[Kevin Shen]

Dear Sir/Madam:

I have a secondary stereo in my house that is in need of a good pair of
speakers. I would like to get good inexpensive audiophile quality
speakers that are $350.00 U.S. and under- the lower the cost, the
better. The bottom line is that I am looking for the proverbial "best
bang for the buck". I know that Dana Audio (now defunct, I believe)
and NHT used to sell these types of speakers for $300 or less, which
were consistently rated by Stereophile magazine to be "Class D
Recommended Components" many few years ago

I have been out of the current audiophile scene and do not know what's
available in today's hi-fi market. With this in mind, could somebody
recommend me a musical pair of audiophile quality speakers with the
"best bang for the buck", such as Stereophile magazine's "Class D
Recommended Components", or something in this type of category? I
would greatly appreciate any suggestions and input.

Regards,

Kevin Shen

[bob]

Kevin Shen wrote:
Dear Sir/Madam:

I have a secondary stereo in my house that is in need of a good pair of
speakers. I would like to get good inexpensive audiophile quality
speakers that are $350.00 U.S. and under- the lower the cost, the
better. The bottom line is that I am looking for the proverbial "best
bang for the buck". I know that Dana Audio (now defunct, I believe)
and NHT used to sell these types of speakers for $300 or less, which
were consistently rated by Stereophile magazine to be "Class D
Recommended Components" many few years ago

I have been out of the current audiophile scene and do not know what's
available in today's hi-fi market. With this in mind, could somebody
recommend me a musical pair of audiophile quality speakers with the
"best bang for the buck", such as Stereophile magazine's "Class D
Recommended Components", or something in this type of category? I
would greatly appreciate any suggestions and input.

"Stereophile Class D" means nothing more than, "What we decided to
review that doesn't cost a lot." I wouldn't presume it necessarily
offers "bang for the buck."

Companies that seem to know how to make good loudspeakers economically
include Paradigm, PSB, and Infinity/JBL. I've heard good things about
Axiom but have no first-hand knowledge, as they are mail-order only.
JBL just phased out a line, so you might still find a few real bargains
if you check someplace like jr.com. A lot of people like the PSB Alphas
or the Paradigm Atoms or Titans, which are well within your budget. Not
sure what else they offer these days in your price range.

Speakers are a very individual thing. There is no one best speaker, and
lots of relatively good ones at any given price point. You should take
whatever recommendations you get here as nothing more than suggestions
of models to try out--and then go try them out, and decide for
yourself.

bob

"Kevin Shen" wrote in message
...
Dear Sir/Madam:

I have a secondary stereo in my house that is in need of a good pair of
speakers. I would like to get good inexpensive audiophile quality
speakers that are $350.00 U.S. and under- the lower the cost, the
better. The bottom line is that I am looking for the proverbial "best
bang for the buck". I know that Dana Audio (now defunct, I believe)
and NHT used to sell these types of speakers for $300 or less, which
were consistently rated by Stereophile magazine to be "Class D
Recommended Components" many few years ago

I have been out of the current audiophile scene and do not know what's
available in today's hi-fi market. With this in mind, could somebody
recommend me a musical pair of audiophile quality speakers with the
"best bang for the buck", such as Stereophile magazine's "Class D
Recommended Components", or something in this type of category? I
would greatly appreciate any suggestions and input.

Regards,

Kevin Shen

Best Buy is selling a Chinese speaker called the Insignia. It's had
astoundingly good buzz. It sells for $50. At that price, it's hard to go
wrong; your maximum downside risk is $50. I recommend it without even
hearing it.

Norm Strong

[Pixies]

Hi,

If you're looking for bookshelf speakers, the JM Lab Chorus S 707 are
excellent.

If you're looking for column speakers, the JBL Northridge E80 are quite
good for your price range.

Cheers,


Kevin Shen ha escrito:

Dear Sir/Madam:

I have a secondary stereo in my house that is in need of a good pair of
speakers. I would like to get good inexpensive audiophile quality
speakers that are $350.00 U.S. and under- the lower the cost, the
better. The bottom line is that I am looking for the proverbial "best
bang for the buck". I know that Dana Audio (now defunct, I believe)
and NHT used to sell these types of speakers for $300 or less, which
were consistently rated by Stereophile magazine to be "Class D
Recommended Components" many few years ago

I have been out of the current audiophile scene and do not know what's
available in today's hi-fi market. With this in mind, could somebody
recommend me a musical pair of audiophile quality speakers with the
"best bang for the buck", such as Stereophile magazine's "Class D
Recommended Components", or something in this type of category? I
would greatly appreciate any suggestions and input.

