Monitor speaker with the best bass at $500 used

Sunnyjim, $500-$550 is what VR-1s sell for. What do reviewers know about speaker value? They don't pay for anything. If I were selling VR-1s I wouldn't sell them for $375 either. Speakers for $375 don't come with a beautifully finished wood cabinet. For that price you get vinyl. Bose 301s have good bass and they are only $300 NEW. You should check them out. They might be just what you are looking for and they are in your price range. I have a friend using 301s with a Wyred4sound amplifier and he likes them. He likes them so well they replaced his Maggie 1.7s. Go figure. He says all Bose engineers come from MIT and his Bose speakers have incredible design and engineering. Find a store with a 30 day trial. If you don't like them you can take them back for a refund.

How about nht 2 ?

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.

Sunnyjim, I have decided to check out the 301s also. I have to find out for myself since there has been so much controvercy about Bose in general. My friend says the bass is insanely good and the speaker presents a big relaxed sound with excellent imaging. They play loud with ease and the speakers are responding well to every system improvement. If the results are as good as I think they will be I am going to write a review.

I'm not a big fan of Totem although my experience is with the Model One. It requires a great deal of high quality power to become balanced. If you are a late night lower volume listener the sound would be lean.