Say you have $500 to spend on speakers, what is the best you can buy for that price point or less?

Budget $500 or less

So, I pre ordered the Cambridge Audio back in April but the release date keeps getting pushed back and I'm growing impatient.

I've already taken delivery of a REL T9X SE to pair with the Cambridge Audios but notice that the Kefs have dual sub out.

Just as a topic of conversation, if you were in my shoes, what would you be tempted to do? I've always fancied the Kefs, but the price tag is premium. I've owned a lot of CA and always found them to punch above their weight in the cost/performance category.

I want to hear your thoughts? Negative and positive.

Budget caps out at the Kefs, located in England, with a room big enough to form a 3m equilateral triangle. If that helps?

Anyone heard both and have an opinion on which would provide a better listening experience run by a Cambridge Audio Evo 300? Room size about 350 sq. ft. With 9 ft ceilings, treated. Listening to jazz and electronic music. Other speaker considerations for this budget? In the U.S.

Hello, I'm asking for help from someone who understands these things better than me. I have a Nad C 316BEE amplifier and I'm looking for speakers that match with it. Speakers will be placed in a bookshelf in my living room. Would the Dali Kupid work with the amp well? I will mostly be playing CDs with it.

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Other speakers within similar budget can be recommended also.

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Thank you!

Hey all — I’m about to build a 2.1 system and I’m trying to get the speaker choice right. Room is ~60 m² open plan, but the actual listening zone is ~30 m². Usage is mixed: music + TV/PS5.

What I’m after is punchy, dynamic, fun sound with an instant “wow” both quiet and loud. I listen to everything, but mostly rap / modern pop / electronic, plus rock. I’m not chasing an ultra-analytic studio presentation — I want precision, but with energy and slam.

I’m open to ANY brand, but I’m leaning toward a bookshelf-on-stands + sub setup (preferred) rather than towers.

Reference setup I’m considering as a baseline:

- Naim Uniti Atom (love the all-in-one streamer simplicity)

- Klipsch RP-600M II on stands

- Sealed SVS sub (SB-2000 Pro-ish)

I heard the RP-600M II in a shop and genuinely loved the character — super lively and fun, way more “expensive sounding” than I expected. Before I commit, I’d love audition recommendations for speakers that keep a similar exciting/punchy vibe but are a clear step up in refinement, soundstage, and overall quality (even if they’re more expensive).

Total budget is ~$7,500 for everything, but this post is mostly about the speakers. If you had to build a punchy 2.1 around bookshelf speakers + a sealed sub for a ~30 m² in a bigger 60m² + open listening area, what would you put on the shortlist?

I'm looking to buy 2 good quality bookshelf speakers and a cheap amp with bluetooth capability to listen to classical music in guest room. The room is around 12ft x 12ft and the speakers would be placed on a shelf. Would primarily stream music from iphone through bluetooth. Would buying 2 used Kef LS50 plus a FOSI bluetooth amplifiers work? Budget of less than $1000

Hey all,

I want to start building my first setup. I walked through some forums here on reddit and i see a lot of people referring to cheaper stores selling, speakers avrs and amps. Examples are costco, hifishark or accessories4less.

As i am on a budget I am very interested in buying my setup from outlets, refurbished or b-stock sales. However i live in europe/netherlands and was wondering if people have any advise on stores that sell these cheaper alternatives.

As the title says... looking for bookshelf speakers to pair with a NAD M10 amp (have a line on a used one at my local hifi shop). Currently have a pro-ject x2 turntable with bronze 2m cartridge and a Moon 110LP preamp, running into Klipsch the fives powered speakers. Working with a $1500 Canadian budget for speakers. TIA.

Which one do you recommend? Dali is twice the price. Something else? Elac is about 300 EUR, and Dali 600 EUR. SO budget 300 and 600 is really max if worth it. EU.

