Need a speaker recomendation - trying to decide between two

Longtime lurker, first time poster. I am looking to upgrade my speakers for $300 or less. I use a marantz 2220b with a thorens td160, both recently tuned up. I love the look of these and they go well with the furniture in my living room, which is mid century modern my wife lovingly picked out. People say we have like a madmen thing going on. My current speakers are the Pioneer Andrew Jones one which I like. But I want a step up.

Here are the two things I am thinking of getting. I live in brooklyn without a car, which influences this somewhat. Someone in NYC is selling a pair of B&W DM305 for $250. reviews seem pretty good. And someone else is selling a pair of Advent Maestros for $100. I would like something with reasonable bass, but I don't need like deep deep base. I am sure my wife would say the Advents look nicer, and I agree.

What do you guys think? Which sounds better? Will my wife get ticked if the ugly B&W speakers show up? Am I missing some third option I should order from ebay? Please advise.

Also, side question for parents. I have a first kid coming in January. When do I need to hide the record collection and are there any tips for that? Do I need a man cave? Locked cabinets?

Update: Since I posted, Halo71 recommended I get the Boston Acoustics A400s that are available for $400. I contacted the seller and they are still available though I would have to rent a car to drive 30 miles to get them. Would you all recommend I get these? 4-2-7 posted some very beautiful speaker suggestions my wife would like and that also sound good. Are they better than A400?

Also, someone in NYC has these wharfdales for 100 but the seller doesn't know what they are. I wrote them off cause I couldn't figure out what they were. Does anyone know?Longtime lurker, first time poster. I am looking to upgrade my speakers for $300 or less. I use a marantz 2220b with a thorens td160, both recently tuned up. I love the look of these and they go well with the furniture in my living room, which is mid century modern my wife lovingly picked out. People say we have like a madmen thing going on. My current speakers are the Pioneer Andrew Jones one which I like. But I want a step up.

Here are the two things I am thinking of getting. I live in brooklyn without a car, which influences this somewhat. Someone in NYC is selling a pair of B&W DM305 for $250. reviews seem pretty good. And someone else is selling a pair of Advent Maestros for $100. I would like something with reasonable bass, but I don't need like deep deep base. I am sure my wife would say the Advents look nicer, and I agree.

What do you guys think? Which sounds better? Will my wife get ticked if the ugly B&W speakers show up? Am I missing some third option I should order from ebay? Please advise.

Also, side question for parents. I have a first kid coming in January. When do I need to hide the record collection and are there any tips for that? Do I need a man cave? Locked cabinets?

Update: Since I posted, Halo71 recommended I get the Boston Acoustics A400s that are available for $400. I contacted the seller and they are still available though I would have to rent a car to drive 30 miles to get them. Would you all recommend I get these? 4-2-7 posted some very beautiful speaker suggestions my wife would like and that also sound good. Are they better than A400?

Also, someone in NYC has these wharfdales for 100 but the seller doesn't know what they are. I wrote them off cause I couldn't figure out what they were. Does anyone know?

I'd look for a pair of Polk Audio Monitor 7, 10 or 12's. Preferably the 7's or 10's. Check your local Craigslist, I see at least 2 pair for sale.

There is also a pair of Boston Acoustics A400 (one of my bucket list speakers) on Long Island for what I think is a decent deal!

isaactilton said:

Also, side question for parents. I have a first kid coming in January. When do I need to hide the record collection and are there any tips for that? Do I need a man cave? Locked cabinets?

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Never had a problem with my three boys in regards to my vinyl, not sure why because they seemed to break just about everything else in the house.

You've got plenty of time to worry about the vinyl. He/she won't be a concern for about 9-12mths. When they start being able to pull themselves up on things, you can place a sofa in front, put them in another room or go for locked cabs. They develop so slowly that you will have plenty of time. For the first six months you won't have to worry about anything. Then, when they start crawling, you'll begin by making sure they can't grab cables or touch power points.

Congratulations on your first bub and welcome to AK.

Edit: Sorry I don't have a recommendation on the speakers. Perhaps see if you can listen to them at the sellers house on some music you're familiar with.

halo71,

Do you think Polk 7 / 10s are the best value for the money around that price range in general?

