Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
As part of another forum I recently bought several budget bookshelf speakers and gave them a go. What follows are the conclusions that I posted there...I figured that I might as well place those thoughts here as well just in case there is any interest in any of these speakers. Enjoy!
Budget Bookshelf Speaker Survey
Speakers for review and my cost:
Epos ELS3 $300 per pair (delivered)
Infinity Beta 20 $120 per pair (delivered)
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 $220 per pair (delivered)
Paradigm Atom Monitor v6 $269 (local pickup)
So which is better to my ears...the Infinity Beta 20, Wharfedale Diamond 9.1, Epos ELS3, or the Paradigm Atom Monitor v6. These are all very nice budget speakers, each with it's own strengths and weaknesses.
In order of preference:
1)Wharfedale Diamond 9.1. The best balanced speaker of the lot with by far the most refined high end. Bass is ample for the size of low end driver...being front ported helps for placement as well. It is the second biggest sounding speaker of the bunch after the Beta 20. Full, rich sound with the best imaging and the most 3 dimensional soundstage of the speakers on survery here. Higly recommended!
2)Epos ELS3 - Great little speaker with the second best imaging and a forward yet not aggressive soundstage. Biggest gripe with this speaker is that it sounds it's size. I remember when I put the Diamond 9.1's into the system...my wife said wow what changed, that sounds good and clear even in here...she was in another room but recognized that the sound was now bigger and fuller with the Wharfies. I would have a hard time parting with the ELS3.
Both the Wharfedale and the Epos have a wonderful way with instruments. The Epos has a wide open midrange which let's you hear deep into the music however the timbre, though very good, is not as natural and organic as the Wharfie.
Both the Beta 20 and the Paradigm have greater drawbacks than the previous two...it really is a draw between these two for the next spot.
The Beta 20 is a big full sounding speaker which seems capable of greater volume than any of the other speakers here. The primary drawback of the speaker is that instruments do not sound natural. There is considerable grayness to every sound...a sameness that detracts from the overall experience for me. Imaging is pretty poor compared to the previous speakers. Overall it's a good speaker for $100 or a bit more and does a number of things right. When I had just the Beta 20 and the Epos there was considerable angst as to which would live long term in the office. My wife liked the full sound of the Beta 20 but we both liked the musicality of the Epos...in the end I chose the Epos...until the Wharfies rendered the point moot.
The Paradigm Atom sounds bigger than the Epos and not as big as the Beta 20. Better timbral balance than the Beta 20 with less detail than any of the speakers on survery here. Siginificant issue for me is the amount of port noise from this speaker...another big issue is that Paradigm seems to have reduced the amount of detail that this speaker can render to alleviate the possibility of fatigue or brightness that some reported with the v5...they went too far...though this speaker is not as vanilla as the Beta 20 it ain't far behind. It works wonderfully in my wife's system with her NAD C325BEE and when I offered the Beta 20's to her she said no thanks...
These results were using my Creek 4330 integrated and modified Rotel RCD 971 cd player.
I did try all of the speakers on the big system with very similar results except that this time the Beta 20 and Paradigm did not tie...the Paradigm sounded better to my ears. The Beta 20 just didn't sound good on the Rega gear, very flat and monochromatic.
Addendum:
I later pulled my Infinity Primus P152's from the rear of the home theater and found that I liked them almost as well as the Epos ELS3's and the Wharfies. The Primus P152 had startling detail and clarity...easily the best of the bunch. Also driver integration was near perfect, with excellent imaging and a forward soundstage...they are an outstanding speaker for the dough and easily bested the Beta 20.
I paid...$120 for the pair of P152's (local pickup).
All speakers were bought new or refurbed from the factory (the Beta 20).
Budget Bookshelf Speaker Survey
Speakers for review and my cost:
Epos ELS3 $300 per pair (delivered)
Infinity Beta 20 $120 per pair (delivered)
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 $220 per pair (delivered)
Paradigm Atom Monitor v6 $269 (local pickup)
So which is better to my ears...the Infinity Beta 20, Wharfedale Diamond 9.1, Epos ELS3, or the Paradigm Atom Monitor v6. These are all very nice budget speakers, each with it's own strengths and weaknesses.
In order of preference:
1)Wharfedale Diamond 9.1. The best balanced speaker of the lot with by far the most refined high end. Bass is ample for the size of low end driver...being front ported helps for placement as well. It is the second biggest sounding speaker of the bunch after the Beta 20. Full, rich sound with the best imaging and the most 3 dimensional soundstage of the speakers on survery here. Higly recommended!
2)Epos ELS3 - Great little speaker with the second best imaging and a forward yet not aggressive soundstage. Biggest gripe with this speaker is that it sounds it's size. I remember when I put the Diamond 9.1's into the system...my wife said wow what changed, that sounds good and clear even in here...she was in another room but recognized that the sound was now bigger and fuller with the Wharfies. I would have a hard time parting with the ELS3.
Both the Wharfedale and the Epos have a wonderful way with instruments. The Epos has a wide open midrange which let's you hear deep into the music however the timbre, though very good, is not as natural and organic as the Wharfie.
Both the Beta 20 and the Paradigm have greater drawbacks than the previous two...it really is a draw between these two for the next spot.
The Beta 20 is a big full sounding speaker which seems capable of greater volume than any of the other speakers here. The primary drawback of the speaker is that instruments do not sound natural. There is considerable grayness to every sound...a sameness that detracts from the overall experience for me. Imaging is pretty poor compared to the previous speakers. Overall it's a good speaker for $100 or a bit more and does a number of things right. When I had just the Beta 20 and the Epos there was considerable angst as to which would live long term in the office. My wife liked the full sound of the Beta 20 but we both liked the musicality of the Epos...in the end I chose the Epos...until the Wharfies rendered the point moot.
The Paradigm Atom sounds bigger than the Epos and not as big as the Beta 20. Better timbral balance than the Beta 20 with less detail than any of the speakers on survery here. Siginificant issue for me is the amount of port noise from this speaker...another big issue is that Paradigm seems to have reduced the amount of detail that this speaker can render to alleviate the possibility of fatigue or brightness that some reported with the v5...they went too far...though this speaker is not as vanilla as the Beta 20 it ain't far behind. It works wonderfully in my wife's system with her NAD C325BEE and when I offered the Beta 20's to her she said no thanks...
These results were using my Creek 4330 integrated and modified Rotel RCD 971 cd player.
I did try all of the speakers on the big system with very similar results except that this time the Beta 20 and Paradigm did not tie...the Paradigm sounded better to my ears. The Beta 20 just didn't sound good on the Rega gear, very flat and monochromatic.
Addendum:
I later pulled my Infinity Primus P152's from the rear of the home theater and found that I liked them almost as well as the Epos ELS3's and the Wharfies. The Primus P152 had startling detail and clarity...easily the best of the bunch. Also driver integration was near perfect, with excellent imaging and a forward soundstage...they are an outstanding speaker for the dough and easily bested the Beta 20.
I paid...$120 for the pair of P152's (local pickup).
All speakers were bought new or refurbed from the factory (the Beta 20).
for the pair - total delivered price (from the auction site). 
!
