Newbie needs speaker recommendation

Also check out the B&W 302's. They are on many folks lists for small
speakers. They are two way, and sound pretty good for their size and
price...

Marty Sasaki

Any particular reason you want a 3-way? Unless a floorstander (what about a
compact one of those? Many of those also 2-way), most of the better
manufacturers choose to make only 2-way speakers for stand mounting. No problem
with that - a 3-way is not inherently better than 2-way and in smaller, budget
speakers the money is often better spent in best quality for two drivers,
cabinet, and single crossover.

Again, how small a speaker do you want? One of the smallest speakers in your
range is one I have - Mordaunt-Short MS10i Classic (2-way, 12x7x10 in rosewood,
58Hz-3dB extension, $650 list, mordaunt-short.com). Now discontinued, though
still among best for price and can find used for around $350. Some other
$400-600 quality compact speakers (12-15" tall, 7-9" wide) include:

Acoustic Research AR15 ($500, 14x9x8)
B&W 601S2 ($450, 14x8x10)
B&W 602S2 ($600, 19x9x12)
JMLab Tantal 507 ($550, 15x8x11)
Mission 780 ($600, 11x7x10)
Paradigm Ref. Studio/20 ($700, 15x9x12)
Triangle Titus ($595, 12x8x11)

These speakers all 2-way. New Mission is smallest/sleekest and probably most
refined, though also least bass extension (about 65Hz-3dB). Paradigm rated down
to 38Hz-2dB. In small apartment, any of these may produce adequate bass (unless
basshead) if mounted near wall on 18-30" spiked, metal stands (Standesign,
Studio-Tech, Target, Bell'Oggetti, etc. - check audioadvisor.com and jandr.com
for B'O SP-200). Could mate with 8-10" powered sub from Energy/Mirage/SD,
Paradigm, Velodyne, etc., though IMO this can be dicey in apartment. May be
best way to get good, full-range system cheap, though even smallest subs are
often rated below 30Hz and neighbors will be hearing/feeling your music even at
moderate volume.

You may not have wanted floorstander because you thought it'd be bulky. This
true for most of Circuit City/Best Buy junk, though better floorstanders also
compact to minimize resonance and improve imaging. Most of the below will take
up no more floorspace than above minis on stands, but will have some low bass
(though not as intrusive as subs). Many also come in variety of nice finishes:

Energy e:XL-25 ($550, 33x6x12)
Mirage FRx-Five/Seven ($550/$700, 33x8x13/36x7x13)
Paradigm Monitor 7 ($630, 35x8x15)
PSB Image 4T ($600, 36x7x15)

For what it's worth, these all use 3 drivers (though mid/bass units same size
in each), except for 2-driver Mirage FRx-Five.

Check audioreview, etown.com, goodsound.com, etc. and these brand sites:
acoustic-research.com
bwloudspeakers.com
energy-speakers.com
focal.tm.fr/jmlab99
miragespeakers.com
mission.co.uk
paradigm.ca
psbspeakers.com
triangle-fr.com

Eric

$500.


excellent,
Paradigm,


Thanks very much for the reply.

audioreview really needs a better search engine; I did a search for "3-
way speaker" "3 way speaker" "3way speaker", etc and didn't get any
hits. Also their Product Review kinda stink in that they often tell you
nothing (is it a 2-way or 3-way? What's the estimated street price? How
big are they?). Granted, you can usually find this information out, but
you have to really dig. I was hoping for something categorized -
I.E. "here are all 3-way bookcase speakers from $400-$600".

I have a very small apartment, so the smaller the better. However, I
realize that you can only go so small with a 3-way..?

Sent via Deja.com #
Before you buy.

You might think about a pair PSB Image 2B speakers. They are 2-way and
should cost under $350 a pair. Go to # for more info. I am
using them as a stereo pair and am pleased with them. However, understand
that they won't give you too much under 50Hz. They are otherwise excellent.

Keith

Check audioreview.com for reviews and links to web sites. Many excellent,
compact speakers in your range from B&W, Mission, Mordaunt-Short, Paradigm,
JMLab, etc. How compact a speaker are you looking for?

Eric