[Kryogen]

You guys have told about the :

Wharfedale Crystal 20 Bookshelf Speakers 90$
Mission M70S 90$
Mission M72i 170$
B&W DM303 300$
PSB alpha B??? 200$?

Now. I listen to MP3's (192+) on my comp, with an M-Audio revo 7.1 (not using 7.1 anyway, just for the quality), and an old harman kardon amp. (Harman/kardon hk 750 ultra wideband amplifier).

I usually use my grado SR-125, but I want a pair of bookshelf speakers for movies and music.

What do you guys suggest? wharfedale? mission m70?
Is it worth paying more for the M72i? What would be the difference?
Is it worth paying 200$ for the alpha B? 300$ for B&W DM 303?

What kind of sound can I get with these? I mean, are they crap or will they actually sound "good"? have they actually been reviewed in a mag and got good comments? I'm just trying to figure out if 100$ speakers will sound good, and if it's worth paying 300$. (I've heard the B&W DM303, and honestly, I think they sound incredible. I don't know much about audio, but imho they sounded better than my dad's 700$ speakers....).

Any other suggestions? I'm really lost. I just want good bookshelf speakers, nothing extra fancy or incredible, but I don't want to end up paying for crap. I think you guys get the point? They have the alpha B's at a shop really near here, so I'd really like your input on that one. BUT, I wanna know if it's worth getting this (still kinda expensive....), over the 90$ speakers? thx.

 

[voivodfan]

I just recently made some major changes to my PC sound system. I am running an AV710 -> Sonic Impact T-Amp -> Mission M70s's. Sound is awesome. The Mission's really sound great. I am shocked by the amount of bass these little guys put out. I was previously running AV710 -> Yamaha Receiver -> Klipsch Heresy's. My new setup blows away the Klipsch setup.

I bought my Mission speakers from The Stereo Trading Outlet. Luckily enough I live nearby and could audition speakers in person. I auditioned M70s, PSB Image 1B, and Def. Tech. ProMonitor 80. These were all the front ported bookshelf speakers they had. The M70s were clearly superior to the others(imho), and the price couldn't be beat.

On a side note, liked the Mission's so much, I am seriously contemplating selling my whole Klipsch music/home theater rig and replacing with all Mission.

Good luck and buy what sounds best to YOU.

 

[Kryogen]

Wharfedale crystal 20 has a 6.5'' woofer and 1'' tweeter vs 4.25 and .75 for the M70. Now, I know that sound quality is not all about woofer size, but um? Wouldn't the wharefdale sound better than the missions?

---------------------------------------------
WHARFEDALE
Drivers: (1) 1" textile dome tweeter; (1) 6.5" Hot Compacted Woven Polypropylene (HCWPP) woofer

Frequency Response: 50Hz - 20kHz

Sensitivity: 86dB

-------------------------------------------------
MISSION

4.25" bonded woven glass composite cone woofer

.75" Micro-Fibre soft dome tweeter with ferrofluid cooling

Frequency Response: 68Hz to 20kHz, +/- 3dB

Sensitivity SPL/m/2.83V: 87dB

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kryogen Wharfedale crystal 20 has a 6.5'' woofer and 1'' tweeter vs 4.25 and .75 for the M70. Now, I know that sound quality is not all about woofer size, but um? Wouldn't the wharefdale sound better than the missions? --------------------------------------------- WHARFEDALE Drivers: (1) 1" textile dome tweeter; (1) 6.5" Hot Compacted Woven Polypropylene (HCWPP) woofer Frequency Response: 50Hz - 20kHz Sensitivity: 86dB ------------------------------------------------- MISSION 4.25" bonded woven glass composite cone woofer .75" Micro-Fibre soft dome tweeter with ferrofluid cooling Frequency Response: 68Hz to 20kHz, +/- 3dB Sensitivity SPL/m/2.83V: 87dB

That's what I'm hoping. If the Mission 70s sound that good, I'm really looking forward to the Crystal 20s incoming. Maybe I'll get that Sonic amp too, since it's getting rave reviews lately and it's supercheap.

