Good 2-channel Bookshelf speakers?

pietro944

Hi guys.....I kind of built my HT system on the cheap over the last couple of years.Now I'm looking to upgrade my 2-channel analog listening experience.

I have monitor 70's in as my HT mains,which I bought refurbished from Polk and I do like them.

However,I do all my music listening 2-channel thru a seperate Dac and I'm looking for something better for music than the 70's.

I'm saying bookshelf,because space is limited and my plan is to put the bookshelfs on top of the 70's.

I've got a lot of sacd's and other primo jazz cd's and I have more money,now......so does anyone have any suggestions in the $6-800 range for a killer 2-channel experience?

As always you guys are the most helpfull on the 'net....Thanks,Peter

falconcry72

The Polk LSI-7's or LSI-9's are definitely worth a listen, and you'd have money left over.

They need power.

What would you be driving them with?

dorokusai

The LSi7 is the best LSi speaker in that lineup. It's perfect for a bookend rig and will give you enough bass response to not worry about adding a baby subwoofer.

If not that, the world is your oyster as there are so many great bookies on the market its hard to start somewhere else....just start looking at Monitors on Audiogon and pick some that pique your interest, based on the price bracket you mentioned.

pietro944

falconcry72 wrote: »

The Polk LSI-7's or LSI-9's are definitely worth a listen, and you'd have money left over.

They need power.

What would you be driving them with?

Thanks for your reply....I have a 7 X 140w Pio Elite receiver with a Crown 2 channel beast sitting in the closet on standby.....thankx,peter

dorokusai

The LSi7 or LSi9 are not that hard to drive, regardless of the 4ohm rating. Do they respond to high power? of course, as all loudspeakers do when properly driven.

pietro944

dorokusai wrote: »

The LSi7 is the best LSi speaker in that lineup. It's perfect for a bookend rig and will give you enough bass response to not worry about adding a baby subwoofer.

If not that, the world is your oyster as there are so many great bookies on the market its hard to start somewhere else....just start looking at Monitors on Audiogon and pick some that pique your interest, based on the price bracket you mentioned.

I have a sub,but I don't like a subwoofer for 2-channel.....Do the LSI 7's have the Vifa tweeter?

Thanks for your help(I'm getting so excited).

falconcry72

pietro944 wrote: »

.....Do the LSI 7's have the Vifa tweeter?

yep.

pietro944

falconcry72 wrote: »

yep.

Excellent!....I luv that tweeter.....I foolishly sold my Lisc center2 yrs ago,cause I needed the money....damn!

Upstatemax

I'm a big fan of my LSi 9's. I'm also a big fan of Paradigm and Focal.

pietro944

Upstatemax wrote: »

I'm a big fan of my LSi 9's. I'm also a big fan of Paradigm and Focal.

yea,I always liked Paradigm.....any model recommend for around $800?

pietro944

Wow........Lsi 9's-$650
Lsi 7's-$480

Refurbs from Polk Audio on Ebay with free shipping.

Upstatemax

pietro944 wrote: »

yea,I always liked Paradigm.....any model recommend for around $800?

Paradigm studio series, and the Focal Chorus series are the main two that I've heard. You can get both for under $800 used.

treitz3

Either Focal 807V's or DCM time windows would be my suggestion for ya'. The Focals for the frequencies, especially at the top and the TW's for the imaging. My 2cents...

Good luck and have fun! Just be sure to enjoy the music.

pietro944

treitz3 wrote: »

Either Focal 807V's or DCM time windows would be my suggestion for ya'. The Focals for the frequencies, especially at the top and the TW's for the imaging. My 2cents...

Good luck and have fun! Just be sure to enjoy the music.

Thanks...I've got more new cd's and music wav files,than god......I also use AKG 701's and the Tos hd-xa-1.....I'm most interested in a sweet and airy top end...not concerned too much about the woofers.

cnh

Focals are a nice speaker. So are the LSI-7s (have a pair).

I also have a pair of Energy RC-10s that are fairly musical and would fit on top of M-70s. Earlier Energy bookshelves would also be nice (more of a 'value' speaker).

If you can find a pair of used Totem Rainmakers. They would also work. I just had a chance to do some quality listening to those at a fellow Polkie's house. You all know him as Jstas. A most gracious host!

Good luck!

cnh

coolsax

I really like my Ascend Sierrra-1s.. you can pick them up from ascend acoustics for around 850

pietro944

coolsax wrote: »

I really like my Ascend Sierrra-1s.. you can pick them up from ascend acoustics for around 850

Thanks....I just read up on them.7-year warranty,too

markmarc

First, how big is the room? Do you have decent stands that can be filled with sand, etc?

