[gordon]

Welcome any input on bookshelf sized speakers in the $1,000 range. Tried ELAC but too power/current hungry.

[Wind Chaser]

Tried ELAC but too power/current hungry.

Could you be more specific, as in which Elac?

[JackD]

As a rule any of the bookshelf speakers designed by Andrew Jones are in real life much less efficient than his published specs indicate.  Take a look at the Golden Ear Aon series.  I ran the IDA-8 with the Triton 5 towers and found them to be efficient and voicing wise a good match.  The bookshelf models are around 90 db and relatively easy loads. What sort of price range are you looking in and are you willing to buy used or demo models?  Look for test results of possible candidates of places like Stereophile and Soundstage where they publish actual test results showing real life efficiency and impedance curves. 

[gordon]

Thanks Jack, will look at the Golden Ear, would like to stay in the $1,000 range for a pair.

Wind Chaser - it’s the B6 Debut

[JackD]

Gordon

This is another speaker to consider.  May not be the "prettiest" kid on the block with it's plain black matte finish, but a real bargain.  I used a pair as the fronts in my former HT setup for years.

http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340m/cmt340m.html

[DanM66]

I,ve had many decent bookshelf speakers, totem, harbeth etc... right now with the nuprime ida 8 I’m using Martin Logan 15’s and it’s a nice match.... definitely with a listen at the price range ($800 Canadian)

[jaywills]

You might consider looking for a used pair of Merlin TSM's.  The mfr passed a few years ago and you occasionally can run across a pair for your $1000 target.  I have a pair running with an IDA-8 and I have found them to be a nice match.  Cordially,

[Phil A]

I'm using a pair of Selah Audio SA2s (not a current model but they have other offerings) with my IDA-8 on my desktop.  Combo sounds fantastic.

[mresseguie]

Gordon,

I'd like to recommend a pair of speakers that sound awesome and work well with the IDA-8. I know this because I own both an IDA-8 and the speakers. They are called Adelphos speakers. They were designed by Jeff Bagby and feature SBAcoustics Satori drivers. They are sold as a kit. Here is the link:

https://meniscusaudio.com/product/adelphos-full-speaker-kit-pair/

I'm all thumbs when it comes to carpentry, so I found a guy on AC who has many years of speaker cabinet making. His moniker is 'pecker', first name is John.  He did an excellent job, was patient with me  when I asked for a difficult veneer, and charged a very reasonable price for the cabinets. All I had to do was drill a few holes to screw in the drivers, solder a few wires, and add some NoRez from GR Research. I think my end cost was $1250 for speakers that would retail for about $3500.

I still own the speakers and have no intention of selling them.

If you're not interested in them, at least peruse the website. There are dozens of kits on the Meniscus Audio site.

[mikejohn]

I've had good luck with my IDA-8 and LS50s on 24" stands in a medium sized room.  Under $1000 on the used market.

[damguz]

I've had good luck with my IDA-8 and LS50s on 24" stands in a medium sized room.  Under $1000 on the used market.

+1. Only with Isoacoustics stands on my office desk and a Rythmik f12G Sub-woofer runing from the RCA out. you wont belive the power and compleatness of the sound presentation.

[mikejohn]

Amazon now has LS50s for $999.