what I'm listening to now but would always keep open the possibility of upgrading.

You may find a deal that allows you to get a large chunk of your cost back by reselling as you upgrade. Speakers are very subjective and the best way to audition them is with your equipment in your listening room. Nothing wrong with taking your time and researching here as the offers come in.

My only experience with smaller bookshelves are my pair of Klipsch KB-15 which I bought new for $100 back in January. When they came out(2011) they were originally over $200. I would expect some deals on those Klipsch Reference series as they have been out since 2014.
 
I'm a big fan of NHT. The SuperZeros sell for around $100/pair, are very small and sound very good but they definitely lack bass. For anything other than talk radio or background music you'll soon want some low frequency augmentation. The NHT SuperOne goes for around $150+/pair, is just as good and goes down about another octave. It can stand alone pretty well.

Another speaker option that's growing in popularity is the JBL LSR305. About $300/pair new, less than $200 used. They don't integrate easily into an existing system, but for building a new system from scratch they have a lot going for them. They are self powered and have their own amplifiers built in. And they take signal cables instead of speaker cables. They sound fantastic.
 
I have listened to or owned most of what you listed -- one of the best under $200 speakers are the Sony Core bookshelf, and they are an ear opener.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-c...QLlTJRY6iGathqnUDrhxF5M8obkev3uhoCmhsQAvD_BwE

Those Sony's seem to be on sale at BB for $74.99 if I am reading that correctly. They seem even better at that price.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-c...f-speakers-pair-black/5721014.p?skuId=5721014

Question though, will the 87dB be OK for a Kenwood KR4140's 18W's? I dont usually go past 12 oclock on the volume even when the family is out. The Polk T15's are 49.98 a pair at BB also, would them being 89dB make them a better buy? or does the quality/build of the Sony make them better a 87 db than the Polk's? I dont think i can afford the 94-96 dB speakers I have seen out there. So would getting the Sony's and upgrading to a more power receiver be the answer?

The POLK SIGNATURE S15 are 90dB and 100.00 more than the Sony's, would I notice that difference for the price differential? I listened to those in the store, but they were hooked up to the in store sound system where they play music and movies from...
 
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Those Sony's seem to be on sale at BB for $74.99 if I am reading that correctly. They seem even better at that price.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-c...f-speakers-pair-black/5721014.p?skuId=5721014

Question though, will the 87dB be OK for a Kenwood KR4140's 18W's? I dont usually go past 12 oclock on the volume even when the family is out. The Polk T15's are 49.98 a pair at BB also, would them being 89dB make them a better buy? or does the quality/build of the Sony make them better a 87 db than the Polk's? I dont think i can afford the 94-96 dB speakers I have seen out there. So would getting the Sony's and upgrading to a more power receiver be the answer?
Yes they are $74. 99 a pair -- $73 at Amazon

The Sony in room is about 89 db and the Sony is clearly better than the Polk -- All in all, I would still work on getting a better amp or receiver if you can.

The SMSL Amp will have better power over the Kenwood
https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-T...pID=41ZJRL36sHL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
 
Hi all, I ended up picking up a pair of Klipsch R-15M. What is the best way to break them in? Just play them at normal volume (between 2-4) for so many hours or find a song with some bass that makes the speakers move for a certain number of hours? What have you done to break in your new speakers and how many hours give or take do you suggest? Thanks!
 
I'm a huge fan of JBL speakers and some of their newer, inexpensive offerings sound really impressive. I own the Studio 230s and they are remarkable and can be had on sale for $300 a pair (usually with free shipping from JBL). I also own the Studio 580 speakers (again, awesome).

https://www.jbl.com/loudspeakers/
 
Hi all, I ended up picking up a pair of Klipsch R-15M. What is the best way to break them in? Just play them at normal volume (between 2-4) for so many hours or find a song with some bass that makes the speakers move for a certain number of hours? What have you done to break in your new speakers and how many hours give or take do you suggest? Thanks!

A far better choice than the Sony's when using an 18 WPC reciever. Good job. Dont worry about breaking them in, just listen to them and enjoy!
 
Hi all, I ended up picking up a pair of Klipsch R-15M. What is the best way to break them in? Just play them at normal volume (between 2-4) for so many hours or find a song with some bass that makes the speakers move for a certain number of hours? What have you done to break in your new speakers and how many hours give or take do you suggest? Thanks!
Just hook them up and listen as normal -- they will more than likely break you in
 
New to the site. Finally pulled the trigger on a pair of wharfdale dentons mainly because of the huge price break.Are they that bad ? The prices are all over the place paid $400. Did I goof?
 
New to the site. Finally pulled the trigger on a pair of wharfdale dentons mainly because of the huge price break.Are they that bad ? The prices are all over the place paid $400. Did I goof?
What's the reason for your worries? The Denton's are pretty excellent speakers in their own right but keep in mind that different people have different taste in sound. At $400 the Denton's are a ridiculous value but that shouldn't be the biggest factor in choosing them, that would be wwhether you like or don't like the sound and only you can answer that.
 
The NHT super ones are a great speaker, I had 4 of them. Don't look at the 2.1, you can find the originals on ebay for $100-$150 a pair or less all the time.
 
They are the best built speaker at that price. Real wood veneer vs vinyl.

Polk RTiA3 real Cherry veneer on sale for $239.99 A buddy just got a pair and it makes speakers like Elacs look like they came from a Yorx boom box. He returned his Elacs to get them. Elacs sound great, look really awful.

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