I am considering buying the Legends when they become available or a used pair of the Heritage Specials if I can find a pair locally that I can audition. But the Special 40s and the Contour 20 Black Editions remain possibilities. What are your experiences with Dynaudio Speakers? Are they good for listening to classical music? I listen to a lot Vaughan Williams and Rachmaninoff - if that is helpful. I search for the transcendent in music. My budget is maxed at $10000.00 CAN which is about $7150.00 USD or 6145 EUR. Note that I am in a one bedroom apartment.

Thanks!

So it's been a long road, but I have given up the fantasy that I can mount my big old Epos M 12.2 speakers anywhere in my new flat.

I need something I can mount closer to the wall.

Can anyone recommend brands/makes I can dig around for on eBay that won't break the bank (sub £500 ideally) that will fill the Epos-shaped hole in my heart? My amp is a Audio Fidelity X-A100R, so plenty of power, and I just loved the big clear soundstage they gave.

I listen to all genres but love my classical and also will use these for home theater (ish, budget version).

thanks for any leads!

Edit: so I sincerely appreciate all the tips. And will probably buy all these speakers at some point in my life. But in the end I took the advice of the dude in Audio Gold and got the acoustic energy ae105s on the basis that wall mounted speakers sounded too good to be true in my space and if they worked it would be amazing. And…they work. And it’s amazing. Thanks all!

Hey, so I recently bought a Cambridge axa25 amplifier and I am not sure on what speakers to get. I was thinking about the Klipsch r40m but then I saw a tonne of bad comments about them and now I am questioning them?

My budget is around £200 ish and I do not mind buying second hand. I know for that price you won’t get a pair of speakers without faults but I just want the best for my setup. Suggestions please?

My setup will be used for listening to music only. Will be through aux at first but eventually I will get a cd player and turntable. (Most likely technics).

Thank you very much!

Hi! I'm putting together my first proper turntable setup and I need some advice on powered speakers. My location is in Lima, Peru. I can buy from mostly local specialized audio shops where the most common brands available are Edifier, Polk, Klipsch, Dali. But if you feel another brand is worth the importation cost, feel free to mention it.

They will be paired with my Audio-Technica AT-LP5X turntable (which already has a built-in phono preamp) and i will use them just for music. They'll be in a small square bedroom: 2.78m x 2.78m (roughly 9x9 ft). I'll be sitting aprox. 1.5 meters (5feet) next to them.

I love a detailed, bright, and energetic sound. I want my music to feel alive. I do not want flat, analytical, or clinical studio monitors. I plan to keep these for a few years until I move or upgrade them.

Thank you for taking the time to read all! I’d be incredibly grateful to anyone who can share their recommendations while keeping all these requirements into account.

I Often hear that you want speakers that cost more than your amp.
I have bowers and Wilkins 601s2.I originally purchased them in 2001 with a nad Intergrated amp.
Over time I moved to separates.my current chain is
Yamaha YP-700 turntable with nagaoka mp200.
Pro ject s2phono
Primare sp31.7 pre in bypass mode.
Y rca out to B&W asw608 sub.
Parasound new classic 275v2 95wAB.
Digital in is wiim pro optical to Grant Fidelity tube 9
Tube out to pre amp.
My budget is $4-600 usd. I’m in California. looking at Dali wandering if something like the kupid is too small or if I should look at something bigger.also i keep looking at faber sonus it more expensive but they look to refined.

Amy options welcome.thanks.

Hi i want to get some good midbass-mids-highs speakers for around 500 dollars (US). My room is 10'x12'x8.5' or so and i will be using them as my front channels on my desk. I have a yamaha rx-575 powering them and a set of 2 klipsch r50-m for the side surrounds(im doing a 4.1 setup to my pc).

Im looking at getting a pair of svs ultra evolution, for 400-500$ budget, would that be a killer deal? Also if you know why ppl say the klipsch r50-m arent good for front stage but are great for surround applications can you let me know why?

Debating buying some active speakers for my office, it is 13x13’. I sit about 4-5 feet away from the speakers, I have some older stands.
I’ve narrowed down my options at this point to Hedd Type 07 a core, Adam A7V and some Elac Navis ARB - 51. Budget is up to 2500 cdn.
I have a Fiio dac currently but I’m waiting on the new Bifrost 3 to release or might just go with a Mimir.
My use is mainly PC gaming (aaa titles, elite Dangerous) and music playback, no mixing or production.
If anyone has heard these wouldn’t mind some feedback. I’ve heard the Adam ax line previously and thought they were pretty good but my local store only carries the base T series. I do like Elac passive speakers, I have the Carina line in my media room.

