What bookshelf speaks?

[joetama 5,000+ posts]

Never heard them but from their specs they look pretty good, and I'll take your word on it....

 

[ighettoboyi 10+ year member]

well, i've been narrowing the choices down...

i'm going to visit a PSB dealer who has a pair of alpha b's in a two channel setup with 100W each (basically what i'm gonna do) this saturday... depending on my schedule i may or may not visit another dealer who sells Yorkville (i'm interested in the YSM1i which is the same price as the alpha b's)...

there is a paradigm dealer near me so i may give those titans a listen.

and if i feel like being a stingy bastard, i'll just take the cheap route and go with some KRK ST6s or samson RESOLV65's (both 200 a pair)... i nearly bought the st6s from guitar center yesterday because i'm sick of all this anticipation and waiting

 

[brandontw 10+ year member]

i vote for paradigm as well, they make some killer stuff, my dad has some wall speakers from them and they rock...

 

[brandontw 10+ year member]

http://cgi.ebay.com/PARADIGM-TITAN-SET-LIKE-NEW-BLACK_W0QQitemZ5877292526QQcategoryZ14991QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

you might want to bid on these..you might just get a good deal...

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

Judging by looks alone, I always find that the subtlest and simplest speakers sound the best. Reason being, you are paying for what is inside, not for what looks good on the outside. You can see this clearly in the realm of "audiophile" speakers that cost in the 10s of thousands that look remarkable, but still have noticeable flaws since you wind up paying for aesthetics instead of performance. Just my .02.

 

[ighettoboyi 10+ year member]

i've never openly said it but that's also a common guideline i adhere to at times..

in this particular case i think the yorkville's might win out...

 

[ighettoboyi 10+ year member]

oh yea the only reason why i'm keeping this thread going is because the paradigm and yorkville dealers near me don't even have the atoms/titans or ysm1i's set up to listen to... so now i have to basically make a blind choice... might as well roll a die if you ask me... based on some subjective reasons, psb and yorkville are in my top two, followed closely by the titans...

 

[joetama 5,000+ posts]

Yorkville stuff is usually pretty good, good presence in the vocals and high end. Might get a little flakey in the mids but not bad by any means, and low performace is typical of that range and size of speakers. I've also used their larger powered cabinates for dime store use and sound reinforcement and they are pretty damn good. I can't say anything about the others because I've never heard them...

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

i've never openly said it but that's also a common guideline i adhere to at times..
in this particular case i think the yorkville's might win out...

Naturally. It only applies here because he has a lower budget and wants all the performance possible. The bigger performance names are usually simple when it comes to budget sound (Paradigm, Athena, Definitive Tech., Klipsch) because they don't need looks to sell the product; the company's heritage sells itself.

 

[qwerty778 10+ year member]

I know audiophiles (who have worked for speakers companies themselves like JBL) who say Paradigm are the absolute best for the money. But sound is still a preference so let your ears decide. It will be tough to make a decision w/o first hearing them.

 

[foreman 10+ year member]

How about the Ed Frais based DIY kit? Just a bit deeper into the wallet, but i owned a pair and with the new x-over improvements they are an outstanding value.....

 

[Scoobydoo 5,000+ posts]

another vote for Paradigm from me

I run Paradigm Atoms, CC-170 and ADP-70's with a Denon 2802 receiver and I have been happy with it for years and am not even thinking of switching any time soon

They go pretty low for such small speakers, but they do need a sub(or two) to help them out

 

[eisenhower 10+ year member]

The paradigm atoms are nice, but the av123 x-ls series bookshelves are much better in build and sound for 200 a pair. The website seems to be down ( http://www.av123.com ) but check them out if its up.

 

[qwerty778 10+ year member]

The paradigm atoms are nice, but the av123 x-ls series bookshelves are much better in build and sound for 200 a pair. The website seems to be down ( http://www.av123.com ) but check them out if its up.

These look good too. Nice suggestion.

 

[ighettoboyi 10+ year member]

The paradigm atoms are nice, but the av123 x-ls series bookshelves are much better in build and sound for 200 a pair. The website seems to be down ( http://www.av123.com ) but check them out if its up.

dang, those look pretty dang sweet too! you guys are making this decision-making tough! i've decided to remove the yorkvlle and paradigms from consideration. up until now, i was leaning towards the PSB alpha b's .. or if i wanted to cough up another hundred dollars, the 170s from ascend audio. in all honesty though, i can't really afford the ascend's so the x-ls is looking super sweet now. what a tough call! psb or x-ls //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif

the av123 x-ls' appear to be freakin heavy... heavy is good in my book //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/naughty.gif.94359f346c0f1259df8038d60b41863e.gif