Regards,

Kevin Shen

[Kalman Rubinson]

Used is your best option.

Kal

On 4 Jul 2006 15:14:56 GMT, "Kevin Shen"
wrote:

Dear Sir/Madam:

I have a secondary stereo in my house that is in need of a good pair of
speakers. I would like to get good inexpensive audiophile quality
speakers that are $350.00 U.S. and under- the lower the cost, the
better. The bottom line is that I am looking for the proverbial "best
bang for the buck". I know that Dana Audio (now defunct, I believe)
and NHT used to sell these types of speakers for $300 or less, which
were consistently rated by Stereophile magazine to be "Class D
Recommended Components" many few years ago

I have been out of the current audiophile scene and do not know what's
available in today's hi-fi market. With this in mind, could somebody
recommend me a musical pair of audiophile quality speakers with the
"best bang for the buck", such as Stereophile magazine's "Class D
Recommended Components", or something in this type of category? I
would greatly appreciate any suggestions and input.

Regards,

Kevin Shen

[[email protected]]

bob wrote:

"Stereophile Class D" means nothing more than, "What we decided to
review that doesn't cost a lot." I wouldn't presume it necessarily
offers "bang for the buck."


Sorry but this is a gross misrepresentation of what Class D recomended
components are meant to represent. Given the fact that the description
of what actually is meant by class D recomended components is presented
in *every* recomended components list there is really no excuse for
this gross misrepresentation.
Scott

[Kevin Shen]

Kalman,

Speaking of used as being a best option, I have run across a
second-hand pair of Mission 70 Mark II speakers. The asking price is
approximately $40-$50 with shipping & handling of approximately $20
(which will make the total cost $60-$70). How good is this model and
do you know much about this model? Also, is this a good used price?
Any feedback or suggestion(s) will be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Kevin Shen

Kalman Rubinson wrote:
Used is your best option.

Kal

On 4 Jul 2006 15:14:56 GMT, "Kevin Shen"
wrote:

Dear Sir/Madam:

I have a secondary stereo in my house that is in need of a good pair of
speakers. I would like to get good inexpensive audiophile quality
speakers that are $350.00 U.S. and under- the lower the cost, the
better. The bottom line is that I am looking for the proverbial "best
bang for the buck". I know that Dana Audio (now defunct, I believe)
and NHT used to sell these types of speakers for $300 or less, which
were consistently rated by Stereophile magazine to be "Class D
Recommended Components" many few years ago

I have been out of the current audiophile scene and do not know what's
available in today's hi-fi market. With this in mind, could somebody
recommend me a musical pair of audiophile quality speakers with the
"best bang for the buck", such as Stereophile magazine's "Class D
Recommended Components", or something in this type of category? I
would greatly appreciate any suggestions and input.

Regards,

Kevin Shen

[bob]

wrote:

Best Buy is selling a Chinese speaker called the Insignia. It's had
astoundingly good buzz.

"Buzz" is worth even less than "Stereophile Class D."

It sells for $50. At that price, it's hard to go
wrong; your maximum downside risk is $50.

Which is not chump change if your maximum budget is $350.

I recommend it without even
hearing it.

If somebody showed me a half-decent frequency response plot, so would
I. But all the spec sheet says is "50Hz to 20kHz." That could mean
anything.

bob

[MC]

wrote in message
...

Best Buy is selling a Chinese speaker called the Insignia. It's had
astoundingly good buzz. It sells for $50. At that price, it's hard to go
wrong; your maximum downside risk is $50. I recommend it without even
hearing it.

That's $50 a pair. Actually, I had some coupons and got a pair of them this
evening for $35 to replace the tiny Radio Shack Minimus speakers on my
workroom stereo. They are definitely worth more than what I paid for them!
I don't know how they compare to more sophisticated speakers; I haven't done
any critical listening or comparisons, nor do I have any really good
speakers nearby to compare with.

