[mepstein10]

So I had a few unexpected circumstances arise for me. A little detail.

I have a Mcintosh 8207 but no speakers, I was going to originally get a pair of martin logan ethos, but that will have to be put off for a year or two, maybe longer. In the meantime I have a killer amp, great source (Oppo 105D) and no speakers.

I need to get something affordable that sounds good. 70/30 - music/movies. I'd want to keep my budget under 700.00 so 300-700 range.

I shall only be using this for a 2.1 setup (since I will be using the Oppo's preamp function)

The music I generally listen to are symphonic metal, orchestral/classical, pop (jpop/kpop), rock, techno and occasionally jazz.

The room I am using for now is pretty small 15 x 11 or so, so bookshelves or towers doesn't make a difference, it would probably take up the same amount of space (with stands).

Any suggestions?

 

[HotAhr]

If it were me, I'd consider buying just the two fronts L/R speakers and possibly a center channel speaker. You might want to look into the StudioMonitor 55's from Definitive Technology. and the ProCenter 2000 center.

http://www.definitivetech.com/products/studiomonitor-55
http://www.definitivetech.com/products/procenter-2000

I'm not sure on what that adds up to, but, it would sound very good. Ack, but then again, you need a subwoofer, don't you? Ugh.

EDIT: Sorry, that does put you over.. I apologize. So, here is also an option!

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/speakerpkg.html

 

[dsrussell]

First: HotAhr's suggestion is a good one. The SM-55s are very nice speakers and I almost bought them (I auditioned all their Studio Monitors on three different occasions and liked the SM-55s the best). Second, I've auditioned the Ethos and thought they were absolutely terrific and a far better value than the ML Summits (which I also auditioned). That will be something great to look forward to.

A few other speakers to think about until your big purchase:

$600 / pair (includes shipping) JBL Studio 30 bookshelf speaker: http://www.jbl.com/estore/jbl/us/pr...earchMode=regularProductOnly&sCatId=cat140013

I haven't auditioned these, but have heard great things about them.
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$498 / pair (on sale w/ $40 shipping) Ascend Acoustics CMT-340 SE bookshelf speaker: http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340m/cmt340m.html

Another highly recommended speaker here on AVS (I haven't auditioned these either).
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$318 / pair to $378 / pair ($50 shipping) Hsu HB-1 Mk2 bookshelf speaker: http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/hb-1.html

I did audition these and thought pretty highly of them.
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And finally, the speaker I chose over the Def Techs and Hsu (and several others):

$225 / pair (includes shipping) EMP Tek R5Bi bookshelf speaker (formally E5Bi): http://emptek.com/r5bi.php
Andrew Robinson review: http://hometheaterreview.com/emp-tek-e5bi-bookshelf-speaker-reviewed/

Great sound doesn't have to mean a lot of money out of your pocket. I assume you have a subwoofer to use.