I sent the guy with the Boston Acoustics an email. 400 is a bit above my range but I may be able to convince my wife to let me buy. They look fantastic.

bhundu / Kingshead,

Glad to hear it won't be an issue for a while. When I was a kid I was a terror with records. karma took some revenge already by giving me a wife who likes taking my records out, listening to them, and then stacking them up in a pile'o records. She is lucky she's cute.

I have never heard the B&W's you are asking about. But have heard those Advent's you are asking about and was not impressed at all with them. The Polk 7/10's are classic speakers imo. I have had the 5/7 and still have the 10's. I think the 10's are an all around great speaker that does well with all genres of music. Especially when the tweeters are upgraded to the RDO's and the crossovers are rebuilt. Though I like the 10's with the Peerless tweeters (black domes) just fine. Many Polk speaker fans prefer the 7's over the 10's though. I prefer the 10's.

BUT....if you can swing it and get them. I would most definately try to get those A400's!

If your living room is like you said I would go mid century modern with the speakers.

Like Sansui SP-3500





Or a Pionner model of the same time





Maybe some wharfedales 60

Maybe some JBL S99 Lancer

i've never understood the attraction to kabuki speakers and i've had several different ones.
Wharfedale W60 not included.

NY should be littered with options for well under $300 not to mention that you can always go with smaller bookshelf speakers and add a powered sub. A sin to vintage and "audiophile" purist, but then again, its not their house, not their money and damn sure not their ears listening to your system.

Third party opinions on what is better is like asking a crowd of people "who should i go out with". Maryanne?, Ginger? Or Mrs, Howell? Your tastes is all that matters.

You may find killer deals if you stray off the beaten path of the often hyped models that are routinely gushed over on audio forums. You just wont get a seat at the cool kids table if you tell folks you own a set of RDL Acoustics, precise audio labs, Cambridge Soundworks, Miller & Kreisel, Signet, or Acoustic Energy . Good sound trumps a virtual high five from a bunch of dudes that live inside your computer.

Congrats on the pending new addition.. Keeping them out of your stuff is impossible but its also a good learning and bonding opportunity. An old ipad playing curious george trumps all for my son. He figured out that the oppo 105's logo is the power button months ago and can queue up Kids videos on netflix from the home screen on an ipad on his own despite having a limited vocabulary at the moment. Its scary. We keep him distracted with books instead. Records are out of reach for now.

Issac, the models I suggested are certainly not hyped up speakers. Yeah the A400's I do gush over. And many here probably will say the same. They are a somewhat rare model to boot. And bang for the buck, the Polk's I listed are hard to beat. And I can almost guarantee any of them will sound a lot better than the Kabuki speakers mentioned above. To me, sound quality ALWAYS trumps matching decor.

halo71 said:

Issac, the models I suggested are certainly not hyped up speakers. Yeah the A400's I do gush over. And many here probably will say the same. They are a somewhat rare model to boot. And bang for the buck, the Polk's I listed are hard to beat. And I can almost guarantee any of them will sound a lot better than the Kabuki speakers mentioned above. To me, sound quality ALWAYS trumps matching decor.

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Oddly enough my comment wasn't directed at you or anyone in this thread at all, it was a general statement. And unless you are in that mans head, definitive statements of what will and wont sound better is baseless. Some people like the taste of log cabin over real maple syrup, people enjoy the taste of spam. You or i may not but the hobbyist community has a thing about telling people what will be better and what sucks. I hear that people eat frog legs, and chitterlings and. Im like yeeuuuck,
But thats just not my taste. So who am i to dissuade someone else from experiencing it based on my sensory perception?
That was my point. You like A400s. Good for you, others do too. Theres a lot of positive commentary about them..

Not sure i know what Kabuki speakers are either. Who knows maybe they sound better than what i listen to. But im not in the market so i guess i wont be finding out.

You may like Picaso and Monet, i like Haring and basquait , you may like Sun RA, i dig Coltrane, it is what it is, but better or worse it's not.

