Best stereo speakers under $500, any era

[Szeitszam]

Hey guys, 

 

Bit of a funny one- a friend of mine has $500 and is looking for some speakers. Not much to work with, and he’s not an audiophile- but it got me thinking about the best bang for your buck speaker from any era in that price range. 
 

I’ve shown him some options, he likes the classic look- Rogers LS3A etc. 

 

So if you had $500 dollarydoos and wanted to get the best sound you could- picking from our classifieds or Gumtree, what would you buy? Let me know and we’ll get him sorted. 

Edited March 16 by Szeitszam

[Ian McP]

Look for some 2ndh Richters

[Paranoy]

Try Q Acoustics Q3030i on special now, and under $500

[Szeitszam]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. 
 

The favourites I’ve dug up for him so far are;

 

Krix Lyrix Gold floorstanders 

KEF C60’s (1980’s I think?)

Richter Merlin V’s

Dynaudio Audience 42’s

PSB Imagine T floorstanders 

 

I think the Krix and the PSB’s are most enticing for the price there- any other opinions?

 

I like the Merlin’s but wonder if they’ll be enough alone, same for the Dyn 42’s. 

[Batty]

Usher S520, they were $500 new, then dropped to $350.

[stereo coffee]

Kef Cresta 3

Edited March 16 by stereo coffee

[Al.M]

Used Whatmough 202, Krix Lyrix and Monitor 250 (bargained hard), Monitor Audio Bronze, Proac Studio 1, Alexis Monitor 1, Dynaudio 42 etc.

[Andythiing]

Here are some 2nd hand options I’d hunt for 

- vintage bang and olufsen (need to do your research on models to check what’s worth grabbing but something like cx100 or beovox1200) - you should be able to grab a pair for well under $500 and then be able to match with a sub for a very nice (2.1) sounding system

- Krix (lyrix)

- whatmough

- Orpheus 

- vaf

- imf

 

lots of others - just need to spend time and wait for the right pair to come up - plenty of online info to help you research - have fun

 

ps as an example I recently purchased some kef based transmission line “kit” speakers - probably 70s build - weight est. 50kgs each - paid $300 - need some TLC but relatively easy - amazing sounding speakers - truly will blow anything sub $2k new out of the water 

Edited March 16 by Andythiing

[Szeitszam]

Awesome, some pretty great suggestions here. There are quite a few ‘vintage’ sets out there that might fit the bill. 
Ive seen a few B&W 602’s around but no B&O 1200’s yet. I’ll keep my eyes peeled. 

Edited March 16 by Szeitszam

[Grizzly]

Not sure why noone has asked a few more questions ie what amp he has, how big is the room, what type of music etc.

 

He may like the look and sound of some 70s Sansui or Kenwood speakers- generally easy to drive and the cabinetwork makes them a real statement piece!

[Szeitszam]

9 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Not sure why noone has asked a few more questions ie what amp he has, how big is the room, what type of music etc.

 

He may like the look and sound of some 70s Sansui or Kenwood speakers- generally easy to drive and the cabinetwork makes them a real statement piece!

Honestly I don’t know either. 

He will likely end up with a fairly mediocre receiver from JB or the classifieds, at least to start. 

 

Without overwhelming him my plan was to find him a set of speakers with a little headroom so that he has room to upgrade the front end a little if he ever wants to. 

 

The room is a medium sized family room- i don’t know the meterage. Probably rules out little bookshelf speakers though. 
 

Very vague and generic I know. So without getting too technical I guess I’m just hunting for everyone’s favourite second hand picks for the price. 
 

 

I’m looking at a set of Krix Lyrix Gold’s at the moment- I’m not sure I can find better for the money.  Maybe the Imagine T’s? 

Edited March 17 by Szeitszam

[cafe67]

These ? 
 

 

[Bengineer]

Kanto YU6? Active and ready to go. Phono input. BT.

 

 

[Keith_W]

I would suggest Genelec 8010A's. These are tiny speakers, but include active amplification and a truly massive sound for such a small speaker. They are also enclosed in a solid metal enclosure and are surprisingly heavy for its size. Pros use them. 

[Misternavi]

These would be awesome. 

[GIEGAR]

18 hours ago, Szeitszam said:

...  Maybe the Imagine T’s? 

 

Yes!  If you can hunt down a pair of these for ~$500, jump on them.  The Imagine line are seriously good speakers.  The T's at 88dB/2.83V/1m and 6Ω nom. will be fine with entry level electronics.

 

https://www.stereophile.com/content/psb-imagine-t-loudspeaker-measurements

Edited Friday at 03:56 PM by GIEGAR

[Al.M]

Also if the budget can be stretched a little to max around $600-700 it will open you up to many more such as Sonus Faber, Jamo Concert 8 and 707, better and other Dynaudio, Spendor (BC1 and others), B&W, Kef, many Focals etc.

 

A few more under $500 include Wagner MTM kit speakers, Acoustic Energy AE109, Jamo 507 etc.

[a.dent]

On 16/3/2023 at 6:36 PM, Batty said:

Usher S520, they were $500 new, then dropped to $350.

I like these.

 

On occasion I move one of my pairs from surround duties to sitting on top of my Magico S5s. They certainly aren't embarrassed in the comparison.

[MrBurns84]

15 hours ago, a.dent said:

I like these.

 

On occasion I move one of my pairs from surround duties to sitting on top of my Magico S5s. They certainly aren't embarrassed in the comparison.

Second the Ushers.  Excellent speakers for the asking price.

[Special K]

I would like to add Leak speakers to this list. They seem to go a bit under the radar, but do quite bit well. For me atleast. Definitely come under the $500 mark and will allow for other fine tuning like cables, DACS etc. I feel like that may be another post though...

[Szeitszam]

On 17/3/2023 at 6:38 PM, Keith_W said:

I would suggest Genelec 8010A's. These are tiny speakers, but include active amplification and a truly massive sound for such a small speaker. They are also enclosed in a solid metal enclosure and are surprisingly heavy for its size. Pros use them. 

Unfortunately double the budget for two  otherwise I would have suggested them straight away to him! Maybe second hand if I keep looking. 

[Szeitszam]

Some really great suggestions here, new names to me as well. 
 

I think he’s looking at a cheap Sherwood amplifier. Not sure on model or specs but I don’t hold huge hopes for it’s power handling. I’m guessing the more sensitive the speakers, the better. 

[Special K]

I would suggest distributing the cost of the amp and speakers. You will need something decent to power some of these suggestions. 

 

Maybe a NAD for closer to $200-$300 as they should be able to drive most of these suggestions.

[Szeitszam]

I agree! I’ve suggested as much. 

[muon*]

Richter Merlin Mkll's if you can find some close by, they go cheap.

 

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/malvern-east/speakers/richter-bookshelf-speakers/1309598234

 

Or if he can manage small floor standers the Harlequin Mkll's

 

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/lane-cove-west/speakers/richter-floorstanding-speakers-/1309660387

Edited Monday at 08:29 AM by muon*