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Bookshelf Speaker Advice: vintage or new?

Thanks on the responses so far. Keep em coming!

I am a budding audiophile who is just after the best sound for the money.

A couple of months ago, I had nothing and now I have amp, tuner and 2 TTs that I'm pretty happy with for an investment of less than $500.

If I can get a great sounding pair of vintage speakers for $200 or less, that would be great.

However, if the best sound means spending a bit more for new speakers then I'm willing to consider that too.

Any thoughts on the Klipsch KG 3.2 vs the Boston Acoustics HD-9?
 
The Smaller Advent Loudspeaker

michiganpat said:
...the best bookshelf I can think of for thump would be the smaller advents.
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I'll second that :yes:

Not the most aesthetically pleasing speaker (they were only available in a vinyl clad cabinet) but when placed on a shelf surrounded with books or albums the vinyl cladding is hardly noticeable. I have several pairs of these (after I heard the first pair I immediately bought 2 more) and they are truly amazing for their size.

They will definitely need re-foaming if it hasn't been done (not a big deal, and sometimes you can get them for next to nothing once you make the seller aware of the rotted foam surrounds) but once brought up to snuff their performance is jaw dropping, particularly the bass response.

The pair here in my study sit horizontally on an IKEA Billy bookshelf that is only 11" deep and they still sit back about an inch from the edge, so they truly are a "bookshelf speaker" that feel right at home on a bookshelf. They sound like speakers that are 3 times their modest size and many, many times their modest price IMO. Buy some ugly cheap Smaller Advents, fix 'em up and spend your money on music or more equipment.
 
In that price range, I'd expect you'd want to watch local Craigslist and 'bay sales. Also go to estate and moving/downsizing sales, if you're near neighborhoods with the right demographics. There are still a few surprises out there, although not as many as a couple of years ago.
 
I don't have much when it comes to bookshelves, but all are in very nice cosmetic condition and found cheap on CL. My smallest are JBL L20T (not in use / on the small side), and my largest are Polks RT55i which seem (to me) a little large for bookshelves. Have others in between these two sizes, yet I'm still not sure what I want. The good is none cost much and I can rotate to play around, but think at times I should get a couple pairs of something higher end and be done with it for awhile... I'm running out of room.
 
I'm a vintage bookshelf fan... but even at $200 price point I'd try out some new speakers. Yes - for $200 you can find a good deal on vintage but you need to be patient, and be lucky.

$170 and free shipping will get you a set of Primus 163s in a few days. Nice speakers.

http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Primus-Two-way-Bookshelf-Satellite/dp/B0045NCB32

Not enough thump? Maybe up the price and try out Monitor Audio. The M2s are the same speaker as MA's Bronze series (BR2), but not marketed that way, and are rated down to 42 Hz.

http://www.amazon.com/Monitor-Audio-M2-Speaker-Black/dp/tech-data/B0049MPUXC
 
For vintage speakers at that price, I'd find a pair of Boston Acoustics A-150s. They're big and not bookshelf speakers but they're tall and flat and sound decent near the walls. For new, I'd look at pro monitors.

You never know, some crazy good speakers pop up for $200.

Without taking luck into account, if you really only want smaller stand mount or bookshelf speakers with 'thump', I'd stick to the modern pro monitors.
 
I just finished building Zaph Audio's SR71 bookshelf speakers. Easily the best sounding speaks that have ever graced my living room.

Were I in your shoes, I would take a serious look at Zilch's Indignia's. Easy to build, awesome sound, and you did it yourself. It was a collaborative effort here on this forum in the DIY section.

Greg
 
I have the BA hd7's and I love them, have a pair of hd8's on the way. These were acoustic suspension design, the hd9 & hd10 were bass reflex if I remember correctly, so I can't comment on them. But if you want 'thump', I would go with a ported design.
I've heard the MA bronze b2, br2 & bx2 side by side(also next to paradigm s1, studio 10, studio 20, and MA silver). I liked the tiny s1's the best, followed by the older MA bronze b2. There's a local audio speaker store in town and they have new/old stock b2's for $249 with a warranty. I was set on getting them until I learned they were 4 ohms. As far as I know they are one of the only stores in the country that have the b2's. The store is called sounds by Dave, in Chico ca.
I also heard the paradigm Titan v6 and was impressed, I think it was 8inch as well.
If I was going to buy new(affordable) bookshelf speakers, I'd get Kef iq30's at $350. 45hz-40khz is pretty impressive for that price.
For used, I'd wait patiently for a pair of Boston acoustics vr-m60's to pop up. Probably the beat bookshelf speakers I've ever heard.
But I like my accoustic suspension speakers so I'm happy with what I have.
If the hd9's sound as good as the hd7's you'll be a happy camper.
 
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my goodness------------------I just picked up a set of Boston Acoustics A60's and they are FANTASTIC!!! They were $60.00 and worth double or triple that amount. The clarity is amazing and I will never sell them. The ones I bought were recently refoamed and are in great shape. I highly recommend these, to say the least. And no, this isn't just a "new speaker infatuation." I have many other sets to compare. Very impressive IMO.
 
haffy111 said:
my goodness------------------I just picked up a set of Boston Acoustics A60's and they are FANTASTIC!!! They were $60.00 and worth double or triple that amount. The clarity is amazing and I will never sell them. The ones I bought were recently refoamed and are in great shape. I highly recommend these, to say the least. And no, this isn't just a "new speaker infatuation." I have many other sets to compare. Very impressive IMO.
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Dude that makes me really happy to hear! I have a pair of A60's I picked up at GW on my bench waiting for a refoam (m first) and I am super excited to get them done! Did you take/post any photos of yours?
 
My pick is the Boston a70 II. Usually can find with new foam for around 100$. I've had three pair and they are my favorite inexpensive bookshelf. Great all around sound.
 
I still haven't made a decision on this. The Boston HD9s are still available locally as are a pair of Polk Monitor 5's for $200. On paper, the two seem comparable. Any experiences with how they actually sound?

In general, how does the HD series compare with the A series which are an older design but which seem to command a lot of respect.

I am also intending to audition the Monitor Audio Bronze BX2 -- more expensive but higher WAF due to their smaller size.
 
Try some B&W or B&O speakers. I have never heard a bad sounding bookshelf speaker by these manufactures.
 
So after trolling local classifieds and thrift stores and coming up with nothing, I was loaned a pair of Paradigm Mini Monitor v4's. These were an improvement over the Polks, particularly in the bass department but after a while, I found them a bit muddy sounding overall and the bass became a bit too boomy. Messing around with equalization did manage to get them sounding better (at least to my ear).

I finally ended up buying a set of Paradigm Reference Studio/20 v2's. One speaker had suffered some cosmetic damage during a move so I was able to get them (with stands) for substantially less than the going rate in these parts.

Wow, what a difference. Same manufacturer, same size of speaker but a massive improvement in sound quality. The overall sound is clear and detailed. The bass is still there but well controlled. I had read a few comments about the treble being on the harsh side but that is easily managed with the tone controls on my amp.

Currently listening to Keith Jarrett's Koln Concert on the Studio/20's and loving it. :music:

Thanks to all for their input on this.
 
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