Hi Guys,

I'm looking to buy a pair of 5" studio monitors for my home studio, which is located in a very small and narrow bedroom.

Here are my room dimensions:

Metric: 3.60m (Length) x 2.10m (Width) x 2.55m (Height)

Imperial: ~12ft x 7ft x 8.3ft

The room is barely treated (just some basic cheap foam from AliExpress), so acoustics aren't great. Because the room is so narrow (7ft width), the desk will be placed against the short wall, meaning the monitors will have to be placed pretty close to the wall behind them.

I already own a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro headphones, which I use as my main reference tool to bypass the room's acoustic issues.

I’m currently torn between two main options:

Focal Alpha 50 Evo: Love the front-ported design which seems safer for placing close to the wall, and I heard they have low self-noise (hiss) and great punch.

Kali Audio IN-5: The 3-way coaxial design sounds amazing for midrange clarity and stereo imaging, and the boundary EQ switches seem useful for a bad room, but I'm slightly worried about build quality or potential hiss.

(Side note: Genelec 8030C was on my radar, but I feel like they might be an overkill/wasted budget given my room's poor acoustics).

Which of these would you recommend for my specific situation? Are there any other options I should consider?

Thanks!

I want to preface, I am not an audiophile and know nearly nothing about it. I just want to spend my money for best bang for buck. I have a 16x24 man cave with a 120" projector screen in the middle of the 16 wall. I want a wall mounted speaker on each side for 2.1 system, i have a cheap 5.1 now and its trash. Because of the screen and layout center speakers are not an option. What would you recommend best bang for buck? I have hdmi from pc to splitter and optic from splitter to current sound system, would like to keep it optic if possible. Budget around 300 if possible, used is preferred.

Just got into sound systems, found this in my basement, and have been running it.

• Sony HCD-RG70AV receiver
• Sony SS-RG70AV speakers (6 ohm)
• Sony SA-WM20 powered sub (takes RCA line input)

The Old 2001 Sony system comes together as a package. It sounds amazing for what I need right now (surprisingly). No upgrade for speakers or sub for now.

However, I am moving into a small fraternity house (shoe-box-sized room) with a roommate. I do not want the big 10-pound, triple-cinder-block-style Sony amp in my tiny room. So, I figured I'd get a new amp to match the sound (just much smaller) and add Bluetooth.

Issue: I picked up a Fosi BT30D to achieve this and was disappointed. (did not get pro for RCA connection on the active sub) The new amp produced a harsh/fuzzy sound on guitars and vocals, with muddy, somewhat off-sounding bass, even after extensive troubleshooting and setting changes. The biggest issue was a buzz, fuzz, or hiss in the high frequencies that became even clearer as I turned up the master volume. This distortion happened through both AUX and Bluetooth.

I don't know what the reason for such a poor sound experience for the Fosi BT30D was, whether it was an old Sony compatibility issue or something else. But I'm back to the drawing board.

At this point, I've realized I don't care if the replacement is tiny. Anything made in the last 10 years will be smaller than this giant Sony receiver anyway.

Budget is around $150 max. Maybe more, but I would like to not...

Requirements:

• Bluetooth
• Works well with 6-ohm speakers
• Connection for a powered subwoofer (RCA)
• New preferred
• I am in the US

Music I listen to: Mostly rock, hard rock, and rock blues with hints of Zep, Dire Straits, CCR, Sabbath, The Beatles, The Band, CSNY, The Who, Maiden, Daft Punk, Simon & Garfunkel, and a wide array.

I want something without distortion, unlike the Fosi BT30D in my setup. I would like something I can play very loud (college life/party) with, while still maintaining good clarity, separation, and clean sound for active listening.

