Just confused about where to start


Hello all,

I'm looking to add speakers to my audiophile setup which currently consists of (very high end) headphones. I want speakers for everything the headphones cannot do - simple enough. Problem is, I'm having difficulty deciding which gear I want to buy. I demoed a pair of B&W 705 S2's today and was very impressed. Unfortunately, my budget isn't that high. It's $1500 total, for the speakers and amp combined. Source is a computer. I listened to a cheaper pair of B&W bookshelf speakers (can't remember which, but were around $1200) and was not impressed. I am leaning toward bookshelf speakers but don't know if getting floorstanding at this price point would be a large increase in quality. The room they will be placed in is only 100 square feet. I am willing to buy used.

So, my questions, summed up are:

Is bookshelf a better option than floorstanding?

Is it worth looking at cheaper B&W models, or should I look at other companies altogether?

At least with headphones, I like a pretty neutral sound, if not a tad warm. Are there any companies that predominantly have this sound signature?

How should the room size inform my choice of speakers?



muffinhead123

Showing 4 responses by jond

I am a fan of buying used and maximizing your budget especially when its a smaller one. Browsing the listings a couple  things jumped out at me.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis8gig3-snell-m-7-stand-mount-monitor-speakers-monitors

A nice pair of monitors from Snell $1800 new for $450 I like that they use s silk dome tweeter and paper woofer more natural sounding materials. Snell tends to make solid musical speakers and these look like a bit of a steal.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis8f99a-luxman-l-530-stereo-integrated-amplifier-solid-state

A nice looking vintage Luxman integrated for $700 the first 15 watts are Class A so it should have a warmer sound. One downside the listing ends in about 90 minutes but if you not the sellers name you can always contact him later.
Those two pieces call them $12-1300 shipped leave you a little money leftover for speaker stands and/or cables. No affiliation with either buyer. It doesn't have to be these exact pieces but that's how I would approach your project. Good luck!
They shouldn't be that hard to drive good watts and a good power supply matters more than the overall wattage number. The integrated I recommended in the same post does the first 15 watts in class A but its 120 watts class AB overall plenty of power for those speakers. Good luck!
Trust me 300 watts are not needed just get the best watts you can on your budget! Look for amps with robust power supplies over bit wattage ratings.
Congrats on the speakers I hope you love them! And good luck with finding an integrated that Sansui is Class AB since you were asking.  Never heard one but they do have a following. Looks like you have some good options and plenty of budget to find a good amp.