There are many quality budget bookshelf speakers in this price range. If you have some patience and don't mind used you can find some incredible buys, one example is the Revel M20's. They don't show up often, but they are very open and aren't finicky about room types. Others besides the LSi7/9's, and Sierra 1's are the Totem Rainmakers ($550-600 used).

rooftop59

As Mark stated, the world is your oyster. I think that if I had 600-800 to spend on a pair of bookies that I would become literally paralyzed with options. But that is definitely a good problem to have in this case. My 2 cents on several options:

Lsi7/9 - I have not owned or heard the 9s, but had the 7s for over a year. The tweeter is to die for, delicate and airy. The also have dynamic slam in spades, great HT speaker I think. Once the initial pleasure of the tweeter wears off, like a women of easy virtue the flaws start to become apparent. The upper bass/lower midbass (though present in abundance) is sloppy and slow. It came to drive me crazy. Also remember that these are very laid back speakers. That's not an inherent problem, just be sure you have the proper setup. In my first home this was fine, in my new home this was a problem.

Energy RC-10s - Smaller speakers, blends in a little better aesthetically I think, but YMMV. The highs are also delicate and airy, just not quite the match of the Lsi7s. The also offer less of the dynamic capabilities of the lsis since they are a smaller speaker. However, a much more coherent speaker overall with tighter faster bass. They actually dig pretty deep. If I had it to do over again, I would have sold the Lsi7s and keep the rc10s.

NHT Classic 3 - I have not actually owned or heard these, but I have the Super Ones, and they are wonderful for the price. A very coherent speaker; the acoustic suspension design makes for incredibly tight and accurate upper bass/midbass, and there is plenty of it. I wouldn't call the highs airy and delicate, but they are very extended and refined. You get lots of detail, and an overall integrity missing from the others. I can only imagine that the classic 3s are all that and more. If I had the coin I would upgrade to these in a heartbeat.

Other options that I have not heard but would like to are the Totem rainmakers, and the Paradigm studio 20s (newer version).

I don't think you can go wrong with any of these; you just have to decide what your preferences are. ideally you would walk into a hi-fi shop, listen to them all side by side and the same quality equipment and decide, but that's isn't gonna happen. I would recommend buying one used or refurbished, that way you can any of these for almost the same price you paid.

Good luck and let us know what you end up with.

pietro944

markmarc wrote: »

First, how big is the room? Do you have decent stands that can be filled with sand, etc?

There are many quality budget bookshelf speakers in this price range. If you have some patience and don't mind used you can find some incredible buys, one example is the Revel M20's. They don't show up often, but they are very open and aren't finicky about room types. Others besides the LSi7/9's, and Sierra 1's are the Totem Rainmakers ($550-600 used).

Thanks for your advice,mark.....My living room is small.Because I have a 7 speaker HT set-up.My idea is to put the bookshelfs on top of my monitor 70's.....I realize this would put the tweeter above ear level,but I can live with that.I've heard of Revel and I'm going to search for info on them.
thankx,peter

pietro944

rooftop59 wrote: »

As Mark stated, the world is your oyster. I think that if I had 600-800 to spend on a pair of bookies that I would become literally paralyzed with options. But that is definitely a good problem to have in this case. My 2 cents on several options:

Lsi7/9 - I have not owned or heard the 9s, but had the 7s for over a year. The tweeter is to die for, delicate and airy. The also have dynamic slam in spades, great HT speaker I think. Once the initial pleasure of the tweeter wears off, like a women of easy virtue the flaws start to become apparent. The upper bass/lower midbass (though present in abundance) is sloppy and slow. It came to drive me crazy. Also remember that these are very laid back speakers. That's not an inherent problem, just be sure you have the proper setup. In my first home this was fine, in my new home this was a problem.

Energy RC-10s - Smaller speakers, blends in a little better aesthetically I think, but YMMV. The highs are also delicate and airy, just not quite the match of the Lsi7s. The also offer less of the dynamic capabilities of the lsis since they are a smaller speaker. However, a much more coherent speaker overall with tighter faster bass. They actually dig pretty deep. If I had it to do over again, I would have sold the Lsi7s and keep the rc10s.

NHT Classic 3 - I have not actually owned or heard these, but I have the Super Ones, and they are wonderful for the price. A very coherent speaker; the acoustic suspension design makes for incredibly tight and accurate upper bass/midbass, and there is plenty of it. I wouldn't call the highs airy and delicate, but they are very extended and refined. You get lots of detail, and an overall integrity missing from the others. I can only imagine that the classic 3s are all that and more. If I had the coin I would upgrade to these in a heartbeat.

Other options that I have not heard but would like to are the Totem rainmakers, and the Paradigm studio 20s (newer version).

I don't think you can go wrong with any of these; you just have to decide what your preferences are. ideally you would walk into a hi-fi shop, listen to them all side by side and the same quality equipment and decide, but that's isn't gonna happen. I would recommend buying one used or refurbished, that way you can any of these for almost the same price you paid.

Good luck and let us know what you end up with.

Excellent!.....I'm not looking for laid-back,but detailed and open....more:"up front" I guess I'd say.There's a couple of "test" discs I use.

For voice I use:Denise Donatelli-In the company of friends,SACD-Japan OBI.....beautiful recording.

