Loudspeaker Reco

[geodr]

Thanks guys. Really don't know where to start with the speaker upgrade... so I started in a local audio store in Berkeley California, where they were able to show me the Sonos gear, and listen to some speakers. I told them my budget was < $1000 for the main room, and they played some Paradigms for me - the mini (or Atom?) monitor sounded okay for the size, but the floorstanding Monitor 7 sounded a lot fuller.

A few questions:

1) I notice AA doesn't have a loudspeaker forum - where is a good online source of speaker reviews that I can research before going to some stores to listen?

2) Any speaker recommendations < $1000/pr

3) Any recommendations for online NAS vendors, or are they such a commodity that Amazon.com is fine?

4) and last (for now), any recommendations for reliable and economical CD ripping services? I have about 600 CDs, and know I could save a lot of money doing it myself, but really too busy to do so...

Thanks!

[Masterlu]

Here is our General Speaker forum.

[Rilands]

I'm not a huge Music Lover of Berkeley fan, allthough I've been there many times and bought a few things. I would check out Magnolia HiFi in San Ramon. They have some nice stuff and many more speakers at this price point. I deal only with a salesguy named Elery. Tell him a guy named Mike who lives local & is on Audio Afficianado and is a customer & friend of his recommended him. He'll know who I am. You could call him too. He's a good guy and can help you.
If you don't want new you'll find a lot on craigslist and Audiogon. One of the best speakers i ever listened to for for around $1000. was Magnepan 1.6's used. You can listen to those new in Walnut Creek at Stereo Unlimited, but the owner is a bit Odd. A nice store though.

[cmalak]

geodr...welcome to AA. Here are some links for your research that will help you out:

Stereophile: Equipment Reviews | Stereophile.com (go down until you see Loudspeaker review links)
The Absolute Sound: the absolute sound Reviews | AVguide
EnjoyTheMusic: Enjoy the Music.com High-End Audio Equipment Reviews
Positive Feedback: archives
Soundstage.com: SoundStageHiFi.com Equipment Reviews
UltraAudio.com: Equipment Reviews
Soundstage.com Archives: Loudspeakers (home audio: stereo, in-wall, etc.)
The Audio Beat: The Audio Beat - Insightful reviews for audiophiles and music lovers

A good way to start narrowing down the field is to purchase the last issue from Stereophile which has their top 500 recommended components in high-end audio and go through their speaker section (comes out twice a year in April and October issues I believe). Similarly, The Absolute Sound has a couple of issues a year that has their top recommended components in high-end audio and you can go through their recommended speaker section and narrow it down by your budget.

Once you narrow down some suggestions, you can seek out full reviews at the above links. Reviews should just be your starting point, after which you should seek out to listen to any speakers of interest in person at a local high-end audio dealer or at audio shows.

Hope this helps.

[kfr01]

Great post by Cyril.

I think Monitor Audio provides some nice value under $5k.

If you were at all considering mods to a Sonos, I would highly consider doubling your speaker budget to $2k. That doubling of budget will be one of the best $1,000 you spend in audio/HT.

Edit: I'd also take a good look at KEF in that price range.

[BlueChiaro]

I would consider going used for the speakers...you'll get much more for your money. The first thing I'd decide, though, is what I'm trying to achieve over and above what I currently have. Do you listen to music where you'll die if you have less bass (a monitor), or are you a mid-range fan who loves vocals, and such? Then, I'd also consider if I really prefer floor standers or monitors. Do you have stands for monitors? If not, then that needs to factor into the budget, as well.

My first "high end" speakers were the B&W CDM1SE (late 1980s) that I still own to this day in my office system. They make great music with my integrated amplifier pairing. Frankly, if you ask ten people, you're going to get ten different recommendations. So, think about what you want to achieve and whether full range or monitors meet your needs, and then go from there. At least you'll have eliminated half the choices, that way.

Enjoy your journey and keep us posted!