Help with speaker choice for a noob

recordsmith · 11-06-09, 09:48 AM

Hello all,

I am sure you get this question all the time but I thought I would try asking it anyway. I am an accomplished musician and I have finally gotten to a place in life where I can settle down and set up a system. I am new to the audiophile thing ad the enormity of choices has got me drowning in info.

Here is my situation. I want to build a 2 channel entry level system. My room is 14'X14' with a 10' ceiling. The floor is only carpeted with to not so plush area rugs. I would like to use a NAD 304 amp that my father has given me to power the speakers.

For now my budget is around $300 a pair. I would like to stick with bookshelves for now. And I am very willing to buy used / vintage equipment.

I live in MD and I thought I would be able to find more places to audition speakers but alas there are very few. The brands/models I have researched are:

1. Polk RTi a1
2. B&W
3. PSB
4. NHT
5. EPOS els3

I have listened to the polk tsi100s at BB, and the B&W 685 and 686 at a local gramaphone. The B&Ws were out of my price range but the 685s sounded beautiful!

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.

cornhulio · 11-06-09, 01:36 PM

Unless you listen at very low volumes, bookshelves will only make you wanting more sound. I would recommend a pair of used Polk SDA 2B floorstanders which sell in the $200-$300 range but aren't easy to find. You'll have to watch CL and ebay and a'gon. Make sure they have the stock silver coil tweeters which have much more clarity and detail than the polk replacement tweeters.

http://www.polksda.com

Similar thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1194127

tdogroeder · 11-06-09, 02:52 PM

Vanns.com has Energy RC-10 in cherry veneer for $300 +free shipping. http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it..._c=site_search

par4 · 11-06-09, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdogroeder

Vanns.com has Energy RC-10 in cherry veneer for $300 +free shipping. http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it..._c=site_search

Great deal on some nice speakers......... quality company to. Pretty easy to drive.
Recordsmith, is the NAD 304 an integrated amp?

Knucklehead90 · 11-06-09, 10:27 PM

Used speakers are a bargain if you know what you are looking at and how to evaluate them before you buy. Many 5 year old speakers are barely broken in and will cost you less than half their new counterpart.

Craigslist is an excellent resource - as is ebay - if you are careful about who you are buying from. Klipsch - Polk - Infinity & JBL all have ebay stores that sell for much less than the retail rate. They can do that by advertizing their wares as 'refurbished'. I have a perfect HK 3390 I just got a few days ago that was new - even had the plastic on the face of it and all the accessories that had never been touched. All HK did was take it out of a retail box and slip it into a box with 'refurbished' on it. It had that new 'I've never been on before' electronics smell to it.

recordsmith · 11-06-09, 11:02 PM

Hey guys thanks for the replies. Yes, the 304 is integrated. It is rated at 35W per channel at 8ohms. I won't be listening at very loud levels. I can't imagine being any louder then 90dB or so.

I guess the hardest part is trying to know what I should be looking for with out being able to really listen to the speakers. I guess I will have to take a plunge and see what I get. I missed outon a great deal 150 for a pair of EPOS els 3s. But I was not really sure whether my amp would be enough. It's a high current amp but I just wasn't sure.

Thank again and I will check out the Energys.

tdogroeder · 11-07-09, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by par4

Great deal on some nice speakers......... quality company to. Pretty easy to drive.
Recordsmith, is the NAD 304 an integrated amp?

I will be ordering me a pair when I start my new job on the 16th. I prefer the Rosenut veneer over the cherry, but they don't have the rosenut on sale.

I'm expecting better sound than my elt525m's that they will be replacing.

11-06-09, 09:48 AM	#1 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a4ac4393' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:30&n=a4ac4393' border='0' alt=''></a>
recordsmith New Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 6	Help with speaker choice for a noob Hello all, I am sure you get this question all the time but I thought I would try asking it anyway. I am an accomplished musician and I have finally gotten to a place in life where I can settle down and set up a system. I am new to the audiophile thing ad the enormity of choices has got me drowning in info. Here is my situation. I want to build a 2 channel entry level system. My room is 14'X14' with a 10' ceiling. The floor is only carpeted with to not so plush area rugs. I would like to use a NAD 304 amp that my father has given me to power the speakers. For now my budget is around $300 a pair. I would like to stick with bookshelves for now. And I am very willing to buy used / vintage equipment. I live in MD and I thought I would be able to find more places to audition speakers but alas there are very few. The brands/models I have researched are: 1. Polk RTi a1 2. B&W 3. PSB 4. NHT 5. EPOS els3 I have listened to the polk tsi100s at BB, and the B&W 685 and 686 at a local gramaphone. The B&Ws were out of my price range but the 685s sounded beautiful! Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.

11-06-09, 01:36 PM	#2 \| Link
cornhulio Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 214	Unless you listen at very low volumes, bookshelves will only make you wanting more sound. I would recommend a pair of used Polk SDA 2B floorstanders which sell in the $200-$300 range but aren't easy to find. You'll have to watch CL and ebay and a'gon. Make sure they have the stock silver coil tweeters which have much more clarity and detail than the polk replacement tweeters. http://www.polksda.com Similar thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1194127 __________________ Polk SL2000WC $3 DIY mod. Smaller the uf, the less harsh your SL2000 is. 1. SRS: .47 uf/250v mylar cap top SL2000, 1.0 2nd, 1.0 3rd, .47 bottom 2. 2.3: 1.0 middle 3. 1C: 1.0 top 4. 2B: 1.0 Last edited by cornhulio; 11-06-09 at 01:42 PM..

11-06-09, 10:27 PM	#5 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
Knucklehead90 Tired & Retired Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Central Washington State Posts: 3,197	Used speakers are a bargain if you know what you are looking at and how to evaluate them before you buy. Many 5 year old speakers are barely broken in and will cost you less than half their new counterpart. Craigslist is an excellent resource - as is ebay - if you are careful about who you are buying from. Klipsch - Polk - Infinity & JBL all have ebay stores that sell for much less than the retail rate. They can do that by advertizing their wares as 'refurbished'. I have a perfect HK 3390 I just got a few days ago that was new - even had the plastic on the face of it and all the accessories that had never been touched. All HK did was take it out of a retail box and slip it into a box with 'refurbished' on it. It had that new 'I've never been on before' electronics smell to it. __________________ "The Tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants " ...Thomas Jefferson

11-06-09, 02:52 PM	#3 \| Link
tdogroeder AVS Special Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Des Moines, Iowa Posts: 2,326	Vanns.com has Energy RC-10 in cherry veneer for $300 +free shipping. http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it..._c=site_search

11-06-09, 11:02 PM	#6 \| Link
recordsmith New Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 6	Hey guys thanks for the replies. Yes, the 304 is integrated. It is rated at 35W per channel at 8ohms. I won't be listening at very loud levels. I can't imagine being any louder then 90dB or so. I guess the hardest part is trying to know what I should be looking for with out being able to really listen to the speakers. I guess I will have to take a plunge and see what I get. I missed outon a great deal 150 for a pair of EPOS els 3s. But I was not really sure whether my amp would be enough. It's a high current amp but I just wasn't sure. Thank again and I will check out the Energys.