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Is that a new $1000 or a second hand $1000?
The Totem Rainmaker is a nice skeaker for $1k.
You might want to keep in mind that most "bookshelf" loudspeakers are designed to be placed away from boundaries and don't necessarily sound their best in a cabinet or against the wall.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't put them there, but make sure you audition them that way. Several companies -- Naim comes to mind -- make speakers designed for flush-to-the wall placement and these really do sound good in a bookcase.
When I sold hi-fi, I had a boss who sold several pairs of Celestion SL-600s for in-wall placement, which was considered a real no-no because everybody "knew" they required lots of space around them. They sounded way better than they had any right to and I had to concede my boss wasn't crazy -- so maybe it is better to be lucky than to be good.
Wes,i have a pair of old mini monitors that were actually designed to be played against a wall.I bought them around 20 years ago and they were quite expensive for their size.
They're by "Monitor Audio" and they are simply called "Baby Monitors". I have them permanently connected to a NAD 3020B which i use for headphone listening and they simply sound awsome ! Have you ever came across those little speakers?
I think I had an old audio buddy who had a pair of those. We stayed up late on many occasions listening through those guys at loud levels in a small NYC listening room. IIRC, they were from the Linn Kan/Sara era, but were less colored (I had a pair of Kans and liked 'em at the time -- and lusted after a pair of biamped Saras). Still in my audio closet is a pair of Dynaudio Microns made for on-boundary placement, which still tickle me.
In her office system, my wife has a pair of Toukans, which were good enough that Ken Kessler raved about them -- a review I'm sure that Linn has never reprinted.
Yeah....they either don't make them as they used to or we're getting old.
p.s. i still use them and the only "minus" i could find,is the speaker posts.Clip-on,no way to connect anything decent except,thin,bare wire.
Snell k7's
they have a boundry switch for close proximity to walls.
Either. I would gladly get used speakers if they were, of course, not damaged.
Thanks for the reply. I live in a verrry rural area. There are no dealers within 150 miles that carry any quality audio. I doubt if I could auditon them at home. Most of my purchasing is going to have to be by done via the net and usps.
You might consider the New Old Stock KEF Coda 9.2 now on sale on Ubid.com. They are two way, but tall Less than $100./pair delivered. Mine sound very fine. Both in my room for audio and the TV room for basketball. My other two pairs will sound fine, too, somewhere, someday. OK, they are mahoganey red color. They are very good sounding speakers. Not fresh, but, unused.
Let me state the obvious. You probably don't want to consider a rear firing port in a bookcase. As luck will have it, you will fall in love with a rear ported speaker.
I'm feeling lazy tonight, or I'd do it for you...
Go to Ebay and head into the speaker listings. Set the listings by price, and look through your price range for models that catch your eye. Then copy and post the links here and we can help with any experiences.
I love shopping that way.
Try audiogon, too!
We'll be here. Don't feel rushed and we'll try and help make it fun.
I just had a thought! (Oh, shut up!) The Dynaudio 42W speakers would work great in your situation and they are well within your budget. If your amp can work with a relatively kind 4 ohm speaker, this speaker is very versatile in it's application.