Best Bookshelf speakers up to $3000

[jrhymeammo]

Hiro, other than that you don't care for Magneplanar, I have no idear what you're talking about. "Plasticky" or "Plastiluminum" convey no meaning to me, nor I suspect, very many other people.

What is clear is that you like to play with toys. You played with Magneplanar for while and have moved on -- out of boredom if for no better reason. What next's next after the Tylers?

Hey Bill,
I would hate to assume anything, but I'm starting to suspect people who love Magnepan hear "Tone" differently. Hear me out here. Least assume below statement is correct.

Gilbert Godfrey thinks everyone on Earth, except Fran Drescher on TBS at 4AM, has odd sounding voice.

Perhaps I'm the one who is Gilbert. I've never heard anyone complain the sound of Shelter 501mk2, but to me it sounded "Fran Drestiluminum" to my messed up ears.

Tylers? I've moved on to Brines Acoustics FB-20. Very nice sounding pair. I still have the Tylers, but they are just collecting dust. I guess we ought to be thankful of speaker choices in N America.

Best Wishes,
JRA

[Mr Peabody]

I've stayed out of this before or bit my tongue due to being out numbered but I am another who does not understand the love affair with Maggies. Yes, some models are reasonably priced and you can get a "out of the box" sound but what about tonal integrity and frequency response. I'm not saying they are terrible by no means, just not my cup of tea and certainly not what I'd consider "reference". I'd own Maggies before Vandersteen or Klipsch so they're not on the bottom of my list I guess there will be those who tinker with anything but I also don't understand why a person would pay so much for a Maggie then feel they have to redo the crossover. This is just me, but if a speaker or anything else has to be rebuilt after purchase it shouldn't have been purchased in the first place.

Now what was said is just my opinion and if you own Maggies, Vandersteen or Klipsch and enjoy it then more power to you and no disrespect intended, just different preference in listening. If some one chooses these speakers because it's what they like then that is the right thing because it's themselves they have to please. It's also good to get our opinions out there so others can have a point of reference to what we say.

[mlsstl]

Mr. Peabody wrote: "This is just me, but if a speaker or anything else has to be rebuilt after purchase it shouldn't have been purchased in the first place."

Just a reminder that modding brand new equipment is very popular in some segments of the audiophile community. For example, take the Slimdevices Transporter. Sean Adams considers it his best effort with no need for any changes. Yet, Modwright offers an expensive mod that some swear by.

One can make much the same argument for power cords. There is no shortage of very expensive equipment that some feel require an immediate change of power cords upon opening the shipping carton. It is very easy to ask your question: if one has just paid tens of thousands for a very high end product, why didn't it come with the best power cord to start with? (Note, this is not meant to start a separate discussion; the possible arguments for have been well discussed before.)

Back to the Maggies, I had a pair of Maggie 1.6QRs and really enjoyed them. I sold them when I moved to a different house and they were simply unsuited for the new listening room. A pair of monitors with well controlled directivity are a much better choice for me now.

However, I simply cannot consider that some would change a capacitor on a new speaker to be a deficiency in the design of a product. If anyone is entitled to an opinion as to what is necessary to achieve a desired level of performance, it should be the manufacturer. That some in this hobby feel they know better than the manufacturer is hardly a surprise. (Sometimes they may even be right!) ;-)

[Mr Peabody]

It may be splitting hairs but I don't consider replacing a power cord a mod as the cord is detachabel and made to be removed. More of a tweak, maybe.

I guess in second thought manufacturers do have to draw a line some where to keep in a certain price range. Then it would come down to which is more cost effective, modding, going up a model or just putting the money in another area.

[mlsstl]

...I guess in second thought manufacturers do have to draw a line some where to keep in a certain price range.

It is sometimes a bit too easy to frame all choices by a manufacturer in terms of cost issues. This is particularly true in the audiophile community where a substantial portion of the backseat drivers have never worked professionally in audio at any level. They may have a strong interest in the subject but often get stuck in one-note sambas.

I recall a year or two ago following a technical discussion on the Lavry forum (I have a DA-10 DAC) where a person had criticized a capacitor choice in a device, wondering why a particular brand of cap that was more popular in the audiophile community hadn't been used.

Dan Lavry's answer went into great detail about the need to analyze the function of a part before deciding which one to use. While I forget the specifics, Dan made it clear that the characteristics of the "superior" cap would not have performed as well as the lower cost one. Not only would money have been wasted, performance would have been sacrified.