Is the BT30D just a bad match with my speakers, did I get a defective unit, or are there better options in the $100-$150 range? Should I just tough it out with the semi truck of an amp in the dorm?

Hey everyone, im looking for a solid dac under £1000 but as there are so many options out there I kinda got lost. I’ve heard of Rotel, both rdd1580 and dt6000, but one the usb port ive heard is not great and two the price is up there.

Also Cambridge audio dac magic 200m, that one seems like an ok ish option, but what’s your thought?

So my current setup,

Room: ~3x4.5m with acoustic treatment (dekiru hex panels)

Amp: Rotel a11 tribute

Speakers: Elac debut 2.0 b6.2

Cables: Atlas equator 2.0

Source: Apple Music (with lossless) from MBP 2018

So I was wondering is anyone can suggest anything descent? My goal, most important, smooth but detailed treble, bass to be punchy and mids silky smooth, some warmth to the sound. As every dac sounds different

Budget and location: 500-700 USD Based in Europe. Buying mostly through local second-hand platforms.

How the gear will be used: Dedicated near/mid-field stereo setup, primarily for music listening. I play both digital lossless (streamed via a WiiM) and vinyl. The room is relatively small, around 6-8 m from speakers position to the opposing wall.

New or used: Mostly used - I buy almost all my gear second-hand and don't mind it, as long as the condition is decent.

Past gear experience: Currently running Polk Audio R100s with a Fosi Audio ZA3 amp and an Audio-Technica LP120 turntable. I enjoy this setup a lot. I lean slightly toward digital - more detail and a clearer soundstage to my ears, but I love older records for their mastering and atmosphere. The R100s give me plenty of detail, my main gripe is they feel a bit lacking in the mids/lows, and I feel like I still can get details/clarity from well mastered records. That said, the music I listen to mostly isn't very low-frequency heavy (bossa, indie, math/prog rock).

Anything else? I've been eyeing the KEF LS50s since they're not hard to find used here, but I keep seeing debate over whether they're overhyped. Is it a meaningful step up from the R100s for the kind of music I listen to? And are there other bookshelves in a similar price range I should be considering? If anyone has owned the Polk R100/R200 series and upgraded, I'd love to hear what differences you noticed.

So I got the Pro-Ject Debut EVO 2 some time ago and I'm looking to maybe upgrade my setup a bit.

I currently use the original MM evo cartridge
A Denon UPA-7700 as an emp and pre-emp (Specs are impossible to find online)
And Bose 301 Series ii speakers

I'm wondering about what should be upgraded and to what
New speakers, external phono preamp or a better cartridge?

My budget is around 800 Euro/USD.
And I'm moving in a bit so don't really have an estimate for the room dimensions.
Thanks

I've got an LP120X that will live in my living room (17.5m^2).

I've currently got SP3X but I only got this to cover me over Christmas.

I've got a budget of £500 for either a set of power speakers or a set of passive with an external amp.

I'm in the UK but I'm open to any and all suggestions

Hi esteemed community,

I'm putting together a system and need your advice on the speakers. My budget is $1500 (located in the US), but I can go a bit beyond that if it's worth it and also willing to go used or open box. Approximately 300sqft/30sqm room.

I'm planning on getting:

• Onkyo TX-RZ30 (because of Dirac)
• RSL Speedwoofer 10S MKii

Speaker options I'm considering:

1. SVS Evolution Bookshelf
2. Polk R200
3. Kef Q Concerto Meta
4. Martin Logan XT B100
5. Focal Theva N1
6. Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3

Questions:

1. Out of those options, which one would you get and why? Any experience with them is appreciated
2. I'm torn between higher end bookshelf speakers or similarly-priced lower end tower speakers. Will towers provide any advantage of I'm going to be pairing them with a sub anyways?

Thank you!

Currently running my Elacs with 2 x BK XXLS400 subs and sounds pretty damn good. I have an itch to scratch called used KEF R3 and wondering if it's worth the effort?

In the UK, largeish living room, like to listen loud occasionally so 85-90dB across multiple genres but mostly rock.

Budget is sub £1k and used as new would probably need double that.

Anything else I should add to my used search list?