Bookshelf speakers (opinions wanted)

[rivermobster]

What are you guys running that you are happy with??

I DO have a solid sub-woofer, Boston Acoustics, but I also want speakers that WILL sound good on their own. NOT a speaker that NEEDS a sub-woofer. Make sense?

Wacha running?? Thanks in advance!

 

[mjc]

I had Polks i really liked used them until i put JBLs in a rebuilt classic stereo console.

 

[Riverfamlee]

Been running Klipsch in the house. They can get loud and clear when needed. For reference, I have 4 18's for subs and they keep up.

Yeah I'm that guy.

 

[spectras only]

I would check Bose speakers. They deliver good sound in small packages.

 

[Xring01]

I am Bowers and Wilkens… all the way.
Yes, they are not cheap. Running 803s for the front, & center, I believe my rears are bookshelf 700 series ish… have to look on the back to find the exact model.

 

[Smitty7]

I am Bowers and Wilkens… all the way.
Yes, they are not cheap. Running 803s for the front, & center, I believe my rears are bookshelf 700 series ish… have to look on the back to find the exact model.

I have some higher end stuff in main room but for bookshelf I have some Klipsch rp600 premiers and have surprisingly good bottom end for bookshelf. Can go loud and very clear. Hunt around . Can find them for 299 if you search.

 

[paradise]

tannoy revolution

 

[AzMandella]

Klipsch all the way . Hell I ordered a new Sub about two hours ago . Have had Klipsch for over 35 yrs .

 

[Markus]

Bang & Olufsen sound great and look good.

 

[Backlash]

Second for JBL.

 

[clarence]

Powered? Not powered?

 

[rivermobster]

Powered? Not powered?

Not powered. Thanks.

 

[fat rat]

Bose 301 for a decent bookshelf. I have Klispch in my lower level but they the La Scalas.

 

[pronstar]

For two-channel music in a room (not a car), I general prefer no sub…most music doesn’t go much below 60hz.
Movies are a different story…

The two-channel setup in my office has Revel M106, on Revel stands. It’s an amazing speaker.

Good review from Amir here:

Revel M106 Bookshelf Speaker Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Revel M106 bookshelf speaker. It was kindly purchased and drop shipped to me. It is not a new sample but came to me with full packaging and protective wrapper. The M106 costs US $1,000 each or $2,000 for a pair. It is only sold through dealer...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Mr. C]

I think a lot depends on your own ear. How it sounds to you. We are all different.
I have had klipsch. Bose. And Polk at home.
My JBL monitor powered at work sound incredible though.
I personally like the Polk.
I have old Polk M3 monitor speakers for my fron and surrounds and Polk center channel.
Also have the Polk mini satellite in my drinking/ tv room. Lol.
My M3 are over 15 years old never an issue but think this year I am switching to I’m wall /ceiling for my main room and balance out a little more toward the center and not all the way to the L/R

 

[clarence]

KEF LS50 or LS50 Meta

 

[SBMech]

I like my Klipsch. They have a decent range and good boom for the size.

 

[Ricks raft]

Kef and even Episode good sound, good value

 

[paradise]

Kef and even Episode good sound, good value

The episode bookshelf’s are really smooth for their price.

 

[hallett21]

Sonos. Expensive but easy to deal with

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Dynaudio?

 

[Ricks raft]

The episode bookshelf’s are really smooth for their price.

I have installed several of their speakers. Just put a pair of 700 series bookshelf in this week for a customer. Smooth, natural sound.

 

[C-2]

I may be oldschool, but I still firmly believe size matters. Go with an 8", especially without a sub.

Saw these pop up on FB....

Monitor Audio Silver 100 7g, looks like with stands, grills never used, $750

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[clarence]

Is the LS50 Meta really as good as everyone says it is? No, it's better.

 

[LuauLounge]

In the 70's I sold stereo equipment and bought JBL L100's for myself. They were the consumer model of their studio monitors. At the time they were reasonably priced. They reintroduced them about 8 years ago and price went haywire.

JBL L100 Classic (Orange Grille)

Vintage-styled stand-mount speaker

www.crutchfield.com

 

[GreenEnergy28]

Had these in my last house

Profile AIM Cinema One | In-Ceiling Speaker | SpeakerCraft

Profile AIM Cinema One is an in-ceiling speaker that has aimable woofers & tweeters. Perfect for home theater system or entertainment rooms. Buy now!

www.speakercraft.com

I have their older bookshelf speakers and some in ceiling speakers with my current setup. I don't think the bookshelf are available any longer...