While some tweaks in the audiophile community do represent an improvement over the original design or parts, that is hardly a given since they are often based on popular "truths" that may or may not be applicable in a given situation.

I also don't draw much of a distinction between replacing an easily accessible part even if it involves soldering versus some of the mascinations one has to go through to use a power, speaker or IC cable that is so physically ill-suited for a device that the unit is damaged. Which represents a more dramatic alteration will depend on the situation.

[RGA]

Mr. Peabody

I agree - it would make more sense frankly for companies to do what Audio Note does and offer upgraded versions of the speaker - you could have 3 versions of the 1.6 or 3 versions of the 3.6. You can buy a base model and if you want to pay for the premium parts they're there. Getting after market upgrades from dubiously trained arm chair engineers is puzzling to me. I bet 99% of buyers never actually have BOTH the original and the new modded version side by side in their living room. They listen then ship out the speakers and a month goes by they get it back and say WOW what an improvement - long term memory anyone? The other issue is that most times people spend more they assume it's better. I've never read anyone who made a mod and found it to be anything less than way way better. Despite the fact that the maker in some instances was roundly against the modification - but consumers know better than manufacturers it would seem.

And don't fee bad about not loving Magnepan - lots of people don't - more people I know in person hate them than like them - on internet forums it's a bit different because if you say you don't like them you'll end up in a spiral thread for 50 pages. I get their popularity - I get why people like them - I don't. The 1.6 I find to be the best value in the line and at $2k one of the best speakers around - the 20.1 is to me is a pretty poor 10K+ loudspeaker and I I can't think of any other 10K+ speaker I like less than the 20.1. I am not a fan of the ribbon tweeter sound (which is unnatural to my ear) and the head in a vice sound takes me completely out of the event. The 1.6 oddly enough has some advantages over the bigger brothers - and reasonably priced. Plus the competition is less robust at the 2k price point

[jvc]

I agree with the Polk Audio LSi9 speakers. They are outstanding, and need good power to drive them. (They are 4 ohm speakers) The LSi9s are about $1000 pr., and the matching LSiC center is about $560.
See them here: http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/lsi/index.php?s=lsi9
Crutchfield.com sells them too, for the same price that Polk does, in case your local dealer is higher. Add an SVS subwoofer, and you'll have an awesome setup.

[hifitommy]

a FINE sounding little speaker with not bad low frequency output. quite natural sounding as they are the descendants of the LS3/5As with the difference of being easy to mate with a sub.

the DO want some power though, at 84db sensitivity.at just about $1k for the new model. i dont know about availability in oz though.

[TomW]

I noticed you mentioned Elac. I happen to own the BS-53 bookshelf. It has one of the most natural presentations i've heard! On the other hand it does'nt do detail too well, so if you've got to hear the singers breath or that really faint detail at the end of some songs you might want to consider another speaker. In the price your looking you could prob'ly do a lot better, but since you mentioned Elac i thought i'de give my opinion on the BS-53.

[harley .guy07]

I am in the market to purchase some new or very good used bookshelf speakers in the up to $3000 price bracket.
Could anyone recommend some of the better ones in this price range and why they believe so.

I would agree with jack. The Usher 718 seem to be rated as some of the best at 3000 dollars or less and for the music you said that you listen to the Midrange and accuracy are the most important things besides the obvious(soundstaging and imaging). They seem to be the best rated bookshelf sized speakers out there for this price range.

[javamark]

Hi All,

Thanks for all of the great suggestions.
I managed to get to my local dealer recently and listened to a pair of Polk LSi9's, Jamo D830's and some Klipsch RB-81's.
I loved the looks of the Jamo's and the Klipsch were a good listen and well priced, but I preferred the LSi9's as the overall package.
I found the LSi9's exhibited an excellent soundstage, and I believe they will mate extremely well to my Crampton solid state amplifier. They are fairly large for a bookshelf, but space won't be a problem and they look fabulous.
I couldn't get my ears on a set of Usher speakers (no dealer within cooee unfortunately).
I ordered a set of LSi9's in Cherry, so I hope to have possession of these in a couple of weeks.
Once home, and after they have broken in, I will resubmit some feedback.
Thanks everyone for your advice.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Congrats on your purchase. I really think you would have loved the Usher's, but it's hard to put down that kind of cash with out hearing them first. In fact, I usually make sure that anythng I buy has a liberal return policy just in case I don't like it when I get it home. Looking forward to hearing your impressions of the new speakers when you've had a chance to break them in. Good Luck.