 

[Wodgy]

If you're not going to be getting a subwoofer, a speaker with a less than 5 inch woofer is probably not going to give you satisfactory bass unless your room is very small. Judging a speaker by woofer size is not a good way to evaluate speakers, not at all, but less than 5 inches is getting small, and it's impossible to defy the laws of physics.

In your price range, I've only heard the PSB Alpha Bs and the Paradigm Atoms (which are not on your list but should be). Both of these are good speakers. I used to think that the Alpha Bs were too bright, but no small inexpensive bookshelf speaker is perfect and they do so many things right that in retrospect I was a little harsh on them. They do have metal dome tweeters, which greatly irritate some people and which others absolutely love. They have great imaging and soundstage, a clean midrange, and tight but lean bass. They work nicely with a subwoofer because the bass is clean, but the bass is only so so without one. The Paradigm Atoms I've only heard briefly, but they're nice speakers for the price. They have less detail than the Alpha Bs, but they also have a bit of a more even character. They also have a bit of an upper bass hump which helps compensate for not having a subwoofer (though inexpensive small bookshelf speakers will never have "great" bass). These are the ones I'd recommend.

 

[Kryogen]

Um yeah, but both these cost more like 200$ US. I think I'll stay in the 100$ range (which is like 120 CAN (thanks to the recent 1.20 exchange rate

) + shipping.

My best buy at this price point, I guess, would be the whelfedare? Not that I don't trust the 20's, but I think that 4.25 drivers are just too small to give decent bass.

Last thing, if I could get B&W DM 303 for like 100$ US + shipping, that would really beat the other choices right? since they retail for 300$ US and I've heard them and they sound awesome. They are used, 2-3 years, but perfect condition. Worth it or I should go new?

Thx

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kryogen My best buy at this price point, I guess, would be the whelfedare? Not that I don't trust the 20's, but I think that 4.25 drivers are just too small to give decent bass. Thx

Just to avoid confusion, Wharfedale = Crystal 20 = WHARFEDALE
Drivers: 6.5" Hot Compacted Woven Polypropylene (HCWPP) woofer = under $100 US shipped.

 

[Kryogen]

Yeah, that's what I meant, just an error.

But IMHO, that's the best setup for 90$ US + shipping. They normally retail for $239.00. (that's what they say), so that's quite a rebate.

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kryogen Um yeah, but both these cost more like 200$ US.

]

Just to clarify, the list price of the Atoms here in the US is $189. I've heard secondhand that Paradigm has good prices in Canada because they're a Canadian company, but I can't say for sure if that's true. You could always check your local dealers and audition them just for fun, even if you don't intend to buy.

Quote:

Last thing, if I could get B&W DM 303 for like 100$ US + shipping, that would really beat the other choices right? since they retail for 300$ US and I've heard them and they sound awesome. They are used, 2-3 years, but perfect condition. Worth it or I should go new?

If you've heard them and like them as much as you say, you should go for them. That's a good price, and with speakers your own tastes are very important. Sounds like a slam dunk to me.

 

[raif]

I am running a t-amp setup at home(or was till it blew the left channel)

I got a pair of Athena AS-B1 from Best Buy for like $100 bucks and they sound great. Very clean and even sound. I don't have much experience in the whole speaker realm so please take my comments with a grain of salt however, I really have no problems moving back and forth between my headphone and speaker setup, if that says anything.

 

[Jahn]

Just an update - the Crystal 20 should be here tomorrow! But I just scored some Audioquest G2 20 foot speaker wire for $10 shipped on audiogon so my final rig setup wont be ready for a bit. i'll scrounge around and see what kind of wire i have in the meantime tho.

 

[Kryogen]

Cool, thanks. Tell me asap how they sound when you know it.

 

[ooheadsoo]

I should point out that the wharfedale speakers are ALWAYS that cheap. It's not a special deal. I've never seen the wharfedales sell for over $100. The only good wharfedale reviews are from a LOOOOOOOONG time ago (think early 80's and before) for their Diamond line, and even those get mixed reviews. I would personally only even consider considering the Diamond line and up.

 

[Kryogen]

So uh, is there actually anything good under 300$ or I'll just end up buying B&W DM 303's?

 

[ooheadsoo]

I prefer diy

at $300, now you're talking. At $200...

............
Event tr-5 off of ebay if you're lucky?