For piano-SACD-Van Cliburn/Fritz Reiner...Beethoven Emperor Concerto.....I want to hear that piano "degrade",if you know what I mean.

I didn't mention that I'm 60,don't drive,and not likely to be able to test out speakers,unless they were in the Boston/Cambridge area.So,I'm stuck with research and advice from the nice polkies,here.

rooftop59

Out of the ones that I mentioned, the NHTs and Energys are more forward sounding, but yet still detailed and open. Unfortunately I am not familiar with those discs. More of a popular music, jazz combo and folk guy I guess.

Surely there is a local hifi shop in Boston? I am in a small market, so I have always based my purchases on internet research. So far I have been very happy.

treitz3

pietro944 wrote: »

Thanks for your advice,mark.....My living room is small.Because I have a 7 speaker HT set-up.My idea is to put the bookshelfs on top of my monitor 70's.....I realize this would put the tweeter above ear level,but I can live with that.I've heard of Revel and I'm going to search for info on them.
thankx,peter

If you are going to place the speakers above ear level, scratch the idea of the DCM's. The Focal's I had mentioned would work quite well for this application, as the sweet spot is not so critical with those.

pietro944

treitz3 wrote: »

If you are going to place the speakers above ear level, scratch the idea of the DCM's. The Focal's I had mentioned would work quite well for this application, as the sweet spot is not so critical with those.

I could put them on stands at ear level,outside of my M70's.....they would be about 12 ft apart and I would have to toe them in....don't know if this is too much seperation for bookshelfs.
Thanks for your help,peter

rooftop59

I think that a general rule of thumb is to have them the same distance apart as they are from the listening position. An equilateral triangle with the listening position at one of the points. So if the listening position is 12 feet away (or close) then that should be fine as long as they are not against the walls.

Having said that, most of us do not have perfect dedicated listening rooms, and have to make compromises. Just try to pick the speakers that will best fit the particular compromises of your listening space.

treitz3

Hey Peter, here is a link to an older thread that discusses the Focal 807v's. Both Stereophile's comments followed by my own observations. You do not have to read the entire thread, the first post pretty much sums it all up for you.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63683

Tony M

Paradigm "Micro"'s or "Titan"'s....You'll be happy and save alot of money too. Go bigger and get the Studio 20v3's.a little laid back but nice also.


Maybe the Audio Engine 5's too.

trans am

Since we are in the same boat, I have a set of lsi7 on one side of the room and a set of rti-a1 at my computer desk. I was thinking of taking advantage of the lsi7 refurb deal also and ditching these rti-a1s so its all 4ohm. Then I read about these on stereophile. Have any of you heard them? how are they in comparison to the lsi7? They were interesting because they cost about the same and are also 4 ohm.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/totem-dreamcatcher-loudspeaker

pietro944

trans am wrote: »

Since we are in the same boat, I have a set of lsi7 on one side of the room and a set of rti-a1 at my computer desk. I was thinking of taking advantage of the lsi7 refurb deal also and ditching these rti-a1s so its all 4ohm. Then I read about these on stereophile. Have any of you heard them? how are they in comparison to the lsi7? They were interesting because they cost about the same and are also 4 o

http://www.stereophile.com/content/totem-dreamcatcher-loudspeaker

Just a heads-up.....all the refurbs on Polk-ebay are perfect.I bought my M 70's there for 1/2 off and this was not a blemish on the speakers(except Ups wrecked the boxes(lol).

The price with free shipping on the 7's and 9's is very tempting.....peter

trans am

pietro944 wrote: »

Just a heads-up.....all the refurbs on Polk-ebay are perfect.I bought my M 70's there for 1/2 off and this was not a blemish on the speakers(except Ups wrecked the boxes(lol).

The price with free shipping on the 7's and 9's is very tempting.....peter

Oh dude I have no questions about polk refurbs. They are perfect always! I think the lsi7 set I bought 3 years ago were from polk refurbds. and where do you think the vm10's came from in my bedroom rig? I want to know about those Totems and how they compare to lsi7.

markmarc

pietro944 wrote: »

I could put them on stands at ear level,outside of my M70's.....they would be about 12 ft apart and I would have to toe them in....don't know if this is too much seperation for bookshelfs.
Thanks for your help,peter

Generally speaking 12 ft apart is too much for most bookshelves. I know of somebody who like you had both a two-channel and a separate HT setup in the same room. He placed his HT towers on small 4-wheel trucks that he would wheel into place for movies. This allowed him to enjoy his two-channel rig without undo sound reflections.

trans am wrote: »

Oh dude I have no questions about polk refurbs. They are perfect always! I think the lsi7 set I bought 3 years ago were from polk refurbds. and where do you think the vm10's came from in my bedroom rig? I want to know about those Totems and how they compare to lsi7.

Having experienced both, the Totems have a more open presentation with a more natural/brighter top end, and surprising bass response. The Rainmakers are a bit more nasal-sounding with certain recordings. The LSi's in all honesty suffer from a mediocre x-over. But, by searching this forum you can find DIY upgrades that really take them to a new level.