8-Inch In-Ceiling Speaker w/ Aluminum Woofer | SpeakerCraft

AIM8 THREE DT Series 2 the 8-Inch 2-way In-Ceiling Speaker with Aluminum Woofer offers exceptional music experience to every corner of your home. Buy it now!

www.speakercraft.com

 

[DrunkenSailor]

Go to your local best buy and tell the guy in the magnolia section that you want to hear the Martin Logan motion 35xti. If they are flat against the wall tell the sales guy to pull em out as the bass port is on the back and they can get boomy if they are too close to the wall. Then call me and I will apologize to your wife, as it will be my fault you just dropped 1500 on a pair of bookshelf speakers. Crutchfield has them on sale for 499 each so you can tell the wife you got a good deal.

MartinLogan Motion® 35XTi (Red Walnut)

Bookshelf speaker

www.crutchfield.com

If that's more than what you want to spend, don't listen to them. They are that good.

 

[spectra3279]

I've had a jvc system since 95. It was and still is a good system but I wanted more so now I'm all klipsch with a yamaha reciever and absolutely love it

Pardon my reflection in the tv

 

[JENKS]

Bose = No highs, no lows = Bose

Give the definitive technology speakers a listen as well.

 

[sintax]

Bose 301 for a decent bookshelf. I have Klispch in my lower level but they the La Scalas.

when are we getting details and pics on that La Scala setup?

I need to know the full stack setup, along with where you're located, what kind of bourbon you like, and when can i come over to demo them>>!! (i'm not joking, i've been looking for a set for about 4 years)

 

[Dogzonboard]

The new Mobile Fidelity SourcePoint 10's have generated a lot of buzz lately on the audiophile boards. Here's a pretty good video taken at their unveiling:

 

[rivermobster]

I may be oldschool, but I still firmly believe size matters. Go with an 8", especially without a sub.

Saw these pop up on FB....

Monitor Audio Silver 100 7g, looks like with stands, grills never used, $750

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

I have a pair of OG Infiniti speakers with a Yamaha A-B amp, but they take up a LOT of room. I'm sure I can find some bookshelfs that will pair with my sub for good sound, I just need to poke around a bit!

 

[clarence]

when are we getting details and pics on that La Scala setup?

I need to know the full stack setup, along with where you're located, what kind of bourbon you like, and when can i come over to demo them>>!! (i'm not joking, i've been looking for a set for about 4 years)

Listening party!

 

[sintax]

Listening party!

serious.

those speakers w/ a pair of McIntosh MC-30's are my dream setup

 

[pronstar]

Little-known fact:
At one point, Infinity made a reference speaker that many audiophiles thought were the best loudspeakers ever made. The owner of PS audio (super premium audio company) even featured them in a vid…

They’re around $100k if you can find someone selling them…they don’t change hands often.

You’ll need quite a large bookshelf to put them on

TAS Legacy: The Infinity Reference Standard (IRS) Loudspeaker - The Absolute Sound

TAS Legacy: The Infinity Reference Standard (IRS) Loudspeaker -

www.theabsolutesound.com

 

[rivermobster]

Little-known fact:
At one point, Infinity made a reference speaker that many audiophiles thought were the best loudspeakers ever made. The owner of PS audio (super premium audio company) even featured them in a vid…

They’re around $100k if you can find someone selling them…they don’t change hands often.

You’ll need quite a large bookshelf to put them on

TAS Legacy: The Infinity Reference Standard (IRS) Loudspeaker - The Absolute Sound

TAS Legacy: The Infinity Reference Standard (IRS) Loudspeaker -

www.theabsolutesound.com

Sorry. I could only afford these back in the day. They are a bit big for bookshelf speakers now.

 

[draggin904]

I really like my golden ear bookies..

 

[C-2]

Little-known fact:
At one point, Infinity made a reference speaker that many audiophiles thought were the best loudspeakers ever made. The owner of PS audio (super premium audio company) even featured them in a vid…

They’re around $100k if you can find someone selling them…they don’t change hands often.

You’ll need quite a large bookshelf to put them on

TAS Legacy: The Infinity Reference Standard (IRS) Loudspeaker - The Absolute Sound

TAS Legacy: The Infinity Reference Standard (IRS) Loudspeaker -

www.theabsolutesound.com

Some of his vids though.

At least now I know where the name Adcom came from.

 

[C-2]

Sorry. I could only afford these back in the day. They are a bit big for bookshelf speakers now.

