Great Bookshelf Speakers

Greetings -

I am in the market for some great bookshelf speakers. Any recommendations?

I have looked at:

Harbeth
Sonus Faber
Dali

I would like to spend no more than 8k retail.

They will be in a Conrad Johnson system.

Thanks!

Diamonds, for my money the two that would be VERY high on my list are....

Usher Be-718's and

ACI Sapphires (can be had for les than $1500) to my ears in a bookshelf they are excellent, you can easily spend two, three times as much and NOT do as good !

See 'em here in our RMAF coverage, post #55

http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7410&page=4

good luck !

Do you want to use a sub with them or do you want as much bass as possible?

For cone speakers, I personally can't go past Audio Physic, although their floorstanders are where the magic starts.

http://www.audiophysic.de/step/index_e.html

I've yet to hear a faster or cleaner cone speaker. Incisive, airy and free from congestion. See what I'm getting at here - the most 'stat-like boxes you'll ever hear!

Of course, there's the perennial favourite, the ProAC models - The Response D1 and the Tablette Reference 8.

They will have a JL Audio Fathom 13 to be used with them.

Diamonds,

Are they going to placed on a bookshelf or on stands that can be out a bit from the back wall?

I recently read that Wilson has a new model that is designed to be placed against the wall. However, the retail is $11 - 12K.

Perhaps you can find a dealer demo if that is something you want to pursue.

GG

http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7425&highlight=Erik+RMAF

AVI Duo (post #7) - maybe the best speaker I heard at the RMAF for the money.

Erik

Whoops - the duo is the floorstanding model. But the dealer also had the smaller bookshelf speakers too - and they also sounded wonderful.

I'll second the 2 that Dave already mentioned, the Usher Be-718's and ACI Sapphires. Both are speakers that sound MUCH better than what you might expect for the money. I will own a pair of one of these 2 someday in a second system - mark my words!

For a bit more dough I've always been amazed at how good the Totem Manitou's sound when set up properly and paired with the right equipment. They might be a spectacular match with the CJ gear you're thinking about driving them with.

For a bit more still, the Focal Mini-Utopia Be's were also very, very good. I have not listened to their replacement in the Diablo Utopia with the EM technology woofer, but now you're talking about $14K.

MiTT said:

I'll second the 2 that Dave already mentioned, the Usher Be-718's and ACI Sapphires. Both are speakers that sound MUCH better than what you might expect for the money. I will own a pair of one of these 2 someday in a second system - mark my words!

For a bit more dough I've always been amazed at how good the Totem Manitou's sound when set up properly and paired with the right equipment. They might be a spectacular match with the CJ gear you're thinking about driving them with.

For a bit more still, the Focal Mini-Utopia Be's were also very, very good. I have not listened to their replacement in the Diablo Utopia with the EM technology woofer, but now you're talking about $14K.

Click to expand...

I remember listening to the Usher Speakers as well.

I'd also give the B&W 805 a look.

Erik

http://www.mark-daniel.com/Pro_En.asp?ProID=17

These blew me away at last year's Bristol Hi-Fi show. I kept thinking "where's the woofer?" - there wasn't one! The bass unit on these goes nuts - really "long throw". Silky smooth, effortless detail and very spacious and 3D.

Driven by a Chapter Audio Precis amp and a Chapter Sonnet CD player, they were unbelievably good. And for around $2400, just nuts good. They are small, and they sounded great on stands. Not sure how well they'd work in a bookshelf.

I should get a pair, really, for my second system. Pic of the amp/CD at the show for good measure at £5250/£3995. British and very, very good. Eat all other class Ds I have heard for breakfast.

This system was knockout. I could easily live with it. I told the salesman so, and that I don't say such things very lightly - he said "yeah, it does sound pretty good, doesn't it?" - but then, he would

Just read the John Potis (Positive Feedback) review of the Sapphire's on the link I provided. Couldn't have put it better myself.

I remember why I didn't get a pair, now. They are quite thirsty, and need 100+ Watts. No good for my Bill Beard, though I am pretty sure it would drive them to OKish levels.

I really like the Pro Ac mini monitors! Great sound I have had 1rst hand to

There is definitely no shortage of excellent monitors out there.

Totem Acoustic Mani-2 Signatures
Totem Acoustic The One
Harbeth Compact 7 ES 3
Audio Physic Yara II
Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor

The list goes on and on.

I once owned a set of ACI Sapphire XL's. Great speakers. Their greatest forte is their friendly sound and over-all versatility. I would have to disagree with the notion that they require 100 watts to sing well. In fact, a solid 15-20wpc will get the job don e well. That's really the beauty of their design, it really doesn't take much to extract good sound from them. Great sound, exceptional value.

Mark and Daniel also makes a fantastic monitor. Although their first generation stuff was very rough around the edges, it seems the company is finally beginning to create a mature sounding product. When done right, they do things that small loudspeakers simply should not do! hah! However, in almost all cases, you are going to need a very powerful amplifier that's capable of delivering fast and commanding bass. When you treat them well however, they represent a great value. I would recommend checking out the new Diamond+ model if you wish to dip into those waters.

That said, I openly admit that my ears are drawn towards Totem Acoustic products. Great speed, holographic imaging that rivals the Logan's, and sport a tone that IMHO, surpasses them (ducks and hides the flying shoes and avoids the flame throwers). The One's in particular will work exceptionally well with that Conrad Johnson amp.

I'd second (or third or fourth, in this case) the ACI recommendation. They have an excellent returns policy, so you can try their speakers without risk in your own home. (Actually, I know this always used to be the case, but I haven't confirmed it recently. My personal experience is that they are great to work with and will do everything they can to accommodate you.)

Zero said:

I once owned a set of ACI Sapphire XL's. Great speakers. Their greatest forte is their friendly sound and over-all versatility. I would have to disagree with the notion that they require 100 watts to sing well. In fact, a solid 15-20wpc will get the job don e well.

Click to expand...

I think you misunderstood - I was talking about the Maximus-Sapphires - i.e. Mark & Daniel. Confusing, this hi-fi stuff. Anyway, yeah, I think whilst my 50 Watt tube amp would drive them, they'd suffer from lack of bass control... which to re-interate is why I didn't buy a pair.

Glad you liked them too. I think they are great!

User211, I apologize for the confusion. Ya see, this short attention span is exactly why I sucked in school!

edit: Who knows, I may jump back into a set of XL's. At this point though, I'm enjoying the Mark and Daniel Maximus Mini's on my PC rig! In fact, I'm listening to them as I type this. Imagine, a hi-fi speaker that sounds good with "children of bodom"... !

I really want to make a world class system with bookshelf speakers. I am sure this can be done. It is sort of a new bug I have got. I may be willing to raise my speaker budget to 12k if need be.

Keep the thoughts coming I appreciate them.

I would recommend that you check out the Selah Esatto speaker.

Raal Ribbon tweeter, Accuton drivers, custom cabinet work. I think it would be tough to do better at any price.

http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/index.php?topic=63726.0

http://www.selahaudio.com/

And...Diamonds, you could probably get Rick to make a pair using Acuton's diamond tweeters, to make a pair that would really be unique.

Hi try this one AAD 7001 http://mixonline.com/gear/reviews/audio_american_acoustic_development/

Got a pair of Diablos now, pretty nice.

Do you want something that sounds as close to your ML's
or something completely different?