Best speakers under $500? Fire away!

OK... I think I have narrowed down my choices to the ELAC Debut B6 and Wharfedale Diamond 10.1.  Both are roughly $259 shipped and can be returned easily.  Sensitivity is 86/87db for both.  

Any input on which way I should go?

Buy them both, audition them with your system and keep the pair you like best.  Send the other back.

Looking for suggestions for budget speakers under $500. Can be floor or bookshelf.

First, there are no best speakers at $500 pair. Or at $1000 pair. And so on, so forth.

Only the speakers that are best for you. And the speakers that can best be driven by your vintage NAD. And the ones that integrate the best with your room.

While I am sure that the Elacs that were suggested are good speakers, they probably are not the best speakers with your 20 wpc into 8 ohm vintage amp. The Elacs are 4 ohm with a sensitivity of only 85dB making them rather hard to drive and not the "best choice" for you. They are also rear ported so should be used with stands to sound their best. Do you have stands or did you plan on putting them on a bookshelf?

My suggestion is to understand your amps capabilities and how they relate to the two key specs of a speaker - impedance and sensitivity. Then make up a short list of models that are within your budget and go out and audition.

So there is a lot more to it than simply asking for suggestions on the internet. Doing that seldom results in the best speaker for you.

Randy-11 brings up a good point.  If they do, take advantage of it.  Along with other online venues like Music Direct and Audio Advisor.  Even if you have to pay return shipping, that's a small price to pay for an in-home trial.

Most of the standmount speakers have relatively low sensitivity but are more easy to drive than floor standing speakers with higher sensitivity .

Really?  Even a speaker that is 4 ohms with sensitivity of 85dB like the Elacs that keep getting recommended with no concern over the OP's limited amp capabilities.

Please explain.

+2

But this is what happens when someone insists on asking for suggestions on the internet, especially speakers.  Instead of making up a short list and going out and audition.  You end up buying what the popular flavor of the year is from a consensus from a bunch of strangers on the internet.  Which seldom ends up being the right speaker for you.

If the OP had asked a year ago, it would have overwhelming been the Pioneer SP-BS22 LR.  This year Elac.  Who know which one next year.  But you can be assured the question will continue to be asked.