Monitor speaker with the best bass at $500 used


I generally understand monitor speakers with small woofers cannot generate deep bass. But would like some input as to whether there are some monitors "used" for $400-500 with tight bass between 40-45HZ.
sunnyjim

Showing 4 responses by sunnyjim

Rrog, Thanks for the heads up about the Bose 301; but I had my Bose moment in 1971 when I bought a pair of the original 501( two back firing tweeters and a ten inch woofer.) The low end from this speaker was the best I heard at the time, and overall I enjoyed them. But I will check them out the 301's, if you claim your friend replaced his Maggie's 1.7

I had a good shot at a pair of Totem Staff's, and Talisman, but they have disappeared from the Totem sale inventory with 30 days left on the ad. Either some member has got a "jones" for Totem, or Agon is screwing up. So I ask GON Central to trace VR-1's and the two Totems
to see if they were officially sold.

Todd thanks for the recommendation, but I never was a fan NHT;.....

SACman's I will check out e-bay for a pair of B&W 685, there are currently none for sale on Agon.
Rrog, There was a used pair available as of 10 days ago, but the seller wanted $550.00 for them They are/were 10 years old and retailed at 995.00. That for me was not a good value. Even a reviewer I know claimed they were worth $300 used and no more. I would have spent to 375.00, but the seller would not budge on price

I assume they were sold, however, with the 'GON's new audio format, the ad just disappears if it is sold which I think is dumb and inconvenient for members. So there is no way to track the sale; as far as I know, the sale may have been cancelled. BTW, and for what ever it is worth, it is no longer possible to contact a member off line who has answered a thread

Zydo, I am sorry but the PSB Alpha 1 reviews are not convincing to me; they have little bass. In addition, I would use them occasionally as an alternative to my main system speakers, but they would be plugged into major electronics and not a NAD integrated. Thanks to all Jim
Rrog, I am going to walk over to the Bose store tomorrow and give them a listen. However, when your friend commented that the sound was "big" "relaxed" and excellent imaging, those words seem similar to the way members describe the Ohm/Walsh Talls (38 inches height)....omni directional. It is hard to believe Bose would create a product that is beyond mid-fi. I'll keep you posted.

Regarding, the Totems, even "used" they seem over priced, however the imaging and soundstaging are a marvel I have to confess, I only heard the Totem Hawks, but everytime they sounded great

To Ablang, I had a pair of Vandy IC's about 5-6 years ago. I enjoyed them, but did not think they were overachievers. At the time, I was driving them with an Aragon 4004 MKII amp (200RMS) and a Conrad Johnson PV8 pre-amp. From what I can remember, they sounded pleasant but a bit dull with a limited high-end.....I also had the misfortune of calling Mr Vandy himself about setting the the so-called "rake angle" of the speakers which must be precisely measured, and he berated me for 15 minutues for not reading the one page manual. Unfortunately the 1C are bigger than the Totem Arro, or Staff speakers, and would be awakward in my room along with my main speakers. Thanks

Rrog, I finally got to briefly listen to the Bose 301. The following report is the short (and only) version. Driven by a Onkyo surround receiver and matching CD player, I found the highs to be limited in detail, and also "tinny" sounding; however, bass was above average, and the midrnage was fair. Imaging and soundstaging were what you might expect from Bose's design, but the images were not sharp, and soundstaging was only fair. They were placed horizontally on 14 inch stands, and wired with 18 to possibly 16 gauge wire.

Conclusion. Despite their low price of $328.00, I really believe these speakers would benefit form better electronics, like a NAD 326BBE, or the new Rega BrioR integrated amps. Overall, I think your friend should have his hearing checked and keep his Maggie 1.7's, the Bose 301 is a mid-fi speaker, and is not in the same league with speakers like PSB's Monitor V.6 or the Wharfedale 10.1.... Jim