[rppb]

The Athena f2.2. I just bought a pair and am amazed at the sound quality.
The f2 which I also own was a class D Stereophile recommended speaker and I
think the new f2.2 sounds even better and it isn't even broken in. (Athena
recommends a 50-100 hour break in) Audioadvisor has them on sale for $400 a
pair with free shipping. I think this is an unbelievable bargain for this
sound quality.
"Kevin Shen" wrote in message
...
Dear Sir/Madam:

I have a secondary stereo in my house that is in need of a good pair of
speakers. I would like to get good inexpensive audiophile quality
speakers that are $350.00 U.S. and under- the lower the cost, the
better. The bottom line is that I am looking for the proverbial "best
bang for the buck". I know that Dana Audio (now defunct, I believe)
and NHT used to sell these types of speakers for $300 or less, which
were consistently rated by Stereophile magazine to be "Class D
Recommended Components" many few years ago

I have been out of the current audiophile scene and do not know what's
available in today's hi-fi market. With this in mind, could somebody
recommend me a musical pair of audiophile quality speakers with the
"best bang for the buck", such as Stereophile magazine's "Class D
Recommended Components", or something in this type of category? I
would greatly appreciate any suggestions and input.

Regards,

Kevin Shen

[Steven Sullivan]

bob wrote:
Kevin Shen wrote:
Dear Sir/Madam:

I have a secondary stereo in my house that is in need of a good pair of
speakers. I would like to get good inexpensive audiophile quality
speakers that are $350.00 U.S. and under- the lower the cost, the
better. The bottom line is that I am looking for the proverbial "best
bang for the buck". I know that Dana Audio (now defunct, I believe)
and NHT used to sell these types of speakers for $300 or less, which
were consistently rated by Stereophile magazine to be "Class D
Recommended Components" many few years ago

I have been out of the current audiophile scene and do not know what's
available in today's hi-fi market. With this in mind, could somebody
recommend me a musical pair of audiophile quality speakers with the
"best bang for the buck", such as Stereophile magazine's "Class D
Recommended Components", or something in this type of category? I
would greatly appreciate any suggestions and input.

"Stereophile Class D" means nothing more than, "What we decided to
review that doesn't cost a lot." I wouldn't presume it necessarily
offers "bang for the buck."

Companies that seem to know how to make good loudspeakers economically
include Paradigm, PSB, and Infinity/JBL.

I would add NHT (is Ken Kantor still designing for them?)

___
-S
Still not bloggin'.

[Steven Sullivan]

rppb wrote:
The Athena f2.2. I just bought a pair and am amazed at the sound quality.
The f2 which I also own was a class D Stereophile recommended speaker and I
think the new f2.2 sounds even better and it isn't even broken in. (Athena
recommends a 50-100 hour break in)

Well, that would raise a red flag for me right there.
___
-S
Still not bloggin'.

[UC]

Try to find some nice used British monitors.

IMF, Spendor, Rogers, KEF, B&W, etc. have made good models at various
price points.

Typical examples:

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-FRIED-ST...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/PAIR-ROGERS-LS6A...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/pair-of-vintage-...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/SPENDOR-SP-3-1-S...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/KEF-Reference-Mo...QQcmdZViewItem




Kevin Shen wrote:
Dear Sir/Madam:

I have a secondary stereo in my house that is in need of a good pair of
speakers. I would like to get good inexpensive audiophile quality
speakers that are $350.00 U.S. and under- the lower the cost, the
better. The bottom line is that I am looking for the proverbial "best
bang for the buck". I know that Dana Audio (now defunct, I believe)
and NHT used to sell these types of speakers for $300 or less, which
were consistently rated by Stereophile magazine to be "Class D
Recommended Components" many few years ago

I have been out of the current audiophile scene and do not know what's
available in today's hi-fi market. With this in mind, could somebody
recommend me a musical pair of audiophile quality speakers with the
"best bang for the buck", such as Stereophile magazine's "Class D
Recommended Components", or something in this type of category? I
would greatly appreciate any suggestions and input.

Regards,

Kevin Shen

[Nick Sun]

Although it may not be audiophile rated, for whatever it means, but PSB
image B25 is about in your price range. They actually sound quite good
in comparison with the PSB platinum M2 I am using now in my home
office, which cost way much more regularly (fortunately, I got mine for
a great, great bargain). Maybe you can give it a try sometime.

