paulr

Budget up to £450,bookshelf preffered.
Personally i'd like to get a top quality pair say 5-10 years old (ish)but cant remember what were the best speakers around at that time.
Reason for s/hand is i tend to think there is more value,especially speakers which if looked after last a long time.

Cheers
Paul.

(good,not god).....

paulr

i'll wait for Telboy..........

Vegescoob

It all depends what sort of sound you like so recommendations are hard. Mags like HiFi World and HiFi News have adverts in from firms specialising in sh equipment. If you can get to one you should be able to hear speakers.
Best if you take your amp, one of your source components and music you know.
Speakers are so subjective.
5/10 years ago Epos were rated as were Ruark, some Missions, Monitor Audio, in fact there's a lot of choice.

paulr

Too much choice tbh.I've rung a few dealers and some say ebay has killed the s/h market,only prob with ebay is you cant audition them first.
I'll probably get them private,but local,just looking for a few recommendations first though.

So far turned up mission 753 and ATCscm 10's.

Prefer rock music.

Vegescoob

With Mission 75 series only go for F versions imho.
Now, ATC really worth listening to esp. for rock. Be aware though that they are usually not that efficient and need a strong amplifier to drive them to their best.

Dracoro

That sort of money will get you brand new Quads. Top speakers.

paulr

True,but probably not better than what i have.

ProperCharlie

So what do you currently have? I currently have a pair of Cyrus CLS70s. Nice, if you can get the wife to tolerate the triffid stands.

ProperCharlie

(obviously that bloke has put his together wrong )

paulr

I have some 15yr old Tannoy M20's,bought them as a teenager for £300,recently borrowed some Mission 753's (not 753f) and they compared very well.

I did like the missions,big powerful speakers.(but floorstanders)

ProperCharlie

Ah - I had some Tannoy M15s years ago - my brother still uses them now, great 'speakers . I would have thought that a modern £500 speaker should comfortably outclass your Tannoys (although they are a good in themsleves). It's very hard to buy speakers without auditioning as it really depends so much on personal taste. I had in mind to buy some PMCs when I went shopping, but found the bass totally overblown, and hence ended up with the CL70s.

Also, what amp are you using? There is no point in expensive speakers without a decent amp that can deliver plenty of current.

stormyuklondon1

pmc db1's
http://www.pmcloudspeaker.com/db1.html
absolutely outstanding loudspeaker. you'll easily be able to pick up a pair for your budget and theyre upgradeable.
proac response sc1
http://www.arcticcorsair.f9.co.uk/au...sponse1sc.html
possible to get a pair in your budget, but will be a bit older. need careful partnering, but are the most un shelf mount shelf mount ive ever heard.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

How long is a piece of string?

In my experience, speakers make a far bigger difference to the overall sound from a system than any other component - and I don't care how trendy it is to say "it's the electronics, garbage in garbage out" and such. I've heard £1000 boxes that make the hairs on my neck tingle, and £1000 boxes that sound like someone farting into a coffin. Same electronics.

I'm a Monitor Audio fan myself, so I'd look there first - I've never heard a pair I didn't like - but they're your ears and you need to choose with them. I'd seriously look at buying new, even if only so you can get a good demo. You'll like the right £450 new speakers a lot more than the wrong £450 s/h units, guaranteed.

paulr

Andy,i couldnt agree more.
But in the S/H market there's so much on offer,many top quality.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Aah! Aah! CLS70's!!

Can I have first option if you ever sell 'em?

I NEARLY bought a pair, and now regret not having done so terribly, as they are deleted.

And the nearest I've got to them for sound quality (yes, I know, it's ALL subjective, but I really DIDN'T like the sound of the others I auditioned), is a pair of Proac tablettes at nearly £1300 WITHOUT stands!

Alcazar

fatscoobyfella

Acoustic energy AE series sound well..Depends what ya listening to..
Linn Keilidhs sound excellent for cheap money,but they are a small floorstander..
Recently listened to some Sonus Faber bookshelf speakers..sounded very good in the mid range but a little "toppy" for my taste..

Again..you need to have a listen 1st..

Buckrogers

http://www.richersounds.com/ any good?

ProperCharlie

Sure, but I can't seem myself wanting to get rid of them in the forseeable future.

They were actually slightly below the price point I was auditioning, I had heard some PMC floorstanders (which were the ones I originally wanted to buy) and then Linn floorstanders, and I wasn't really convinced. Then the guy in the shop said something like "it's a long shot, but you might like these". As soon as I heard the snare drum over the CLS70s I knew they were the ones. Just so much more clean and quick than the floorstanders.

paulr

I have a marantz pm17 amp and like rock music.

ScoobyDoo555

I'm intrigued about your efficiency comment, as I run SCM 300s at the studio I use. Granted they're using Crown Macrotech references (Tri-Amped).

How good/bad have you found them, as I think they're great (IMHO)

It's rather loud, but accurate - BBC & Pink Floyd use em too.

My opinion of the ATCscm 10's. is that ther're bl00dy brilliant. Soooo accurate. But you do have to drive em - they ARE studio monitors, not HiFi, so what you put in, you get out. Like the rest of the ATC range

You wont regret buying - but do listen first.

Another choice is a used pair of Genelecs (1030s) - also good. ALso love the PMCs - pricey though, but your paying for Transmission Line technology. ProAc are OK, but again, a very distinctive sound.

HTH

Dan

paulr

Hi
Why do you say the SCM10's are studio not hi-fi speakers.They are sold for home use or am i misunderstanding you.
Whats the bass output like btw.

ScoobyDoo555

only because I know the brand, and if you look at their website Here, they're advertised in the Pro/Studio section

What I'm also saying is that HiFi speakers are not a truely accurate representation of the sound - they enhance it slightly (cue all the Audiophiles screaming!!, however, speaking as an audio engineer, I speak as I find!!)

Studio monitors have an inherently "flat" frequency response, and can cater up to much higher, extended reproduction levels. Look at the site and you'll see that theSCM10s are rated at 105dB. The SCM300s are at 121dB (for reference, the threshold of pain is calculated at between 115 - 140 dB)

Hope this makes a bit more sense.
Still a really good pair of monitors though

Dan

paulr

Hi,
Your link go's to the active speakers,ATC also do non-active SCM10's as well.

Vegescoob

My comments ref ATCs were based on what I have read in reviews over the years.
I have used them years ago but in PA applications, when they were the first British drive units to rival the American brands.
As always, as others have said, you must listen to speakers with the amp you intend to use.

RobJenks

Look no further than a pair of Sonus Faber Guarnier Homage speakers.
Audiogon has a pair for $4500 -You'll keep them for ever.

pbee

the syling isnt great but i bet you can find some kick *** castles second hand and well within your budget, or maybe some boston acoustics or polk's.

Dogus

Have spent far too much over the years on good Hi-Fi and IMHO the best bookshelf speakers I've come accross without spending silly amounts of money,were a pair of Royd Audio Eden, nice fairly compact size, prefer to sit near a wall, but strong imaging and superb mid range detail, if any criticism they are a little bass shy but what bookshelf speaker isn't !

If it's detailed sound you're looking for then look no further.