Passive Bookshelf Speaker Options (Poll) - 1k USD Budget

[BookshelfBob]

I'm watching the video but my budget is getting out of hand....lol

 

[Count Dacula]

I have no frame of reference, other than general experience, and my Q150s make a great impression when fired up. The other bookshelves I use are smaller and older, so any comparison is unfair.

 

[BobbyTimmons]

I'd go with Revel M16 for cheap passive bookshelf speakers.

 

[tw 2022]

I'd go with Revel M16 for cheap passive bookshelf speakers.

that's if you can find them... but they are a decent choice..

 

[BookshelfBob]

Yeah the M16's stood out for their elevated bass response but getting them is difficult. A member has a pair in Cali but I have to get to him.....

 

[Count Dacula]

I thought the KEF Q150 were part of this review. My bad. I have LS50M here too, but they are a different animal, but I can see a KEF Fanboi latching onto that comparo. Q350 counts as bookshelf too. I had mine fully amplified and with subs, made a decent substitute for towers, which is an ideal. Q1s work nicely too, but will never be mistaken for towers.

 

[BookshelfBob]

I went with the Sierra 1-V2's.

I almost pulled the trigger on the C6B but my budget would have more than doubled if I paired it with a sub and I still need stands. In the end the price was about 1450 with shipping for a pair. I would be better served taking that extra 400 and putting that into a sub for audio quality. While i will stretch the budget doubling it is too far. I've gone off the rails. I will have driven cars a large % of my life that is worth about the same as my audio set up if I continue down that path. And I don't have the ears to justify it

There were some other obvious contenders that were simply out of stock. Most notably being the F6B, M16, and a philharmonic option new that I perhaps would have chosen if they were in stock.

What stood out about the Sierras is they are American made, i like them aesthetically, and obviously they were designed with a rigorous industry standard process* that has measurable results. Price to performance ratio is about exactly where I wanted to be at. The under 1k price point hits very heavily psychologically.

Thank you all for your help on this. I will be in the market for more speakers soon enough I'm sure and may revisit these other makers/SKUs. Need a 5.1 HT system at minimum is next on the list.

 

[terryforsythe]

Good choice.

 

[fritobugger]

Hello Everyone. I'm in the market for a new pair of passive bookshelf speakers to pair with a Aiyima A80 I got as a gift. Budget for this is about 1k USD. I wanted the Revel M16's but it seems I'm not going to get them in my budget if it all. Added some obvious options in the poll. Feel free to let me know if there are other obvious contenders. For whatever reason I find Kef products to be aesthetically unappealing for the most part. And Klipsch are just too "loud" visually so they're out as well.

Some relevant context

Nearfield, about 4'
Desk
No sub planned
General use (movies/music)
No EQ (probably should get it, layout is poor for audio quality)

I voted before I read the above. I'm not sure that any of those are ideal near field speakers. If you are in Hanoi, Vietnam, I see a pair of Revel M16 for sale at $350.

As someone else mentioned, ASCILAB speakers might be a better choice for near field but they are all currently sold out.

 

[BookshelfBob]

I voted before I read the above. I'm not sure that any of those are ideal near field speakers. If you are in Hanoi, Vietnam, I see a pair of Revel M16 for sale at $350.

As someone else mentioned, ASCILAB speakers might be a better choice for near field but they are all currently sold out.

The best I can find in the US is about 850 used for the M16's.

They got cut before i really even got into it, but at a glance they do seem like the optimum choice if you're not getting a sub.