[rapoon]

Vague title, but i'm looking for a pair for floorstanding speakers ~$500. I listen to all genres of music, so i'm not biased towards bassy speakers etc. Just looking for an overall good speaker. I was leaning towards the lower end saphires. any recommendations are greatly appreciated.

-Rapoon

 

[ooheadsoo]

I hear the sapphires are great. Not too much to choose from at the price point you chose. Sapphires and other diy type/root speakers are your best bet for floorstanders. The only commercial floorstanders I know of that get good press at this price point are the Athena fs-2 or something like that, but knowing me, doubtless there are a bazillion that I simply forgot about and when other people chime in, I'll be slapping myself on the forehead.

BTW, I thought the sapphires were bookshelves??

 

[rapoon]

yea, they have some floorstanding. but now that you mention it, i do need some bookshelf recommendations also, cause $500 for floorstanding prob not gunna get me far.

 

[ooheadsoo]

Watch out for the invasion of the Von Schweikert VR-1 proponents

 

[darkclouds]

Hey! There's nothing wrong with the VS VR-1. It's about a hundred bucks out of his price range though. But as I've said before, they are still excellent speakers for the money.

 

[JB.]

At your price range, you might consider the Infinity Primus 250 (two-way) or 350 (three-way). Robert Reina compared the 150's (bookshelf) to the Polk RT25i in the April issue of Stereophile. "A new benchmark in the affordable speaker front (R. Reina)" Read the full review
I'm not in perfect agreement with the article, but they are great all-around speakers for the price. The best part - Circuit City carries them and usually has a pair set up in their listening room so you can check them out before you buy.
I suggest the 250's instead of the 150's because they are floorstanding and only cost about $100 more, about the price of cheap stands.
Of course we could get into listening enviornment, apt. vs house, your system componnents, etc., but the short answer is go to Circuit City and give 'em a listen, then check out Master Yoshi and enter "Primus" in the search field (150's = $139/pair!).

 

[ooheadsoo]

He could get the vr-1's used for around $500, no?

 

[JB.]

For $500 he could get the Primus 250's AND a pair of 150's for surrounds, a pretty hard setup to beat for the price.

 

[darkclouds]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ooheadsoo He could get the vr-1's used for around $500, no?

I usually see them for about $600 plus shipping on Agon. If he can find it for $500 shipped, that would be one hell of a deal.

 

[Demian]

Be patient and search for pair of Sound Dynamics 300ti's ($300-$450 used) to pop up. Amazing speakers for the money. Highly musical with excellent midrange, detailed highs, and good bass (though can be a little wooly with low, driving bass). I listen to lots of types of music and everything sounds good on them with no listening fatigue.

 

[RHMMMM]

Buy a pair of Paradigm Studio 20v2's off eBay. I love mine.

 

[ooheadsoo]

Last time I saw a speaker thread here, I coulda sworn someone had landed the vr-1's with something like ~$500. Well, the VR-1's are what people are saying for anything around $1000 in the commercial realm, so, maybe you can stretch your budget a bit. I would personally still go for a diy roots speaker, but that's just me.

 

[darkclouds]

I have nothing against diy speakers, if you know what you're doing, especially concerning cabinet building. Sonically, I'm sure it's quite simple to pick a tried and true design with quality components to make an excellent sounding speaker. It's tough to make your speakers look presentable if it's you don't have all the right tools. That's another plus for going with the VR1 as they look as good as they sound.

 

[Jeff E]

Since you changed the specs to include bookshelf speakers I recommend these to you as a great deal with a neutral sound appropriate for a wide variety of music. They allow various recordings to sound quite different, the mark of an uncolored speaker. In addition, the company has been a pleasure to deal with. I got lots of e-mail support from the company president making me feel as though I was purchasing a high-end product.

owner reviews

company web site with a number of links to extremely favorable professional reviews

 

[sacd lover]

I think the JMLabs Chorus line are excellent speakers. I picked up a new model 706 for $225/retail $450. They do everything well. The model 707 is a larger stand mount and the 710 is a 706 in a floor standing cabinet with better low bass. The 710's were closed out for $350 or< at Audio Advisor. They all have a well balanced sound with good bass, dynamics, a warm rounded midrange and a very refined treble. The 706 is my favorite because its small size makes them disappear and the imaging is the best of the three IMO. The other two have better bass but none of them sound thin.