@ Neo Ash
What is your opinion of the Wharfedale Diamond 10.2 and B&W 685 bookshelf speakers?
I am thinking of both of these speakers for my game room. I can probably find the 685 local to listen to, but no dice on the Wharfedale's.
While I am long time fan of Klipsch, I am thinking of returning my unopened Reference RF-62 II towers and going with something different.
My budget is $800 to $1000 for a pair of high quality bookshelves.
I was looking at the Golden Ear Aon 3's (or even the 2's) and I do have a local dealer for those.
Important to me: Dynamics, reasonable bass extension, well balanced midrange and ability to get loud (on rare occasion) and still stay composed. I want a speaker that one minute can be going balls to the wall with rock music and the next minute can dig into some classical Wagner or Bizet.
Suggestions?
I know you really like Klipsch, why not stick with it? The other speakers you are looking at are very different in design. Honestly, Klipsch with maybe the exception of HSU, are a couple of the only affordable options for horn loaded speakers. The majority of horn loaded designs, such as those by Acapella or the Vox Olympian speaker by Living Voice, range from fairly expensive to extremely expensive.
You mentioned Wharfedale, B&W, and Golden Ear. Here’s my brutally honest opinion. The Golden Ear speakers are overrated. I have only listened to the larger floor standing speakers, so I cannot comment on the bookshelf speakers you are considering. My time with the Golden Ears was brief and I have had no desire to revisit them. What is interesting is all the large page advertisements they purchase in various audio publications, coupled with the fact that I have only come across glowing reviews. Do you see where I’m going with this… Now for B&W; I almost purchased some 805s (this was before the 805d and before they started selling in Best Buy
). I felt it was a great bookshelf when paired with tube equipment to tame the highs. Just prior to purchase I moved to a new house with a larger listening room. Therefore, I went a different direction for my primary speakers. I’ve listened to the entire B&W line and didn’t really care for the 600 series; I feel that there is a better price to performance ratio to be had elsewhere. I auditioned some Wharfedale Diamond series speakers at a hifi show. I was very impressed with the top to bottom performance. It was one of the few items that I wished was available for onsite purchase at the show. Of the three, personally, I’d go with the Wharfedale. Just know it most likely will present a more smooth laid back sound than you are accustomed to.
Here comes your curve ball…..
I have been very impressed with Focal speakers over the years. Check out the 706. They are easy to drive and should offer nicely extended highs.
As always, visit some local dealer and try out as many different speakers as possible. Buy what sounds best to you.
You can get a sick deal on LSA .5 or 1 Bookshelf/Monitors (in black) from
http://www.underwoodhifi.com/2012/05/lsa-group.html currently. They are in your price range and well regarded.. Dude that runs that site is oldschool though. Best just to call him and let him know what you're looking for.
That’s an excellent recommendation terry. Those are great speakers at all the various price points; well-crafted and good sounding. Those closeout prices are fantastic. I have spent some time with Walter, the owner of Underwood HiFi. Until a couple of years ago he was in the Atlanta area. He is a very honest and knowledgeable person; he can offer solid advise over the phone. He’s defiantly a good person to work with.