Best bookshelf speakers

jeremymarcinko

motorhead43026 wrote: »

marvda1 wrote: »

motorhead43026 wrote: »

I am going to check out some Ushers. I have run across a pair of CP-6381's for $1200.00. Not sure if the price is right but it does sound interesting.

spill the beans, who's got the usher 6381's for $1200? someone might be interested.

http://columbus.craigslist.org/ele/4953735415.html

Those are just up the road from me....been listed for a very long time...no idea why though.

comfortablycurt

Yes, the extra 4" is moving the center of mass higher up which does make them more unstable, but the extra height plays a much greater factor in that than any difference in weight does. In either case, I think both stands can suitably support the 9s.

F1nut

Yes, the extra 4" is moving the center of mass higher up which does make them more unstable,

That's true, but when the stands are mass loaded, as they should be, that concern becomes a non-factor. However, I know a lot of folks never mass load their stands for various reasons, none of them good.

comfortablycurt

Yes, I imagine mass loading would add a lot of stability. There will be relatively little hazard of these speakers getting knocked over anyway. I'll definitely be mass loading them just for extra stability though.

BlueFox

comfortablycurt wrote: »

I've managed to do quite well in school. I was actually accepted into an internship this summer as well, at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, IL working on a particle physics research project. I'm incredibly excited about. I'm excited about UIUC as well. For physics, they're typically in the top 10 in most rankings. Grad school is definitely in my plans after my undergraduate degree, so I'm getting off on the right foot so far.

Absolutely frigging, frugging congratulations. I guess after trimming trees you decided to find out where they came from. Keep it up, and stay in touch. I am sure they have computers at Femi.

comfortablycurt

Thanks! Nice to see you!

Yes, this is a bit of a change of pace from what I was doing several years ago. I like the direction it's headed though.

deronb1

I have seen some Parasound HCA 1000a on eBay for not too much coin. Great amp for bookies. 200w at 4 ohms I believe.

deronb1

nbrowser wrote: »

There's also the dangerously competent HCA-1200II...trust me....I've heard it deliver 315wpc into 4 ohms...deadly "little" amp for the coin bought used.

Indeed. Great amp as well. No 12v trigger though. Not sure if that is an issue with the OP.

comfortablycurt

I'm liking the looks of the HCA1200II. The lack of a 12v trigger is a non-issue for me.

There's one on eBay ending tomorrow. Current bid is $157.50, with 12 bids. Reserve isn't met yet. What price could one expect this to go for?

ebay.com/itm/PARASOUND-HCA-1200-II-/281654985309?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4193f2025d

Polkie2009

Curt, I bought a good used HCA-1200ii from a great local CP member here about 5 yrs. ago for $325.00( picked up, no shipping). I'd say expect to pay about that amount now, maybe even $25.00 either way, plus about $40.00 - $50.00 for shipping. These are excellent amps , classic Parasound quality.

comfortablycurt

Hmm...very interesting. I'm going to watch this one on eBay, and if the bidding doesn't get too high I might snag it.

What are (or were) you using the 1200II with?

Polkie2009

I run a pair of Polk SDA/SRS2's with it. Someday I'll go for a better amp for the lads , but for now, the 1200ii is doing a fine job, no complaints.

comfortablycurt

I'm also looking at the Parasound New Classic 2250. Used ones seem to be in the $600-$700 range. I'm also considering an Adcom GFA-555.

comfortablycurt

Those Mitsubishi amps look cool. Some of them look really old though. I'm not sure if I'd be interested in that route.

comfortablycurt

I can get Parasound 2100 for $400+shipping. Anyone have any thoughts on this for these speakers?

nbrowser wrote: »

comfortablycurt wrote: »

I'm liking the looks of the HCA1200II. The lack of a 12v trigger is a non-issue for me.

There's one on eBay ending tomorrow. Current bid is $157.50, with 12 bids. Reserve isn't met yet. What price could one expect this to go for?

ebay.com/itm/PARASOUND-HCA-1200-II-/281654985309?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4193f2025d

I paid $400 Canadian for mine, a stout performer that drove a pair of RTi A7 towers to levels only imaginable with an AVR and now that it's got a pair of 4 ohm SDA 2s attached to....drives them without breaking a sweat. important numbers....205wpc @ 8 ohm, 315wpc @ 4 ohm. 57 amps peak current, 40 continuous and pairs up extremely well with Polk speakers new and old.

To quote RIchard Schramm, president of Parasound in an email to me about the 1200II "It's got enough current to pull out tree stumps!"

That sounds great!

comfortablycurt

I got my LSi9s today. They're hooked up and playing DSOTM right now, and sounding wonderful. It's gonna take a little while to adjust my ears away from the SDA effect though.

steveinaz

I like the Lsi9; energetic, good slam, and sound way bigger than they are. Be sure to give them high quality power (big currrent)...they dip low in impedance.

comfortablycurt

I'm currently driving them with an Adcom GFA-545. So far it seems to be doing well, but I've only got about an hour of listening time on them so far. I haven't gotten crazy with the volume yet.

A new amp is definitely in the plans.

comfortablycurt

After getting a couple hours on them...some initial impressions.

