Recommended Modern Speakers

[Navy Guy]

Some speakers that I have heard that I was really impressed by but do not own are Dynaudio. The dealer over here had them in the store the last time I went and he was just raving about how good they were since they updated their line recently. I think I listened to the Focus 100 to them and comapered them to some Focal Electra Be's which are about twice the price of the Dynaudios. I was very surprised at how much better the Dynaudios sounded. I had heard the Focals before and really liked them. In fact I almost bought a set of floor models he was offering at a significant discount. I'm now thinking about getting a pair of the Dynaudios to use in a bedroom system at some point in the future because of this audition.

 

[Curse]

I have been running a set of B&W 685 bookshelf speakers for about two months. These were £400 new / free delivery.

This is the most I have ever spent on speakers, albeit not much in 'audiophile' terms. I am very happy with them - they are open, detailed and pack a lot of punch running through my recently acquired, fantastic sounding Sansui AU-9900.

I think these are extremely hard to beat for the money. Accusations of sounding 'laid back' are utterly false as far as I'm concerned - I listen to all sorts of different music, but mostly metal, and these things throw it at you with aplomb, though never sounding harsh or overly bright.

I can listen for hours, though there are never enough free ones in a day

The web is rife with people complaining that these are built in China. This is true, BUT the factory is a B&W factory, with their own engineers. Build quality hasn't suffered, it seems they can just pack more speaker in for the money by moving production.

 

[davidro]

Those people who complain about products made in China will have a pretty tough time living a life without Chinese products.

 

[entex]

Some speakers that I have heard that I was really impressed by but do not own are Dynaudio. The dealer over here had them in the store the last time I went and he was just raving about how good they were since they updated their line recently. I think I listened to the Focus 100 to them and comapered them to some Focal Electra Be's which are about twice the price of the Dynaudios. I was very surprised at how much better the Dynaudios sounded. I had heard the Focals before and really liked them. In fact I almost bought a set of floor models he was offering at a significant discount. I'm now thinking about getting a pair of the Dynaudios to use in a bedroom system at some point in the future because of this audition.

I'm a huge fan of the Dynaudio Contour S1.4s. They are voiced a lot different than other modern speakers. They're blatantly laid back and bassy, but do not sacrifice clarity. They're so warm and smooth that you could listen to them 24 hours a day and not tire of them.

The internet seems to love the Special 25s, which I've not heard, but they look awesome.

 

[entex]

I have been running a set of B&W 685 bookshelf speakers for about two months. These were £400 new / free delivery.

This is the most I have ever spent on speakers, albeit not much in 'audiophile' terms. I am very happy with them - they are open, detailed and pack a lot of punch running through my recently acquired, fantastic sounding Sansui AU-9900.

I think these are extremely hard to beat for the money. Accusations of sounding 'laid back' are utterly false as far as I'm concerned - I listen to all sorts of different music, but mostly metal, and these things throw it at you with aplomb, though never sounding harsh or overly bright.

I can listen for hours, though there are never enough free ones in a day

The web is rife with people complaining that these are built in China. This is true, BUT the factory is a B&W factory, with their own engineers. Build quality hasn't suffered, it seems they can just pack more speaker in for the money by moving production.

My MA speakers are made in China. I agree with your last paragraph. I believe the tradeoff is higher quality components for cheaper labor. As long as the company does it right with quality control, the build quality won't suffer.

The Sansui receiver is considered to be somewhat bright, correct? I think most Japanese amps have that reputation. So, that surprises me that you say the 685s don't sound bright, even listening to metal. It's been a while since I've heard 685s, but this makes me want to try them again. Everyone seems to love them. They're certainly an attractive looking speaker.

 

[mfhale]

I wouldn't call any Sansui of that vintage bright - rather warm, in fact. That's why it's a good match to the B&Ws, IMO. I have not heard the combo mentioned, but I did run a Sansui BA-2000/CA-2000 with a pair of B&W DM1600 for awhile...very good pairing.

 

[entex]

I wouldn't call any Sansui of that vintage bright - rather warm, in fact. That's why it's a good match to the B&Ws, IMO. I have not heard the combo mentioned, but I did run a Sansui BA-2000/CA-2000 with a pair of B&W DM1600 for awhile...very good pairing.

That era of blackface/silver knob sansui integrated amps are absolutely beautiful and look really well made. I'd love a refurbished one some day. I've never owned one though. I owned a 2000x that was ear-stinging bright. I guess it depends on the amp series from Sansui. The G-xxxx series and x0x0 series are damn good.

 

[Bigerik]

Folks, can we get back on track here? Shockingly, there are other places on AK to discuss vintage audio than this thread.

 

[davidro]

Usher S-520

These speakers sound like they look. Compact, precise, fast, crisp, clear & cool.

We mostly strive for speakers that are well-balanced. Yet sometimes you feel like something edgy and hot in the high. Your main speakers can create an illusion of a large stage a few metres away from you yet sometimes you want to hear a shrill note of violin right in front of you. Here's a pair of speakers that would achieve the experience for not a lot of money.

I was listening to a Ligeti CD last night and thought I was going to develop tinnitus, and I liked that.

The low points may be artificial sound stage (which is kinda freaky in an interesting way), lack of sweet mid-range and sketchy bass.

 

[Curse]

Sorry Erik, sent things a bit off track there!

For anyone interested, I posted a thread in the Sansui forum about the '9900:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=443025

As regards brightness, indeed this is a fairly warm amp, and the 685s seem to lap it up, sounding very full and fluid.

I highly recommend them as a reasonably priced giant killing speaker!

