Just for MUSIC!!!

[Oscar09]

I hope i dont start a war here but are companies that make speakers just for music? because i seriously come across nothing but "home theater" crap... Most of the times i see them marketed for home theater... Ive been looking into the Wharfedale diamond 10.1 bookshelf speakers since due to my space i can only get bookshelf speakers. I currently have some Polk bookshelf speakers and i think they are too "boomy"... i know any speaker can be used for any purpose but i just want to buy something that was made in specific for music listening only... I would really appreciate an suggestions anyone may have, thanks!!

[esldude]

Might look into the PSB Alpha B1 bookshelf speakers. Similar in cost and size to the Wharfdales you mention. The PSB's look to be more efficient though they have a bit less bass and extension. Would be nice if you could hear some or buy from a company that allows returns.

 

I have heard the Alpha's and they are good speakers for music and not boomy. Haven't heard the Diamond 10.1 so cannot give a useful comparison between those two.

 

Might also look at the AudioEngine A5+ which is a powered bookshelf. I have heard those briefly though not in a situation where I could say if they are better than Alpha's or not (the Alpha's I heard had a very good amp connected to them). My impression is the Alpha's are more musical though maybe not with lesser amplification. They at least aren't too bad. The fact they are self-powered would let you skip your Kenwood receiver for some space savings anyway.

 

Emotiva Professional, LLC

 

Emotiva Airmotiv 4 speakers.

 

Might look at these also, I have not heard them. But Heil air motion tweeters are generally pretty nice sounding. These are powered, maybe you can find somewhere to hear them.

[esldude]

Just looking for sources with trial periods.

 

AudioAdvisor sales the Audioengine and PSB speakers. They offer a 60 day money back guarantee.

 

Emotive offers 30 day return for any reason. You do have to pay return shipping of course.

 

But you might try them out and even side by side to see which you like.

[mayhem13]

I hope i dont start a war here but are companies that make speakers just for music? because i seriously come across nothing but "home theater" crap... Most of the times i see them marketed for home theater... Ive been looking into the Wharfedale diamond 10.1 bookshelf speakers since due to my space i can only get bookshelf speakers. I currently have some Polk bookshelf speakers and i think they are too "boomy"... i know any speaker can be used for any purpose but i just want to buy something that was made in specific for music listening only... I would really appreciate an suggestions anyone may have, thanks!!

 

You left out the most important factor that will effect the final performance of any speaker......the room and placement. Speakers placed on desktops, near walls or on shelves will be boundary loaded and those speakers that have baffle step compensation built into their networks will sound boomy. Contrary, speakers that are engineerined to benefit from boundary gains will sound 'bottomless' or weak without them. This is isn't a Home Theater vs Stereo issue. There's plenty of other factors worth discussing where speakers are concerned, but the above mentioned is a foundation for success....get it wrong and it's an epic fail.

[Paul R]

PSB speakers range from bargain basement excellent to far better than I imagined they could be, and I recommend picking them up from Crutchfied, as they back them up, have feee shipping, and have a 30 day return policy.

 

The Imagine line, has two bookshelf speakers, the minis, at about $800, and the Bs at around $1100. They are gorgeous sounding, and the Bs are some of the best looking speakers around period. I prefer the cherry finish.

 

You can go up in the line the Synchrony B1s right now, at $2600, and they are worth every penny I think. We have a set we love.

 

Also you should look at the Totem Rainmakers ($600) and perhaps the best bargain speakers ever, the Magnepan MMGs, ($599 direct) with a 60 day return option. Rega makes some really nice speakers too, as does Dynaudio, Dali, and literally dozens more.

 

I would try to stay away from anything you can buy off the shelf at a Best Buy. Some of the Polk stuff sounds okay, but I don't think they are even in the same game as the ones above. The Whardales are pretty nice but a few dollars more goes a long long way to getting way better sound, I think.

 

Paul

[Oscar09]

Just looking for sources with trial periods.

 

AudioAdvisor sales the Audioengine and PSB speakers. They offer a 60 day money back guarantee.

 

Emotive offers 30 day return for any reason. You do have to pay return shipping of course.

 

But you might try them out and even side by side to see which you like.

 

I might look into crutchfield since they offer money back guarantee. I have always heard people say good things about PSB speakers. I mean i like bass in my music but by no means do i want blasting wall shaking bass in my music. Just enough to where i like it. Thanks a lot for the suggestions, i sure will look into it!

 

You left out the most important factor that will effect the final performance of any speaker......the room and placement. Speakers placed on desktops, near walls or on shelves will be boundary loaded and those speakers that have baffle step compensation built into their networks will sound boomy. Contrary, speakers that are engineerined to benefit from boundary gains will sound 'bottomless' or weak without them. This is isn't a Home Theater vs Stereo issue. There's plenty of other factors worth discussing where speakers are concerned, but the above mentioned is a foundation for success....get it wrong and it's an epic fail.

You sir are correct. i did forget to mention the space. Its a small room and i do plan to get some speaker stands but as for now i cant say that the speakers are positioned 100% perfectly for listening purposes. id say im like at 85% from 100 to reaching a perfect listening area and having my speakers correctly spaced out. But either way, these are $60 speakers so no matter what i do they arent really that great of a thing. Thanks for the tips!