The LSi9s have a much more refined high frequency response than the SDAs. It's a lot smoother and laid back. These things sound a lot bigger than they actually are. They don't have the bass impact that the SDAs have, but they dig surprisingly low for their size. I currently have them sitting on top of my SDAs though, and I suspect the bass response will improve once they're properly positioned. They have a much tighter, faster feel than the SDAs. The LSi9s seem to be better able to articulate a faster bass line.

dkfreebird

I've had the 545 and the 555 Adcom but when I got the Parasound 1200ii it brought a whole different sound to my Sda's.I paired it with my B&W cdm1nt and they never sounded better.

deronb1

I had a 1000a paired with cdm1nt and it was a nice fit as well.

EndersShadow

Curt

I'm a day or two late and a dollar short, but the 1200ii is a great amp. I'm using one with some Infinity RS-II's and it works great.......

Anything Parasound HCA-1000, 1500, 1200ii would be a great match. Even newer Parasound would be ok but I like the older stuff myself.

erniejade

"The LSi9s seem to be better able to articulate a faster bass line." agree on this. I still have a set and a set of legacy focus original and sda 2.3. For me since my sda is stock, i like the top end of the lsi9 better. That tweeter in them is articulate and does not make your ears go bonkers after an hour of listening. They do sound much bigger then they look and the bass is faster sounding vs the 2.3's. I also have a velodyne spl1200 sub that is a sealed box and that thing is still tight and fast and digs deep. When teamed up with the lsi9 and using a crossover, it is an amazing combo for not a lot of coin. Without using a crossover on the lsi9, it is still easy to match the sub up running the lsi9 full range but, I find it actually tightens up the 9's with a crossover.

Polkie2009

+1 on what Erniejade mentioned about running the LSi9's with a sub. Props to that model of Velodyne sub, I'm sure you've had it a number of years and I bet it's been trouble free. This is a awesome sub for music , I bet that 12" servo driver delivers fast,crisp bass, may not dig as deep as the 15" subs, but for music, who needs 16hz. , unless you're into pipe organs. Nice combo Ern!

comfortablycurt

After spending a little over a week with the LSi9s, I'm liking them even more and more. These things can paint a very accurate and smooth sound stage. I thought I was going to be bothered by a more narrow sound stage due to not having the SDA effect, and this hasn't been a problem at all. There's a noticeable difference on some parts of recordings that tend to have a much greater SDA effect in the first place, but there's still a lot of width to the image. I haven't yet played around with varying amounts of toe-in, but I expect the image to get even better once I find the right positioning.

I said it before and I'll say it again. These things sound BIG. I was expecting to find myself wanting to turn my sub on fairly quickly, but I haven't even turned it on yet since hooking up the 9s. The 9s have much more low frequency extension than one would expect them to have. They lack a little bit in the actual bass impact in comparison to the SDA 2As, but not significantly so. I was listening to some Sublime earlier, and the 9s didn't miss a beat in reproducing it. As I said before, the 9s seem to be 'faster.' They seem to better articulate faster bass lines. They are certainly a very different sounding speaker. I'm liking them very much so far though.

comfortablycurt

Indeed. There are a lot of expensive non-SDA speakers out there. I'm really liking them a lot though. Now that I've upgraded my speakers and my source, the preamp is next, and then the power amp.

I'm torn between getting the Parasound New Classic Model 2100, and spending a bit more on the Parasound Halo P5. It's going to be a few months before I upgrade those though anyway, so I've got some time to think about it and look into my different options.

Upstatemax

comfortablycurt wrote: »

I'm torn between getting the Parasound New Classic Model 2100, and spending a bit more on the Parasound Halo P5. It's going to be a few months before I upgrade those though anyway, so I've got some time to think about it and look into my different options.

I've been really happy with my P5 hooked up to my 1500A.

Keep an eye on eBay, the P5 shows up every now and again. Audio Advisor also tends to have them as "demo" units that are about $100 under list. The ones from AA keep a full Parasound warranty.

A few more weeks of breaking in and I think I'll be ready for a full review of my "new" 2ch system...

comfortablycurt

The P5 and 1500A is still what I'm really leaning toward. I need to wait for a used P5 to pop up. I've been scouring the usual pages every day, but no luck yet.

I can't figure out what a fair price for a 1500A is. There's been one on eBay for a buy it now of $650 for a while, but I feel like that price is a bit on the high side. I was thinking more in the $500ish range. Anyone have any thoughts on a fair price for the 1500A? What did you guys pay for yours?

I've also been watching the HCA 1200II. There's one on eBay finishing later this coming week. I might snag it if the price is right.

Upstatemax

comfortablycurt wrote: »

The P5 and 1500A is still what I'm really leaning toward. I need to wait for a used P5 to pop up. I've been scouring the usual pages every day, but no luck yet.

I can't figure out what a fair price for a 1500A is. There's been one on eBay for a buy it now of $650 for a while, but I feel like that price is a bit on the high side. I was thinking more in the $500ish range. Anyone have any thoughts on a fair price for the 1500A? What did you guys pay for yours?

I've also been watching the HCA 1200II. There's one on eBay finishing later this coming week. I might snag it if the price is right.

I paid just under $500 shipped, years ago.

I just waited for a decent deal to pop up with cash in hand. Took about a month of looking and putting out offers to snag mine.

comfortablycurt

That sounds like a much more reasonable rice. I'm probably going to have to wait around for one too. I can't find any anywhere right now. I'll most likely get a preamp first anyway though.