Dan

 

[Bob_in_OKC]

Other than a not-too-surprising lightness in the bottom, the Dali Mentor Menuet speakers amazed me when connected to a Rega system.

 

[gearhound]

Infiniry Primus P162
Medium sized front ported bookshelf speakers

At $160/delivered from Cruthfield (NO affiliation!).
Stereophile magazine gave them a pretty decent review when they first came out.
I'd have to agree with them, although IMO, the 1" aluminum composite tweeter can sound a little bright on certain material?
I do NOT toe them in position, thus listening to them a little off-axis.
This slightly negates the tweeter's brightness.

All-in-all, these are VERY good bang-for-your-buck bookshelf speakers!

Steve

 

[entex]

My Monitor Audio GX-100s seem to have finally broken in. MA recommends 50 hours. I must have played them about 200 hours by now and they finally sound like what I expected them too. Previously, the tweeter seemed unnaturally chimey and high pitched. Also, there seemed to be a little hole in the upper mids. Now, everything has sort of settled into a much more natural, even response. They sound absolutely amazing and handle any genre with definition and punch. Right now, I can't imagine my setup sounding any better, and my DAC hasn't arrived yet. It should be here today or tomorrow, and I'm almost worried to plug it into my system because everything sounds so perfect right now.

 

[cubdog]

My speakers aren't cute little esoteric things. They don't need stands or a sub although I sometimes use one just because I can. They are made by, OMG, Klipsch. I'm happy though. In my large, 20x30, room the RF7IIs do a nice job. The room is carpeted, with drapes, and alot of art work on the walls. I really enjoy Klipsch paired with Ice Power. A great combination that fills the space with well balanced sound.

cubdog

 

[MWalt]

I came very close to buying a pair of those M300's. Had a good deal on A-gon for a lightly used pair and someone beat me to them.

 

[slippers-on]

I've had an extensive listen to the Canton Vento 820.2's and have placed an order for the 830.2's in high gloss Cherry wood. Excellent speaker and must say the best speaker I have ever heard, and I have set and listen to countless high fidelity speakers. I have heard the older Vento models and they too had great Canton musicality and dispersion. The new models have been upgraded with trickle down technology from the Reference line. I have ordered the Stand mounts 4th from the right.

Here is the information the USA Distributor sent me concerning the new Vento series with the new ceramic tweeters and other upgrades.


"The Vento series was recently upgraded and carries the “.2” designator. This means that Canton kept the form factor the same but upgraded drivers and crossover technology. In the case of the new Vento, the most important change (and it’s very significant) was the addition of the ceramic dome tweeter technology and dome geometry from our Reference series. This tweeter is truly world class and features very extended frequency response, wide dispersion characteristics and high power handling. It’s just an incredibly smooth tweeter. The woofers, midrange and crossovers were also changed slightly to reflect the overall balance – Canton designs each individual speaker as a system – so the driver parameters changed but the materials remained the same. The woofers and midrange are aluminum and they utilize Canton’s patented “wave” surround. The wave surround provides for extremely long yet controlled excursions for Canton’s cone drivers and improves output SPL and frequency response. The cabinets are a multi-layer laminate, pressure glued to form a very rigid cabinet structure; the curved walls prevent internal standing waves. I particularly like the 830.2 because the size to performance ratio is huge. They sound like much larger speakers. And while fairly easy to drive, they also respond well to improvements in the electronics used to drive them.

 

[roadie1]

Epos Epic 2 speakers are excellent! These speakers won me over compared to Vandersteen 1C, B&W CM1, Wharfdale 10.2.
The lowend is excellent, not too much but more than enough, its tight and to the point. The mids are very natural and the highs are very comfortable with the newly designed 25mm softdome tweeter, not harsh or bright at all. I do not experience any listener fatigue at all.
They are a 4ohm speaker and very efficient at 90dB/1m. Excellent features too for their price range. Gold plated terminals and bi-wire capable too and two grille options.

When I work from home, my desk is about 25' away and I listen for probably 8-10 hours while working and they are a joy, very pleasant and again, no fatigue to my ears....only sonic pleasure!

Highly recommended.



Cheers[/QUOTE

This is great news! I should have mine along with the stands by Saturday. I just went with the good reviews and now your feedback:thmbsp: Haven't even heard them.

...r1

 

[MikeCh]

I've had an extensive listen to the Canton Vento 820.2's and have placed an order for the 830.2's in high gloss Cherry wood. Excellent speaker and must say the best speaker I have ever heard, and I have set and listen to countless high fidelity speakers. I have heard the older Vento models and they too had great Canton musicality and dispersion. The new models have been upgraded with trickle down technology from the Reference line. I have ordered the Stand mounts 4th from the right.

Nice Byron! Those are beautiful.

I'll second your opinion of the Canton loudspeakers. Since owning my first pair of Canton floor standers, I knew I had to try a stand mount pair just to see if the flavor was the same....it is. My most recent addition is this pair of Vento Reference 9DC's.

 

[jimfet]

If looking for a bookshelf type speaker, I would say check out the Fritz line. I bought a fullranger model from him years ago and his craftmanship is second to none. He has some two way designs that are getting great reviews.

 

[AVService]

Thiel CS 1.6.

I scored a pair of these last year so cheap I just had to do it,I don't need more speakers?

So I place them right in front of my Huge Thiels and connected them to my main system and held on!

They are so sweet it is almost unbelievable!
Everyone who heard them literally did not accept that it was the tiny ones,really.

So now I am in the position of trying to find 3.7's for a deal and trying to sell 2 300lb semi-cement monoliths that it took 4 guys to get into my room?

The 1.6 is that good in my system.