Speakers (KEF/Wharfedale/Axiom/ELAC) for my First Budget Setup with Wyred4Sound mINT


Hi All,

As the title suggests I am getting into my first setup and on a strict budget.  I was able to pick up a Wyred4sound mINT integrated amp on here and have been looking for speakers to go along with it.  I was kind of doing the check craigslist and then read a whole ton of reviews game and have missed out on a couple pairs due to unresponsive sellers and/or contacting after they sold.  Looking for some thoughts on the following speakers which I've considered buying and or other options that I might be able to find at a budget ($1000 or less) new or used.

1) KEF Q700 - Was trying to get a pair on CL but missed out due to unresponsiveness; can be sourced online around $800
2) Wharfdale Diamond 10.7 - Can be sourced online around $700
3) ELAC Uni-Fi UF5 - run for $1000
4) Axiom Audio M60 - a pair of these were available locally very inexpensively, but by the time I messaged the guy they were already sold

I have read countless reviews on a lot of these (and other) speakers, but due to not having a high end audio shop locally have not been able to listen to any of them.  Looking for some comments on anyone who has had the privilege to listen to these or others and can provide some insight.  Thanks!
music4grc
Hi Tom I live in Californian on the central coast but have family in the Bay Area so am up there fairly often. What are the condition of the speakers? Where are they located?
SWOhio. 9.5/10 condition using IsoAcoustics SML Speaker/Monitor Stand or 26” custom steel speaker stands. OEM packaging, manuals, port plugs professionally broken in. Upgrade in progress. 

For your price range I agree on going the active route.  Never heard the KEF's but all the positive write ups speak for themselves and don't think you could go wrong with them.  I would also definitely check out the Airpulse Model 1's  I've owned these now for almost three months and have been meaning to do a review on them but I'm great at procrastinating.  These are my first active speakers and I absolutely love them and can't imagining anything touching them in the $1000.00 range and then some, yeah, they're that good!  They fill my 18x20' room easily and the bass is outstanding,  just what you would expect from a Phil Jones design.

    I may very well be the only one on the forum who own these and really can't find too many reviews to speak of but once work gets out about these I think that will change.  They also come with a 60 day money back guarantee but trust me you won't be returning them