View attachment 1197681

Are those Kappa's, do they have the Emit tweeters

 

[C-2]

Joe this guy consistently has nice pieces for sale, I am eyeballing a sub...

h ttps://www.facebook.com/marketplace/profile/100069498266683

 

[yuppie]

Music or movies? Music: Yamaha HS8

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www.amazon.com

 

[rivermobster]

Are those Kappa's, do they have the Emit tweeters

Yes and yes. But, they Are old. They really need to be rebuilt.

 

[pronstar]

Music or movies? Music: Yamaha HS8

Loading…

www.amazon.com

Depends...

Monitor speakers (also called near-field monitors) are a bit unique, as they sound their best when you’re relatively close to them in a controlled listening room. Like a recording studio.

You can use them like bookshelf speakers, and they can sound good and accurate, just not what they're optimized to do.

 

[Taboma]

In the 70's I sold stereo equipment and bought JBL L100's for myself. They were the consumer model of their studio monitors. At the time they were reasonably priced. They reintroduced them about 8 years ago and price went haywire.

JBL L100 Classic (Orange Grille)

Vintage-styled stand-mount speaker

www.crutchfield.com

My Fav in the 70's as well We sold the shit out of those in the early 70's Germany, but nothing sold as well as those Bose 901. Due to their rather specific sound dynamics and the prerequisite positioning (Room Corners), I can only assume we can accredit Bose marketing ??
Well, that and they threw some good parties for us poor store employees.

 

[C-2]

I use monitors, Event 20/20 passive 4 ohm 200W model. I like the flat sound a monitor offers. I think there's a pair on OfferUp for $150.

I have 8 of them

There's also a 150W Onkyo amp for $70.

If you're into loud rock music, that combo will make your ears hurt.

 

[rivermobster]

I actually decided to go all Sony...

I bought their 7.1 amp that matches up the the Bravia I already have, and I'll build out the speaker system around that. Since I already have the Boston Acoustics 10" sub, and the Bravia system has the option to use the TV speaker as the center speaker, I bought the Sony Tower speakers to start.

Sony Hi-Res Floorstanding Speaker (Single) | SS-CS3

SS-CS3 Stereo Floor-Standing Speaker Package

electronics.sony.com

The reviews were good, so I figured, how bad could they be?

The amp has a built in tuning microphone. You place it where you sit, run the self tuning program, and it dials everything in. It's incredibly accurate. But the speakers still didn't sound all that great.

The paper manual that comes with the system says to get Detailed instructions, you have to download the app from online.

So......

After going through Every possibly options in the app, I finally have the system (what I have so far anyway) dialed in nicely.

Sounds killer for what little money I have invested so far! It's not as impressive as my Yamaha/Infinity set up was, but dollar for dollar wise, I'm gonna say it's Very impressive.

Eventually (as money allows) I'll add in All the 7.1 speakers and a real center speaker as well.



P. S. Every Yamaha amp I've owned has always sounded great. But, every one has also had some physical problem pop up as the years have gone by. That's the reason I opted for the Sony this time. There stuff seems to be the most Durable stuff out there.

 

[Jay Dub]

What are you guys running that you are happy with??

I DO have a solid sub-woofer, Boston Acoustics, but I also want speakers that WILL sound good on their own. NOT a speaker that NEEDS a sub-woofer. Make sense?

Wacha running?? Thanks in advance!

I have the Bowers and Wilkins 600 series bookshelf speakers on a secondary TV. They sound very good running w/o a sub. I also run them bi-amped

 

[pronstar]

My Fav in the 70's as well We sold the shit out of those in the early 70's Germany, but nothing sold as well as those Bose 901. Due to their rather specific sound dynamics and the prerequisite positioning (Room Corners), I can only assume we can accredit Bose marketing ??
Well, that and they threw some good parties for us poor store employees.

Interesting fact I learned about somewhat recently:
Those 901’s are known for blowing amps.

Why?
To get any bass out of them, the “active eq” that they came with had an 18 dB (!) bass boost that is incredibly tough on an amp.

To put this in perspective, a 3 dB gain requires twice the amplifier power

 

[pronstar]

P. S. Every Yamaha amp I've owned has always sounded great. But, every one has also had some physical problem pop up as the years have gone by. That's the reason I opted for the Sony this time. There stuff seems to be the most Durable stuff out there.

If I didn’t get sweetheart employee deals on audio products, my office would still be rocking this Yamaha amp I’ve had since the from 90’s. It sounds amazing, very warm.

 

[rivermobster]

If I didn’t get sweetheart employee deals on audio products, my office would still be rocking this Yamaha amp I’ve had since the from 90’s. It sounds amazing, very warm.

View attachment 1197907

Dang. How old is that Fisher!?!