[roscoeiii]

LS50s on Audiogon for $1135

[Letitroll98]

Way over C&C guidelines.

[roscoeiii]

Way over C&C guidelines.

OP is a newbie. Let's indulge him or her. Pretty clear from thread title that we're over the normal constraints of this thread.

But hey, we all live and learn, regardless of if this stays here, or moves to another more appropriate circle, welcome to AV new member! You'll find this is an excellent forum of knowledgeable, generous folks.

[charmerci]

Way over C&C guidelines.

Can you move the thread to Enclosures then?

[Kenneth Patchen]

Yes, welcome to AC new member.

Interesting tread. I hope it continues, either here or elsewhere.

Cheers,
KP

[Letitroll98]

I considered moving it to Enclosures when first posted, but all of the speakers mentioned by the op were under C&C guidelines and the "under $1k" criteria could still fit within guidelines if we consider this as "active speaker with DAC" price.  As low price is a major factor in the discussion, I decided to let it roll  in this circle.  If the op changes his mind and wants to discuss more expensive options like the LS50 we can just ask him to post that question in Enclosures.

[Wind Chaser]

Cambridge Audio Aero 2. Check out the review... http://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/700-cambridge-audio-aero-2-loudspeakers

Doug Schneider says some pretty remarkable things about these speakers, likening the midrange to that of electrostatics. He goes on to say... "there’s not a speaker near the Aero 2’s price that I've heard recently that reproduces voices as naturally, or with the same kind of clarity and transparency." He compares them favorably to the much more expensive Kef LS 50... "Last year, I praised KEF’s LS50s ($1500/pair) for their ability to create a vast sense of space in my room with solid image placement; now I give the nod to the Aero 2s for even greater spaciousness -- a huge stage -- along with specificity just as good. The big difference in their prices gives you an idea of the Aero 2’s achievement in this regard."

The Aero 2s are still available, but they have been replaced by by a newer model which features a new improved BMR driver. BTW, Naim uses BMR drivers in their speakers--which start at a paltry $30,000.

I recently bought the Cambridge Minx 21s which utilize the same new BMR drivers. Instead of coupling them with one of Cambridge Audio's subs, I bought a HSU Mid Bass Module. Personally I can't imagine anything remotely close for a $1000 ++.

[JLM]

Windy:

Thanks for the heads up.  The BMR driver is most interesting.  But seems that the limited number of reviews I could find online for the replacement speaker you reference (Aeromax 2, $700/pair, same size, upgraded bits, gloss black or white) are mixed (reportedly better suited for smaller/quieter material).  So not quite sure what to think (do understand they are highly subject to break-in related issues).

[brklnclln]

OP is a newbie. Let's indulge him or her. Pretty clear from thread title that we're over the normal constraints of this thread.

But hey, we all live and learn, regardless of if this stays here, or moves to another more appropriate circle, welcome to AV new member! You'll find this is an excellent forum of knowledgeable, generous folks.

Thanks mate. I'm really enjoying the experience of exploring all of the options presented here. There's certainly a lot of knowledge around these parts!

[brklnclln]

LS50s on Audiogon for $1135

The L50's have certainly piqued my interest and I'm just weighing up my options. They might just be out of my range when factoring in shipping (aka Australia tax) and purchasing them locally might cost me a kidney - that is, if I can find them in my city.

[tvyankee]

Hello,

If you can expand your budget a little this would be your best bet.  I work in the music/tv biz and i can tell you these are used a lot and for good reason. These little mon's pack a punch.  These are great sounding and not that expensive.  If you look around you could get a trial period and not lose your money if you don't like them.

Good luck on your search.

http://www.altomusic.com/neumann-kh120-5-25-biamplified-studio-single-monitor-factory-repack?CAWELAID=520006960000004363&CAGPSPN=pla&catargetid=520006960000087214&cadevice=c&gclid=CjwKEAiAkpCkBRCtstKQo5ia5nESJACsCikRhk-Kf7mfrhDx95Ie9Gm3P7Za161V-AKCoF4ePc2MDBoChb_w_wcB

[roscoeiii]

The L50's have certainly piqued my interest and I'm just weighing up my options. They might just be out of my range when factoring in shipping (aka Australia tax) and purchasing them locally might cost me a kidney - that is, if I can find them in my city.

Ah yes that does complicate things. The LS50s are a big selling speaker,  so maybe you will have some luck finding a used or demo pair down there.

[jackman]

Windy:

Thanks for the heads up.  The BMR driver is most interesting.  But seems that the limited number of reviews I could find online for the replacement speaker you reference (Aeromax 2, $700/pair, same size, upgraded bits, gloss black or white) are mixed (reportedly better suited for smaller/quieter material).  So not quite sure what to think (do understand they are highly subject to break-in related issues).

Those are great if you like overpriced beamy speakers!  Check out the thread on Audio Karma in which Dennis Murphy measured them and was berated because his measurements and the objective observations of listeners (spoiler, people found them beamy with narrow dispersion) confirmed their beamy nature. I would pass...

[Wind Chaser]

Those are great if you like overpriced beamy speakers!  Check out the thread on Audio Karma in which Dennis Murphy measured them and was berated because his measurements and the objective observations of listeners (spoiler, people found them beamy with narrow dispersion) confirmed their beamy nature. I would pass...

You are ignorant. Anyone who knows anything about BMR drivers knows they are the antithesis of beamy.

[roscoeiii]

You are ignorant. Anyone who knows anything about BMR drivers knows they are the antithesis of beamy.

C'mon, can we please do without the putdowns? Jack is just reporting what he read on an Audio Karma thread.

[Wind Chaser]

Windy:

Thanks for the heads up.  The BMR driver is most interesting.  But seems that the limited number of reviews I could find online for the replacement speaker you reference (Aeromax 2, $700/pair, same size, upgraded bits, gloss black or white) are mixed (reportedly better suited for smaller/quieter material).  So not quite sure what to think (do understand they are highly subject to break-in related issues).

I haven't heard the Aeromax, but I do have the latest 4th generation BMR drivers in the Minx. I listen to quite a variety of music and IMO they handle complex music quite well. Case in point "One Second" by Yello is absolutely mind blowing in all of it's nuance. If you came over for a demo, that disc is at the top of my list, followed by "The Wall" and so on.

[wushuliu]

Actually I think it's the AVS forum, of which there's a poster named Audio Karma, not the Audio Karma forum.

Dennis Murphy's overall assessment appears to be this

I was also impressed by the midrange performance of the BMR in the Aero I tested, but bothered by the very audible dip in the mid treble and lack of very high end extension.

[Wind Chaser]

Dennis Murphy's overall assessment appears to be this...

Furthermore, his comments are in reference the the Aero - not the Aeromax with the new 4th generation BMR driver.

[Wind Chaser]

Jack is just reporting what he read on an Audio Karma thread.

What he read ...or what he failed to comprehend?

[wushuliu]

Furthermore, his comments are in reference the the Aero - not the Aeromax with the new 4th generation BMR driver.

Correct, hopefully some measurements will be available soon for the Aeromax. It's a tall order to have a single driver be flat from 250hz to 20khz so I'm curious what changes were made. Sounds like an intriguing speaker, certainly one worth demo'ing. But there's always a tradeoff and I expect it's ability to nail the treble frequencies to be somewhat compromised. Look forward to reviews on the Aeromax.