Kevin Shen wrote:
Dear Sir/Madam:

I have a secondary stereo in my house that is in need of a good pair of
speakers. I would like to get good inexpensive audiophile quality
speakers that are $350.00 U.S. and under- the lower the cost, the
better. The bottom line is that I am looking for the proverbial "best
bang for the buck". I know that Dana Audio (now defunct, I believe)
and NHT used to sell these types of speakers for $300 or less, which
were consistently rated by Stereophile magazine to be "Class D
Recommended Components" many few years ago

I have been out of the current audiophile scene and do not know what's
available in today's hi-fi market. With this in mind, could somebody
recommend me a musical pair of audiophile quality speakers with the
"best bang for the buck", such as Stereophile magazine's "Class D
Recommended Components", or something in this type of category? I
would greatly appreciate any suggestions and input.

Regards,

Kevin Shen

[[email protected]]

Kevin Shen wrote:
Dear Sir/Madam:

I have a secondary stereo in my house that is in need of a good pair of
speakers. I would like to get good inexpensive audiophile quality
speakers that are $350.00 U.S. and under- the lower the cost, the
better. The bottom line is that I am looking for the proverbial "best
bang for the buck". I know that Dana Audio (now defunct, I believe)
and NHT used to sell these types of speakers for $300 or less, which
were consistently rated by Stereophile magazine to be "Class D
Recommended Components" many few years ago

I have been out of the current audiophile scene and do not know what's
available in today's hi-fi market. With this in mind, could somebody
recommend me a musical pair of audiophile quality speakers with the
"best bang for the buck", such as Stereophile magazine's "Class D
Recommended Components", or something in this type of category? I
would greatly appreciate any suggestions and input.

Regards,

Kevin Shen

Kevin,

If you want to bother with kits the Ed Frias designed Audio Review.com
kit [available through Madisound] is truly high end sound at a budget
price.I have built two pairs of these for friends.They have a
refinement and coherency that is far from a budget sound.
Read the reviews on Audio Review. or linked through Madisound.

JT

[Kalman Rubinson]

On 7 Jul 2006 15:16:41 GMT, Steven Sullivan wrote:

I would add NHT
Yes.

(is Ken Kantor still designing for them?)
No.

Kal

[rppb]

Most speakers do sound better after at least 10 hours of play. The Athena
f2s took over 50 hours to sound their best. I think it would be hard to find
a better speaker than the Athena f2 or f2.2 for under $1000.00 a pair.
"Steven Sullivan" wrote in message
...
rppb wrote:
The Athena f2.2. I just bought a pair and am amazed at the sound quality.
The f2 which I also own was a class D Stereophile recommended speaker and
I
think the new f2.2 sounds even better and it isn't even broken in.
(Athena
recommends a 50-100 hour break in)

Well, that would raise a red flag for me right there.
___
-S
Still not bloggin'.

[John Stone]

On 7/6/06 10:11 AM, in article , "MC"
wrote:

wrote in message
...

Best Buy is selling a Chinese speaker called the Insignia. It's had
astoundingly good buzz. It sells for $50. At that price, it's hard to go
wrong; your maximum downside risk is $50. I recommend it without even
hearing it.

That's $50 a pair. Actually, I had some coupons and got a pair of them this
evening for $35 to replace the tiny Radio Shack Minimus speakers on my
workroom stereo. They are definitely worth more than what I paid for them!
I don't know how they compare to more sophisticated speakers; I haven't done
any critical listening or comparisons, nor do I have any really good
speakers nearby to compare with.

A couple of engineers have done measurements on them. They are very choppy
on frequency response with evidence of serious cone resonances and edge
reflections. In essence, they are a mediocre implementation of a KEF UniQ
speaker with a very flimsy cabinet and cheaply built crossover. There is
also the question of whether or not they are in violation of KEF's patent.
They appear to be. They are probably worth $50-just about anything is-, but
I think this is another one of those fads like the Radio Shack speakers with
Linaeum tweeters, or the CD3400 CD player. Coincident drivers are very hard
to do properly, and I question the wisdom of making one so cheaply. The
compromises are obvious.

[Harry Lavo]

"UC" wrote in message
...
Try to find some nice used British monitors.

IMF, Spendor, Rogers, KEF, B&W, etc. have made good models at various
price points.