My comment was not directed at you either. The OP asked for suggestions. I gave them, simple as that based on experience with those models. He should try to listen to them first. Or any others he finds. Looking through his local CL breifly. There are dozens of excellent choices for his budget, and less. He is lucky to have such a variety to chose from where he lives. And he may like those kabuki speakers. Though I've never been impressed with speakers where they shove as many drivers into the cabinet as they can to make them look impressive. Most of the ones I have heard would make great party speakers with their loud and boomy bass. You are right, he may like that quality in a speaker.

I haven't heard the B&W speakers in question, so I can't compare them, but I currently own Advent Maestros and think they sound really nice.

I've owned Polk Audio Monitor 10s and 5s, Wharfedale W70Cs and W70DIIs, and several of the so-called Kabuki style speakers, including Pioneer CS-99As, Sansui SP3000s, SP2500s, SP2500Xs, SP9000Xs, Corals, and others whose names and numbers have slipped my mind.

The Maestros sounded better than all of them except maybe the Wharfedale W70DIIs. The Maestros are certainly worth the $100 being asked, if they are in good condition.

Kabuki is a humorously intended nickname attached to '70s era Japanese made speakers with several things in common. These things include high efficiency, an elaborate and attractive grill often made of hand carved wood, an unnecessarily large number of tweeters and mids (seemingly limited only by how many will physically fit on the baffle), a woofer too large for the airspace of the speaker (leading to a lack of real bass), and in the earlier examples, extremely well built and finished wood veneered cabinets.

I just noticed your receiver. With a low powered unit like that, efficiency is desirable, so Kabuki speakers may not be such a bad idea for you.

I had Polk Monitor 10's and the WOPL ate them within minutes. I had another pair previously and a Crown power amp ate them. Great for low power applications but if you run high power amps, not so much

I think the term Kabuki speakers is rather insulting FWIW. Sansui speakers certainly are not the best by a wide margin but they sure look good and to most people, will sound fine for regular listening. I remember in the early 80s lusting for a 8 driver loaded set and ended up getting them. Ever see a rack system in a Ford Econovan? The Sansui's were used in the back with the rack bolted to the top of the doghouse LOL

isaactilton said:

Longtime lurker, first time poster. I am looking to upgrade my speakers for $300 or less. I use a marantz 2220b with a thorens td160, both recently tuned up. I love the look of these and they go well with the furniture in my living room, which is mid century modern my wife lovingly picked out. People say we have like a madmen thing going on. My current speakers are the Pioneer Andrew Jones one which I like. But I want a step up.

Here are the two things I am thinking of getting. I live in brooklyn without a car, which influences this somewhat. Someone in NYC is selling a pair of B&W DM305 for $250. reviews seem pretty good. And someone else is selling a pair of Advent Maestros for $100. I would like something with reasonable bass, but I don't need like deep deep base. I am sure my wife would say the Advents look nicer, and I agree.

What do you guys think? Which sounds better? Will my wife get ticked if the ugly B&W speakers show up? Am I missing some third option I should order from ebay? Please advise.

Also, side question for parents. I have a first kid coming in January. When do I need to hide the record collection and are there any tips for that? Do I need a man cave? Locked cabinets?

Update: Since I posted, Halo71 recommended I get the Boston Acoustics A400s that are available for $400. I contacted the seller and they are still available though I would have to rent a car to drive 30 miles to get them. Would you all recommend I get these? 4-2-7 posted some very beautiful speaker suggestions my wife would like and that also sound good. Are they better than A400?

Also, someone in NYC has these wharfdales for 100 but the seller doesn't know what they are. I wrote them off cause I couldn't figure out what they were. Does anyone know?Longtime lurker, first time poster. I am looking to upgrade my speakers for $300 or less. I use a marantz 2220b with a thorens td160, both recently tuned up. I love the look of these and they go well with the furniture in my living room, which is mid century modern my wife lovingly picked out. People say we have like a madmen thing going on. My current speakers are the Pioneer Andrew Jones one which I like. But I want a step up.

Here are the two things I am thinking of getting. I live in brooklyn without a car, which influences this somewhat. Someone in NYC is selling a pair of B&W DM305 for $250. reviews seem pretty good. And someone else is selling a pair of Advent Maestros for $100. I would like something with reasonable bass, but I don't need like deep deep base. I am sure my wife would say the Advents look nicer, and I agree.

