Need bookshelf speakers for music system (1 Viewer)

[David Ely]

Okay ... I'm currently setting up a 2 channel music system. So far I've decided on the following components.
NAD C541 CD Player (already purchased)
NAD C350 Integrated Amp
Now I need a pair of bookshelf speakers to go with the above hardware. I'd like to stay around $500Cdn.
Any suggestions?

 

[KeithH]

David, I was in a similar position as you last year and bought Energy e:XL 16 bookshelf speakers. A pair retails for $300 USD, which should be around your price point. Audioshop in your area will have them cheaper. I first bought an Energy e:XL 5.1 speaker package with e:XL 16s as mains and surround for my home theater and was impressed enough by the e:XL 16s to get them for the second system (stereo only). I bought the e:XL 16s for the second system from Audioshop when they were still shipping Energy products to the US for only $248 USD delivered. You ought to listen to the Energys. They are very good for the money.
For what it's worth, I have an NAD C 350 in my second system. Great choice!
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My:
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KeithH: Saving the Home Theater World Before Bedtime
[Edited last by KeithH on August 20, 2001 at 06:25 PM]

 

[Fletcher]

Not sure exactly how much $500 canadian is in US$ but I recently bought a pair of the Ascend Acoustic CBM-170s for $360 (US$) and I really like them. They were reviewed at www.cheaphometheater.com . You can find out more about the speakers at www.ascendacoustics.com .
Also www.cheaphometheater.com is supposed to have a budget bookshelf speaker shootout pretty soon so maybe you should look out for that. It should be out pretty soon I think. I am definitely looking forward to it as well.
This might just be me, but is $500 Canadian for speakers enough to do the NAD equipment justice??
Fletcher
[Edited last by Fletcher on August 20, 2001 at 09:06 PM]

 

[David Ely]

I was demoing the NAD equipment with Polk Audio RT25 speakers and it sounded great. I went out tonight and tried the e:XL 16 as recommended by Keith and I like them a lot more than the RT25.
I've actually been having some trouble with the C541 today. It's been giving me trouble reading certain disks (all are original CDs). This is starting to worry me as I found other people having the same trouble on the net. I've read in some posts that the C521 has a better transport mechanism and dosen't have this problem. I'm gonna talk to my dealer tomorrow. I got the C541 over the C521 because I wanted HDCD support.

 

[KeithH]

David, glad to hear that you liked the Energys. As good as NAD amps are, they seem to have problems making reliable CD players. The knock I always read on last year's C 520 and C 540 were that the disc drawers were flimsy and that they were very sensitive to scratched discs. I have heard mixed reviews of the C 521 and C 541. Some say that NAD made improvements to both models all around, but I have also read of reliability problems. It is interesting that you read that the C 521 has a better transport mechanism seeing as it is the cheaper player. Conventional wisdom would say that they have the same transport mechanism or that the C 541 is better. Interesting.
You might consider brands other than NAD for the money. Although I have no experience with the player, the Cambridge Audio D500SE is very well regarded. Audio Advisor (www.audioadvisor.com) sells the D500SE for $400 USD, and they are a very good dealer. They have a 30-day money back guarantee. I have read many posts on message boards from people who prefer the Cambridge Audio players over NAD models. The D500SE is priced similar to the NAD C 541, while the D300SE is in the range of the C 521. By the way, if you want a cool looking player, the D500SE comes in silver in addition to black.
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My:
HT Pics ; Equipment List ; DVD Collection ; LD Collection
KeithH: Saving the Home Theater World Before Bedtime

 

[Ed C]

Depending on where you are in Ontario, I can recommend a couple of listening stations where you can demo various bookshelf speakers.
Here are the ones I'd try out before buying.
Energy e:xL-16 (List price $350)
Mission M72 (List $450)
B&W 303 (List $450)
These are all in Canadian dollars.
Edmond

 

[David Ely]

Unfortunately my speaker purchase is on hold. I tried another C541 and a C521 and they still had the same problem with reading certain disks. Obviously I no longer have the C541.
Back to square one for me. I really loved the sound from the C541. I haven't heard another player with the same sound quality at the same price point.