Typical examples:

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-FRIED-ST...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/PAIR-ROGERS-LS6A...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/pair-of-vintage-...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/SPENDOR-SP-3-1-S...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/KEF-Reference-Mo...QQcmdZViewItem




I can enthusiastically endorse the IMF's. Back in the 80's I had both TL-50
transmission lines and the Super Compacts (which incidentally except for
deep bass sounded remarkably alike). I'm sorry I ever sold them...along
with the Thiels the best speakers I have ever owned (better than the
Magnapan II's and Heil's, IMO).

[MC]

"John Stone" wrote in message
...

That's $50 a pair. Actually, I had some coupons and got a pair of them
this
evening for $35 to replace the tiny Radio Shack Minimus speakers on my
workroom stereo. They are definitely worth more than what I paid for
them!
I don't know how they compare to more sophisticated speakers; I haven't
done
any critical listening or comparisons, nor do I have any really good
speakers nearby to compare with.

A couple of engineers have done measurements on them. They are very choppy
on frequency response with evidence of serious cone resonances and edge
reflections. In essence, they are a mediocre implementation of a KEF UniQ
speaker with a very flimsy cabinet and cheaply built crossover. There is
also the question of whether or not they are in violation of KEF's patent.
They appear to be. They are probably worth $50-just about anything is-,
but
I think this is another one of those fads like the Radio Shack speakers
with
Linaeum tweeters, or the CD3400 CD player. Coincident drivers are very
hard
to do properly, and I question the wisdom of making one so cheaply. The
compromises are obvious.

Where can I find some of these measurements?

[MD]

Kevin Shen wrote:
Dear Sir/Madam:

I have a secondary stereo in my house that is in need of a good pair of
speakers. I would like to get good inexpensive audiophile quality
speakers that are $350.00 U.S. and under- the lower the cost, the
better. The bottom line is that I am looking for the proverbial "best
bang for the buck". I know that Dana Audio (now defunct, I believe)
and NHT used to sell these types of speakers for $300 or less, which
were consistently rated by Stereophile magazine to be "Class D
Recommended Components" many few years ago

I have been out of the current audiophile scene and do not know what's
available in today's hi-fi market. With this in mind, could somebody
recommend me a musical pair of audiophile quality speakers with the
"best bang for the buck", such as Stereophile magazine's "Class D
Recommended Components", or something in this type of category? I
would greatly appreciate any suggestions and input.

Regards,

Kevin Shen
I agree with most of the choices here. Add used Triangles

[Steven Sullivan]

rppb wrote:
Most speakers do sound better after at least 10 hours of play.

If they do, it's not likely that the *speaker* 'broke in'. More likely
you did.


http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/...erBreakIn2.php


___
-S
Still not bloggin'.

[bob]

John Stone wrote:
On 7/6/06 10:11 AM, in article , "MC"
wrote:

wrote in message
...

Best Buy is selling a Chinese speaker called the Insignia. It's had
astoundingly good buzz. It sells for $50. At that price, it's hard to go
wrong; your maximum downside risk is $50. I recommend it without even
hearing it.

That's $50 a pair. Actually, I had some coupons and got a pair of them this
evening for $35 to replace the tiny Radio Shack Minimus speakers on my
workroom stereo. They are definitely worth more than what I paid for them!
I don't know how they compare to more sophisticated speakers; I haven't done
any critical listening or comparisons, nor do I have any really good
speakers nearby to compare with.

A couple of engineers have done measurements on them. They are very choppy
on frequency response with evidence of serious cone resonances and edge
reflections. In essence, they are a mediocre implementation of a KEF UniQ
speaker with a very flimsy cabinet

Maybe that's the source of all the buzz!

bob

[John Stone]

On 7/9/06 9:01 PM, in article , "MC"
wrote:

"John Stone" wrote in message
...


A couple of engineers have done measurements on them. They are very choppy
on frequency response with evidence of serious cone resonances and edge
reflections. In essence, they are a mediocre implementation of a KEF UniQ
speaker with a very flimsy cabinet and cheaply built crossover. There is
also the question of whether or not they are in violation of KEF's patent.
They appear to be. They are probably worth $50-just about anything is-,
but
I think this is another one of those fads like the Radio Shack speakers
with
Linaeum tweeters, or the CD3400 CD player. Coincident drivers are very
hard
to do properly, and I question the wisdom of making one so cheaply. The
compromises are obvious.

Where can I find some of these measurements?

Got to
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/speakers/bbs.html

Do a search for Insignia. You'll find some posts there with measurements
included.