Best speaker pair for music under $300?

I got my folks a pair of Vandersteen 1's for less than your budget. They'd be mighty tough to top. If you want a strictly party speaker, they might not be the best, but they are great.
 
You're going to find MANY different opinions on speakers. For $300 you can find nice used speakers that will out perform many new speakers giving you a better bang for the buck. Here are some things to look for in used...

8 Ohm - You'll find quite a few vintage speakers in 6 and even 4 Ohm but I would recommend staying away from these.

Repairable - Re-foaming can be done by anyone whose interested and handy. Repair of exotic speakers made by ADS of Infinity (Emits etc) are very advanced and replacements are scarce and expensive.

Sensitivity - Look for a speaker that has a higher than average sensitivity 90dB @ 1 watt or better will work great with a low power amplifier.

I'm sure some people can add more to this...
 
maydaynomore said:
Don't listen to these guys. Buy the Sony speakers.... Trust me. You'll be much better off with the Sony speakers.
Don't find a "score" and don't get hooked. Don't spend all of your money on 17 vintage receivers and then still keep looking. Don't fill your garage with vintage speakers and still scour neighborhood garage sales and local goodwill stores for another "score". There is no end. No holy grail. No happy ending, because there will be no end. Not until you die. And then some other poor schmuck will buy your vintage gear at your estate sale and the vicious cycle will start all over again.
And all of this for what? A score!? The adrenaline you get you see the Pioneer sx 980 for $20 at your local church sale.....SCORE!!!
On second thought forget the Sony's...........
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That was beautiful...
 
Regarding your amp situation, I think used is your best bet for sure. For $300 and some searching in your local area, you should be able to find a nice early '70's 40-50w receiver and a pair of 50 watt per channel floorstanding speakers that will give you everything you're looking for soundwise (I paid $55 and $30 respectively for my main receiver/speakers, and both sold for like $350-$400 new back in the early '70's and would cost A LOT more if sold new today... Especially the receiver). Just keep in mind the size of the room where you'll be using them. Very-important because many/most speakers are specifically-designed with room-size/shape in mind. Some work well in corners and some don't. Some work well sitting up against the wall, but many need to be out a few feet from the wall. Some work fine sitting on the floor, but many often need to be up on stands. You get the idea.
 
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finnbow said:
Get a pair of Infinity Primus P162 at a very fair price.

They play far above their price, particularly at the price noted above. Check this review.
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+ 1 I had a pair I paid more for and they did a fine job. I painted the Baffles Black on my pair like the 163s.

The Dali Lektor 3s listed above are a smoking good deal and if I was looking
those would be hard to pass up.

Check CL, I recently picked up some Monitor Audio GR 10s for half of (the OPs) budget and they rule the roost in my HT now as fronts. Beating out some Infinity P363 towers
that I have had for awhile.
 
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any love for the Mordaunt Short Carnival 2?? Just saw them on Audio Advisor with stands for $249. Only a few reviews but look like they're very efficient.
 
tnmike1 said:
any love for the Mordaunt Short Carnival 2?? Just saw them on Audio Advisor with stands for $249. Only a few reviews but look like they're very efficient.
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I mentioned MS before, they are great speakers, not very well known. They are at $199.00/pr. at acccessories4less.
 
eljr said:
Some great suggestions but the best speaker at this price is the PSB Alpha B.
Period.

:smoke:
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I own PSB T45, C40, B25, and B15, so you can say I'm partial to PSB. The Alpha B and the newer B1 are great speakers, but the OP mentioned that he can use floorstanders. IMHO, the PSB Alpha T at $299.00/pr. is hard to beat.
 
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