[fogia.4]

I'd like to buy my lil brother a starter speaker rig around 600USD speakers+amp. His musical preferences are metal (black/death particularly), rock and heavy bass techno. Any advice on a decent rig around that price would be appreciated

 

[caballo]

Stereophile mag has a love affair with the Epos ELS-3 monitors. $300.

 

[fogia.4]

Interesting but not enough bass, I need something with more impact.

 

[fogia.4]

A little help please? So far Klipsh seems interesting, but I dont know much about bookshelves...

 

[britishbane]

I dont have much experience, but since your not getting much help I'll give it a go. A few days ago there was a thread regarding Paradigm Active speakers(meaning they come with an amp built in). I've got some B&W CM2's that I got for about 450 dollars, they are pretty good IMO. I'm almost certain I could have done better, but for now I'm fairly happy with them. If you go used you could get some Totem RainMakers for about 500 or Von Schewert VR-1's which people seem to really like. Also check out Dynaudio Audience 42/52's. I dont have basically no amy experience execpt for some old HK and Marantz stuff so I cant really reccomend you an amp. Hope this helps you get started.

 

[rsaavedra]

Since you are in the South of France I would definitely consider some Triangle Titus bookshelves. They are also very highly ranked by Stereophile among others, and new cost less than [edited] $500 in the US.

PS. Have you auditioned the Epos? I mean, how are you certain they lack bass impact?

 

[fogia.4]

I read a review on the Epos saying they lacked bass impact. I'll look into Paradigm Active speakers, thanks for the advice.

 

[AlanY]

Judging from the kind of sound you're looking for, you should get bookshelves with as large a woofer as possible. At least 6.5 inches, 8 if you can. While there are exceptions (drivers that are small but can deliver punchy, strong bass), in general the larger the woofer, the stronger and lower the bass. Even though you sometimes read reviews in Stereophile and elsewhere that talk about bookshelf speakers with 5 inch woofers having "enough bass to not need a subwoofer" (e.g. the Stereophile review of the PSB Stratus Minis), take those reviews with a grain of salt unless you can audition the speakers for yourself. "Audiophile" reviewers are usually using jazz and classical as their reference, not metal.

From the sounds of it, you'll probably also enjoy a hot tweeter, so Klipsch may well be a good option for you.

 

[insomniac]

No bookshelf is going to give you that much bass... You might want to get a sub if the bass is that important.

 

[D-EJ915]

You could try to find the old Infinity bookshelf speakers which had 1 tweeter, 2 mid-woofers and an 8" 150W powered "sub"...I don't remember what they were called but they're at least 6 years old.

 

[AlanY]

There used to be a lot of bookshelf speakers with 8-inch woofers and ample bass, but they seem to have fallen out of favor these days, now that everyone wants thin and super small speakers and subwoofers are in vogue. Try Paradigm Monitor 3s (not sure if these are 8-inch, but they have a lot of bass) or PSB Century 500i for example. Buying used is always a good idea anyway. You save money and get better speakers.

 

[fogia.4]

Thanks alot for all your answers, these are exactly the type of speakers/suggestions/advice i needed, I'll look into all that

 

[Sean H]

Quote:

Originally Posted by caballo Stereophile mag has a love affair with the Epos ELS-3 monitors. $300.

I don't know about the whole magazine but Robert Reina sure liked them. These are the speakers I would recommend along with a used NAD 320BEEE which puts one squarely at $600. HCMAudio.com has the Epos ELS-3 for $296 including shipping.

 

[fogia.4]

Like I said, these dont have the bass slam I'm looking for unless I buy a subwoofer with em, and including an amp it'll be too expensive.

 

[Xeno7651]

Axiom M3i and a NAD 320BEE amp/Panasonic XR-50 digital receiver. That will set you back around $600-700. The Axioms have great tight bass and clarity, one of the best bookshelves I have heard. For a small room, the Axioms will output enough bass.