[OCD,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,]

My budget is ~$1000.00 USD (maybe a little higher). Used speakers are perfectly Fine.

I recently moved out of an apartment and can finally make the move from 'headphone only listening' to speakers. Basically, my head is spinning from too many choices. I only care about 2-channel stereo and want speakers large enough to fill a house with sound and pair well with a Mcintosh Mac 4100 receiver. It would be nice for the speakers to look as good as they sound, as well as also have good resale value. Speaker size is no concern, since they will be placed in a large room. Please recommend the best bang for the buck in my budget range.

Thanks

 

[Zaluss]

AV123 X-Statiks would be my choice at that price range.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Used Magnepan 1.6QR speakers. Or any other used Maggie in your budget. They're wonderful speakers and you can use them to great effect in a large room. Check out the numerous reviews out there - everyone loves these speakers. That's why they hold their value, as well.

You might also be able to track down a pair of Quads. The ESL-57 might not fit your budget, but the ESL-63 should be found under $1k if you look. I love my pair. If I had bought these first, I probably wouldn't have bought anything else.

If you have the room, a pair of dipoles like these will knock your socks across the room. Soundstage and imaging are jaw-dropping and are only second to the real thing.

 

[koven]

B&W + McIntosh = amazing combo

 

[OCD,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,]

Thanks, I'll research those. Keep the suggestions coming!

 

[project86]

You have lots of fine choices in that range, but we need to know a bit more. Do you want true full range speakers? Or would you consider some monitor speakers (aka bookshelf speakers) with a sub to handle low end? Also are you located in a larger city where you can find used options locally, or is shipping a must? Finally, what do you consider a good looking speaker.... does a nice big square wooden box count or must it be modern and sleek?

If you can find some locally, classic speakers like Polk SDA's or various Klipsch and Altec Lansing horn based speakers can sound excellent. Sometimes they are a steal because the owners assume they are old junk.

A quick browsing of Audiogon yields plenty of great options. I see some of my favorites like Ascend Sierra 1, Triangle Titus, and Dynaudio Audience 42 for $500-700. Then go to the sub area, and I find great options from ACI, SVS, Velodyne, HSU, etc. Total price could end up around $1k if you pair them right.

My personal approach would be to peruse the Planar section though until you can find something local. There are always great things in your price range like Magnepans, Apogees, Acoustats, Martin Logans, Carver Amazings, etc.

If you haven't heard many speakers, you should probably go out to a nice local shop and demo to see what sound you prefer.

 

[AudioCats]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif .. The ESL-57 might not fit your budget, but the ESL-63 should be found under $1k if you look. ..

ESL63, me like, where should me look?

 

[n3rdling]

Pretty much audiogon and ebay. Just be aware that many ESL 57's and 63's have issues with crackling, pops, hissing, and channel imbalance. If you find a pair of either model under 1k, they more than likely have one of these issues. I'd say a more realistic price for a nice condition pair is more like $1400-$1600. There are always deals to be had, though.

 

[OCD,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,]

I would prefer true full range speakers -- not bookshelf. I also am not very fond of some of the sleek modern looking designs. I like the older looking speakers with wood grain cabinets. I'm not sure about the ESL speakers, since I read that they can be tempermental and are lacking below 40Hz, but I have never heard a pair before so I don't know.

I know this sounds dumb, but I thought looking for a set of good sounding speakers would be easy. Just two big speakers -- one on the left side and one on the right side of the stereo. I never knew about planar, electrostatic, magnetostatic, or ribbon speakers. So, for me this is a learning experience in itself.

If it helps:
The room with the stereo is centrally located and is about 1000 sq. ft. and has 12 ft. ceilings. I listen to classical, bluegrass, rock, country, and blues.

 

[iriverdude]

Decent full range speakers will cost more than $1000, as you're talking about two subwoofers in each cabinet. Not many speakers can go down to 20hz. And really not much musical content in that area anyway- except for movies.

 

[OCD,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,]

If I buy used then, how much more than $1000 for good full range?

 

[iriverdude]

Probably $2500 if not more.. although personally I'd not be too fussed with full range speakers, a pair going down to 35hz will be fine for musical content. True full range speakers costs several thousand dollars plus need pretty hefty amps too.

Those AV123 X-Statiks only go down to 65hz. The only speaker I know off the top of my head which are full range (down to 20hz) are JM Lab Grand Utopia. correction "only" go down to 26hz so not "full range"

I'd probably look into a subwoofer to pair with some speakers, maybe look into a pair that reach down to 30/40hz, then use subwoofer crossover to around 30/40hz. I've got a combination of speakers/sub from standmounts to floorstanders.

 

[melomaniac]

let me just quickly second the maggie rec (since I have a few) and warn about used quads - they are finicky, bliss when working, hell when you need to have them fixed every year.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Used Magnepan 1.6QR speakers. Or any other used Maggie in your budget. They're wonderful speakers and you can use them to great effect in a large room. Check out the numerous reviews out there - everyone loves these speakers. That's why they hold their value, as well. You might also be able to track down a pair of Quads. The ESL-57 might not fit your budget, but the ESL-63 should be found under $1k if you look. I love my pair. If I had bought these first, I probably wouldn't have bought anything else. If you have the room, a pair of dipoles like these will knock your socks across the room. Soundstage and imaging are jaw-dropping and are only second to the real thing.

 

[Bmac]

I would recommend the Dali Ikon 6. Sweet sounding speakers, they go down to 37 hz. Not full range but close enough for me. They can be had from Audiogon from time to time for right around your budget price.

 

[OCD,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,]

I've been researching the magnepan 1.6QR, and they seem to be well thought of. Will the MAC 4100 (100W at 4 ohm, 75W at 8 ohm) work well with them? I don't think I'll get the ESL's.

I've also read good things about Vandersteen, Thiel, Infinity, and JBL. Any thoughts on any specific used or new models from these manufacturers in my budget (that might be better than the 1.6QR's)?

(And close to "full range" is good enough for my aging ears.)

My budget has increased to $2000 USD.