 

PSB speakers range from bargain basement excellent to far better than I imagined they could be, and I recommend picking them up from Crutchfied, as they back them up, have feee shipping, and have a 30 day return policy.

 

The Imagine line, has two bookshelf speakers, the minis, at about $800, and the Bs at around $1100. They are gorgeous sounding, and the Bs are some of the best looking speakers around period. I prefer the cherry finish.

 

You can go up in the line the Synchrony B1s right now, at $2600, and they are worth every penny I think. We have a set we love.

 

Also you should look at the Totem Rainmakers ($600) and perhaps the best bargain speakers ever, the Magnepan MMGs, ($599 direct) with a 60 day return option. Rega makes some really nice speakers too, as does Dynaudio, Dali, and literally dozens more.

 

I would try to stay away from anything you can buy off the shelf at a Best Buy. Some of the Polk stuff sounds okay, but I don't think they are even in the same game as the ones above. The Whardales are pretty nice but a few dollars more goes a long long way to getting way better sound, I think.

 

Paul

 

Thanks Paul, i sure will look into crutchfield and see what i want to buy. Personally i was looking into some Bowers & wilkins they sell at Best buy. The 685B to be specific. Ive always enjoyed the sound from bowers & wilkins but after the countless numerous recommendations on the PSB speakers from people here and other forums i want to give them a go. Thanks for the advice, it really helped!

[realhifi]

I might look into crutchfield since they offer money back guarantee. I have always heard people say good things about PSB speakers. I mean i like bass in my music but by no means do i want blasting wall shaking bass in my music. Just enough to where i like it. Thanks a lot for the suggestions, i sure will look

 

 

 

Thanks Paul, i sure will look into crutchfield and see what i want to buy. Personally i was looking into some Bowers & wilkins they sell at Best buy. The 685B to be specific. Ive always enjoyed the sound from bowers & wilkins but after the countless numerous recommendations on the PSB speakers from people here and other forums i want to give them a go. Thanks for the advice, it really helped!

 

The 685's are very good speakers and if you liked what you heard they should be high on your list. The new bookshelves from Definitive Technology are superbly musical also and both the $400 pr Studio Monitor 45's and the $600 pr Studio Monitor 55's would fit your needs perfectly.

[Oscar09]

Has anyone ever heard or own the audioengine p4s? Ive always heard good things about audioengine, any one have any info on those?

[mayhem13]

Ok, so now we know some things

 

You have a small space so there should be some cabin gain to help with low bass response

We also know that you'll benefit greatly from a speaker with near constant directivity. What this means is a speaker whose high freq element won't splay the sound around, resulting in lots of early reflections. Typically these speaker systems use a shallow horn lens or waveguide in conjunction with the tweeter element.

 

You also have a vintage.....em....old? key wood receiver. I see you have inquired about some powered systems.....great idea.

 

Given what you've shared, I will strongly recommend a pair of powered studio monitors on stands. Placed a few feet away from the side and back walls and models equipped with seperate amp modules for the low and high freq element should provide an excellent listening experience.

 

Budget rules the day here. My first choice would be Genelecs....and models with a 6 inch woofer or larger. THey're available quite often pre-owned so don't be afraid to buy from a respectable reseller. If they're out of your budget, my next suggestion would be Mackie HR824's. An exceptIonal monitor with a highly directive top end and a low crossover point and shallow slope to blend near perfectly with the 8" woofer used. IMO, for the money there simply isn't a two way bookshelf speaker that comes close.

[Oscar09]

see the thing is that i really wouldnt like to go with powered monitors because i wouldnt have control on the bass, treble, etc. I have my Kenwood receiver, witch sounds a lot better than a lot of modern stuff ive heard, so i can control the bass mainly. i live in an apartment and during the day i can use a little more bass but in towards the nights i lower it so i dont disturb the neighbors. And i really wouldnt like opening the EQ on itunes to lower the bass every other time when i can just do it with my receiver. thanks for the suggestions!

[esldude]

I would suggest reconsidering powered monitors. They offer some real advantages.

 

Another alternative is get powered monitors and replace your Kenwood with a second hand pre-amp. There are some good Adcom, Naim, B&K, Parasound, NAD, Nakamichi, and Yamaha pre-amps newer than your Kenwood and available for quite affordable prices. You would still have the convenience of your Kenwood with possibly better sound and definitely less heat and power consumption.

[Oscar09]

i like the idea of having a nice preamp and a new preamp down the road... personally from the times ive heard powered monitors i didnt really like the sound of them... thats just me and my preference in audio. Ill probably just get the Audioengine P4 or PSB Alpha B1 for now and later when i adquire a bigger room ill get Floor standing speakers. Thanks again!

 

 

BTW... My kenwood receiver only produces VERY little to no heat at all... you'd be surprised of its sound quality being this old.

[mayhem13]

see the thing is that i really wouldnt like to go with powered monitors because i wouldnt have control on the bass, treble, etc. I have my Kenwood receiver, witch sounds a lot better than a lot of modern stuff ive heard, so i can control the bass mainly. i live in an apartment and during the day i can use a little more bass but in towards the nights i lower it so i dont disturb the neighbors. And i really wouldnt like opening the EQ on itunes to lower the bass every other time when i can just do it with my receiver. thanks for the suggestions!

 

The powered monitors I mentioned have high and low freq shelving filters, enought to tame room modes or present some gain on the high end to smooth the response.