Best Bookshelf Speakers under $400? (1 Viewer)

[Rick Pay]

Looking for the best bang for my buck on bookshelf speakers that have to fit in a 19"x10"x21" space in a home entertainment unit. The JBL S36 had decided on or 10" in width, will not fit horizontally. Anthing comparable about 9" wdt or less?

 

[Daniel T]

Rick,
You might want to look at the axiom M22ti or the M3ti. Their widths are both less than 9" wide. I personally own the M3ti and they sound great but they say the M22ti will handle lower bass better. The M22ti are $400 dollars and the M3ti are $275. Axiom also sells factory outlet speakers at a lower price. Take a look at www.axiomaudio.com. They sell direct to the consumer over the internet with a 30 day money back guarantee. The only problem is that you will have to pay for return shipping. If you are looking for a quality bookshelf speakers on a limited budget these are the speakers to go with. Hope this helps.
Daniel T

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

The JBL S26 and Infinity IL10 can be had for under $300.

Axiom Speaker Company Millennia M22 Ti SE (over $300)(19.7x7.5x8.5)

I'd probably want the axiom over the other 2.

 

[Russell _T]

Check out these.

 

[JerryW]

Infinity IL10s. They're the best bookshelves I've ever listened to

 

[Thomas_Berg]

second Swan's Divas. www.av123.com
also look at B&W 600 S3 series and the Paradigm line.

 

[Eric A]

Get a pair of NHT 1.5s for under $300 shipped from Onecall.com. Don't be fooled by the price. These speakers were originally $600 and were rated better than most $1000 speakers. They will fit in your cabinet. You will not regret your choice.

 

[Paul_Fisher]

I would look into GR-Research speakers if you don't mind building your own. These will outperform any of the speakers listed above. You might be able to get the AV/1's for about 400.

 

[Jonathan K]

Hey, I had a friend who had similar problems....
This is a good link.
http://www.cheaphometheater.com/speaker%20shootout.htm
And is GR-Research an internet direct company? How do they get price/performance as good as Swan at $400?
Anyway, my friend posted this question in a few threads, and recieved a few interesting responses....
Does anyone have anything to say concerning the speakers mentioned in these threads?
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/spe...ges/84694.html
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=136818
http://www.harmonicdiscord.com/forum...98&forum=17&34
Thanks!!

 

[Phil Iturralde]

All good recommendations.

The JBL S26 ... can be had for under $300.

FYI: JBL S26 - 6" Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) with 150 watts power handling $159.88 w/FREE Shipping (limited quantity)
The Jul 1, 2001 article “OBJECTIVE SUBJECTIVITY by Scott Wilkinson for Electronic Musician, revealed that the JBL S26 was ranked as the best speaker on most clips vs. a Boston Acoustics CR8 & a B&W DM601 by several audio journalists, performed in Harman International built blind-testing room, called the Multichannel Listening Lab (MLL).
Phil

 

[KyleRoussel]

I've got a pair of S26-II's and I'm thrilled with them so far. Especially for the price I paid for them.

 

[Jeffrey Noel]

UPS just delivered my JBL S-26s from JandR.com thank you Phil for the link! Hooked them up and they sound pretty good, even without the break-in, so they'll just get better and better. The imaging on these things is incredible for the price, much better than my Technics towers. When I close my eyes sitting in the sweet spot, I can't even tell where the speakers are. I sure am impressed with them. Can't wait until UPS drops of my second pair tomorrow!
Two thumbs up to JBL!!
EDIT: The S-26s are front ported.

 

[Saurav]

And is GR-Research an internet direct company? How do they get price/performance as good as Swan at $400?

Yes, and they don't have a company like av123.com as a dealer either, you buy it directly from the manufacturer, i.e. Danny Richie. I cannot comment on comparitive sound quality, because I haven't heard the Divas. I have heard the Swan Dul`cets, and I thought those were excellent, so if the Swans are better, they should be really good too.

That's one big problem, very few people have heard many of these speakers, so it's hard to get a common reference base. At least you're sure that most of these represent very good value for money.

To get back to your question though - if you want to put speakers in a cabinet, I'm assuming they'll have a surface right behind them. In such a situation, you might want to re-evaluate your speaker choices - go for a sealed design, or one which is front ported. Rear ported speakers usually sound very poor when put right against a wall.

 

[Jonathan K]

Yea, my friend pretty much decided that he wants a moderately thin, front ported design...

that doesn't leave many options for him...