Recommendation on soft dome bookshelfs under $1K

Polk lsi 9 around 700 on Polk Ebay

Used mid to high end speakers at 1K a pair should not be a problem. Take a look at the Dynaudio X16 or Vienna Acoustics Haydn Grands. Both have soft dome tweeters and 6.5' drivers and could be found used at or around 1K. Very musical. They are 4 Ohm speakers though with sensivity in the mid to high 80's so your older receiver could be a problem unless it is a high powered model.

It may help the forum if we knew what model receiver you have as many of the speakers using the drivers that you want are of lower impedence and sensitivity. Hope this helps.

With a budget of $1K I'd get a pair of $500 speakers and a new $500 integrated amp to drive them. I'm hard-pressed to think of an old receiver that I'd want to use to drive a new pair of $1K speakers, unless it was a Tandberg or McIntosh.

Does it even matter if he's listening to tapes? I agree with above post. Spread your 1k out on more than just speakers.

^^^

Sorry for getting a bit high-handed. I should take your request at face value. At your price range I'd look at entry level Dynaudio or used.

Nola Boxers would be great; they list at $1500 new but perhaps you could pry a used pair from someone at your budget limit?

@Johnnyb53, I'd have no problem driving any current speakers with my Sansui G8000 circa 1980. There are plenty of vintage receivers from the heyday that would easily handle anything the modern speaker market has to offer. Big power supplies were the norm for these powerhouses, something that is lacking in receivers of a more modern flavor.

Valnar, it would help a bit if you could let us know what receiver you're intending to use with these speakers so that a proper match of power and sensitivity can be made. Also, what kind of music and how loud do you like to listen?

There is a reason the price continues to increase on vintage solid state equipment, many people like the sound. However, there is a trick to matching these amplifiers and receivers to current day speakers. Therefore, it would be nice to know exactly which receiver is being used in order to give a recommendation.

"There are plenty of vintage receivers from the heyday that would easily handle anything the modern speaker market has to offer."

Handle, yes. Bring out the best? Not likely, though some vintage receivers might do quite well with most any modern speaker.

Amplification has come a long way since the heyday of vintage receivers to enable the most out of many modern speakers.

Most receivers, and even many or most integrated, vintage or modern, do not have robust enough power supplies and current delivery capabilities to bring out the best in most (not all) modern speakers.

In general, they will work best with monitors or other designs that do not go much lower than 50-60 hz. Power and current delivery becomes a much more significant factor if attempting to deliver the lowest frequencies with speakers designed to be run of most SS amplification gear.

Green Mountain Europa $975 currently for sale. Many reviews on the web.

ATC SCM11s. There's a listing on audiogon currently.

era d5's. rear ported though if that matters. great base and smooth tweeter. i have a set hooked up to a nad integrated and it sounds good. heard mine one a ayre setup and it was noticeably better.

A great brand most here would say 'who?'. NSM.

Easy - Silverline Audio Minuete Supreme. Silk dome tweeter, $700/pr new, and punch way above their price and weight, IMHO.

TANNOY REVOLUTION DC6: 2012 WHAT HI-FI 5-star rating

"... Best standmounter £350-£700, Awards 2012. Detailed, dynamic and fast on their feet, these sound just as good as they look...

... Tannoy DC6: Verdict... We might have guessed that these Revolution DC6 speakers would be supremely confident all-rounders. Sure enough, they’re easy to listen to, endlessly enjoyable, nigh-on flawless speakers for the money ...."

They totally surprised me when I A-B'd themn against some tough competition, to the point that I bought them for my B system You make like them also.

As I see it, soft dome tweeters are a means to an end, a particular sort of sound you want in the treble. Could I assume that you want a smooth, natural treble devoid of ringing, overshoot, and peaky resonances that often accompany metal dome tweeters?

May I suggest an alternative with a completely different tweeter design that fits your other needs (no subwoofer, good match to vintage receiver) and budget ($1K max)?

I just attended an open house at my local high end dealer, and GoldenEar was there to demonstrate their Aon 3 standmount speakers.

Instead of a soft dome, GoldenEar uses a Heil-typ folded ribbon tweeter. What struck me immediately upon hearing it is that its treble is devoid of tweeter ringing and overshoot. In fact it revealed to me how much ringing and overshoot my brain has been filtering out over the years with conventional pistonic tweeters. This ribbon tweeter has a response out to 35Khz, meaning that it has a very fast rise time, meaning that its detail retrieval is superb. But unlike so many speakers that have hopped up treble to give us that "ambience and air," the Aon conveys the natural detail of a live performance without the hot treble of a resonance nor the edginess of overshoot and ringing.

Second, this is an efficient speaker, especially for a standmount. Standmounts are typically 84-87dB efficient, but this one is 90dB. The demo system was a 60wpc Peachtree integrated and it never wanted for power, dynamics, bass definition, or slam. These should be a good match for your vintage receiver.

Third, assuming you take some care in placement (i.e., about 2' from the wall behind them), these speakers have excellent bass. They sound like mid-sized floor standers and are pretty much flat to 40 Hz and are spec'd to 38 Hz. The bass was clean, extended, fast, and well-defined.

If I were in the market for a $1K standmount (or a $1K floor stander for that matter), these would be at the top of my list.

Usually a small standmount can't be efficient *and* have extended bass, but the Aon has an exceptional 7" mid/woofer and is augmented by two side-firing 8" passive radiators in a sealed cabinet with no parallel surfaces.

The GoldenEars are not too hard to find and audition. I suggest you give'em a shot.

I live right up the street from Goldenear. My first speakers ever a pair of Lafayette Criterions had heil AMT tweeters. Would love to hear those these days off of a decent rig. Might have to give these a listen locally.

dc10audio Berlin mini II used!

03-02-13: Mapman
I live right up the street from Goldenear. My first speakers ever a pair of Lafayette Criterions had heil AMT tweeters. Would love to hear those these days off of a decent rig. Might have to give these a listen locally.

As before, the caveat with auditioning GoldenEars is that because of their low price, many dealers pair them with mid-fi receivers, but they are of such high resolution they should be paired with good electronics. From reviews I've read, they really sing with tubes. And founder Sandy Gross powers his own pair of Triton 2's with a nice SET amp.

I was *really* taken by these Aon3's, however. Here's a stand-mounted speaker presenting a 9"x14" front that sounds for all the world like a mid-sized floor stander, complete with a 90dB sensitivity, linear, clean bass into the high 30's, and yet imaging and soundstaging more like the standmount that it is. I can't get the smoothness of the treble out of my mind.

I have a $2500 pair of 42"x9"x12" ported floorstanders in my living room, and the $998 Aon3's could easily sit in for them with no loss in dynamic range or bass extension, while improving on resolution and smoothness.

Johnny,

Gotta agree the Aon3 looks like a pretty refined big hitter at its price. Will be seeking out an audition of those sometime soon.

I have heard the Golden Ear Tritons. Very smooth, detailed and they produced a really big soundstage. IMO, a steal at under $3K including powered woofers. These are not being sold by the kind of dealers that typically sell Def Tech nowadays. They sound nothing like Def Tech (a compliment in my book). I heard them run off of decent NAD electronics in a well designed room. I second Johnny's Golden Ear recommendation.