What do you guys think? Which sounds better? Will my wife get ticked if the ugly B&W speakers show up? Am I missing some third option I should order from ebay? Please advise.

Also, side question for parents. I have a first kid coming in January. When do I need to hide the record collection and are there any tips for that? Do I need a man cave? Locked cabinets?

Update: Since I posted, Halo71 recommended I get the Boston Acoustics A400s that are available for $400. I contacted the seller and they are still available though I would have to rent a car to drive 30 miles to get them. Would you all recommend I get these? 4-2-7 posted some very beautiful speaker suggestions my wife would like and that also sound good. Are they better than A400?

Also, someone in NYC has these wharfdales for 100 but the seller doesn't know what they are. I wrote them off cause I couldn't figure out what they were. Does anyone know?

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Dam dude I can't read your post or see the speakers because it will fit 4 screens and scrolling sideways.

Ok now I can read what you posted. Yes IMO what you are going on with your living space and what your wife like the vintage speakers will look awesome and sound great.

You will find on this site more opinions based on lack of experience and the will of carrying a torch.

Nobody here can say what sounds good in your system, environment and to you. That's the unique thing that happens in audio and your environment. Did I recommend the best sounding speakers know to man, nope there is no such thing as theirs too many variables. You're not building a Listening Room/sound booth, it's a living environment with a ton of things going on that degrade sound. The wife is the decorator and she will be placing the speaker where she wants, you have kids so you can't have light speakers on stands.

Anyway I could get rude to some that prefer to send out disparaging comments instead of just suggestions for you. But know this they most likely are lacking in any quality gear in the first place so how do they come to a conclusion of what sounds good or not.

Northwinds said:

I had Polk Monitor 10's and the WOPL ate them within minutes. I had another pair previously and a Crown power amp ate them. Great for low power applications but if you run high power amps, not so much

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lol....that really made me laugh! How ridiculous. I've run my 10's on an Onkyo Integra M504 (165 wpc) to ear splitting levels and never once did they complain. You are the first person I have ever ever heard say they are better for low power applications! lol

OP, you can blow any speaker with an over powered or even an under powered amp if you are not careful. I really suggest, if you can, listen to some speakers prior to buying them. With the amp you are running, perhaps a pair of Klipsch or Cerwin-Vega speakers would be better for you. They are much more efficient and easier to drive.

IF the warfdales are still available? I'd suggest Buying them... without Any second thoughts/hesitations
. IF healthy these are more than a match for pretty well Any! of the above listed speakers.
Warfdale was a quality maker. Not as famous or quite as good as the other 3 or 4 Famous names of the 60's or early 70's.
But still Darned good.
Certainly distinctly better than Polk, BA or Japanese units
B&W can be great but best only in specific, usually their fairly pricey, models.

stereofanboy said:

I haven't heard the B&W speakers in question, so I can't compare them, but I currently own Advent Maestros and think they sound really nice.

I've owned Polk Audio Monitor 10s and 5s, Wharfedale W70Cs and W70DIIs, and several of the so-called Kabuki style speakers, including Pioneer CS-99As, Sansui SP3000s, SP2500s, SP2500Xs, SP9000Xs, Corals, and others whose names and numbers have slipped my mind.

The Maestros sounded better than all of them except maybe the Wharfedale W70DIIs. The Maestros are certainly worth the $100 being asked, if they are in good condition.

Kabuki is a humorously intended nickname attached to '70s era Japanese made speakers with several things in common. These things include high efficiency, an elaborate and attractive grill often made of hand carved wood, an unnecessarily large number of tweeters and mids (seemingly limited only by how many will physically fit on the baffle), a woofer too large for the airspace of the speaker (leading to a lack of real bass), and in the earlier examples, extremely well built and finished wood veneered cabinets.

I just noticed your receiver. With a low powered unit like that, efficiency is desirable, so Kabuki speakers may not be such a bad idea for you.

Click to expand...

A very good match to the gear and enviorment will make the wife happy. That's the best sound anyone could ask for.:thmbsp: