Best speaker under $600: The short list

Posted by Bryan P. [IP: 152.163.197.211] on November 05, 1998 at 22:34:14:

In Reply to: Best speaker under $600: The short list posted by SiliGoose on October 29, 1998 at 23:56:14:

: I've heard all of them with the exception of the Tannoy's. I would rate the B&W 602 and Paradigm Refrence 20 w-a-y above the others. The Polks cannot compete in this class, I'm surprised you mentioned them.

Agree wholeheartedly.

: : My application is a mix of HT and music of various kinds from hard rock to acoustic and everything in between. I'm looking for a (fairly) small, (fairly) inexpensive speaker with *outstanding* knock-your-socks-off performance (Clarity, decent bass response, 8 ohm nominal impedance, and will tolerate occasionally being played REALLY loud).

Unfortunately, for $600 REALLY LOUD and great performance is tough. If LOUD is good enough, you're still OK.

All for a reasonable price (Let's say no more than $600). They need to work well with mid-to-high-grade budget equipment but be able to show improvement as I upgrade the rest of my system (amps, etc.) towards the Audiophile level, because I plan on upgrading speakers again eventually, but the rest of the equipment needs to catch up first and I don't want to have them drag down my system right away as it evolves. (not too much to ask, is it?) :)

Not at all. Just remember, everything is relative.

: : Based on the (100's) of reviews I've read and (1000's) other people's comments, here is the short list. Please add your $0.02 (or more). If I've left your favorite little
: : speakers off my list, please speak up, I'd love to hear your opinions...

: : Here is what I've come up with (Alphabetically, as I haven't auditioned many of these yet):

: : B&W 602 ($550)
: : Mission 732 ($?)
: : Paradigm Reference Studio/20 ($600)
: : Polk Audio RT55 ($550)
: : Tannoy M2 ($350) or M3 (a little large) ($550)

Listen to the Snell K.5. Plays reasonably loud and sounds great on all types of music. I use them for my rears in a HT setup but they sound great by themselves. They will also mate nicely later with a sub if you want the ulitmate in low bass later on. Impedance is variable.(4-6 Ohms average.) Why the 8 Ohm restriction? You'll miss a lot of good speakers if you force the 8 Ohm issue.

Follow Ups:

• Best speaker under $600: The short list Mike Coyle 21:10:23 11/07/98 (0)

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