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Bookshelf speaker ideas....

I am looking for a nice set of bookshelf speakers and will have them on stands.
Want to do some serious enjoying of classical, jazz and soft rock music in my collection. Have a decent 55 wpc Onkyo receiver. Reading up on Polk RTi A3, Klipsch RB-81II and Energy RC10. Obviously, I am not looking to spend in three figures. Called a well regarded stereo store who doesn't do the "boutique" brands and claims there are speakers to be had for around $300 a pair that are "better than monitors".....any thoughts on all this? I am trying to sort this all out and it's hard to find stores that have a lot of brands to compare. Thanks!
moverbob
moverbob OP
13 posts
 
The Sjofn CLUE is tantalizing in the limited reviews I can read, and Mr. Erickson sent me a personal reply to my email of inquiry. He chose not to compare the CLUE to the other speakers I am considering, but only to higher end speakers like the Magico Mini! Said that nothing anywhere near the CLUE's price can touch it. Is is for real? Is the CLUE really THAT amazing? I'd need to order it with free money back guarantee to find out, because nobody close to me carries it....If it's that great, why isn't there more ink (or cyber-ink?!) about it?
b_limo's avatar
b_limo
2,271 posts
 
moverbob, the sjofn clue seems to need quite a powerful amp as they have a very low sensitivity rating (86 db). In the reviews, they were hooked up to some pretty serious equipment. Alot of $1500 monitors sound good with $10,000 worth of equipment upstream. The zu's should sound pretty decent, and loud, with only 55 watts, and if later on you upgrade the rest of your system, they'll sound even better. My vote still goes to zu in this particular application :-)
moverbob OP
13 posts
 
LOL Well now that I'm really getting into it and learning a lot about how to get the best sound, it seems that a new amp may be in order, although maybe my old Onkyo will be OK. Question remains: with a decent amp, would the Clue beat out the Excite X12? That's what I've narrowed it down to...
b_limo's avatar
b_limo
2,271 posts
 
I like dynaudio quite a bit, but I'm curious about the clue's. Maybe you ought to start a new thread "clue vs. excite" it'd be interesting to see if anyone has heard the clue's and what they thought about them. I like the idea of their placement as you could gain alot of width to the soundstage in a small room.
gonglee3
304 posts
 
If I were you, I would upgrade the receiver and the cd player, and spend less on used speakers - you must balance the system to get a good sound.

You could get this NAD dvd receiver and buy used speakers, and you will end up with better quality sound.

http://www.spearitsound.com/product.cgi?group=322&product=5146

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Paradigm-Reference-Studio-20-High-Definition-Subwoofers-Speakers-System-v-1-/261114333518?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item3ccba0894e

Spend a little to upgrade the cables and you will end up with a surprisingly good sounding balanced system for under $1000 complete. You will have left over for a stands for the spekaers.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/IXOSXHS806SREM/IXOS-Xhs806-11-Awg-Gamma-Geometry-Speaker-Wire-White-9-Foot-Piece/1.html
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