[brooklyn]

Hi everyone, I recently received a vintage Creek Audio 4040 Integrated Amp from my brother to use as a computer based audio system. It’s in great condition and sounds wonderful. I needed bookshelf speakers to see if the Creek even worked so I went to Best Buy and bought a pair of Polk T15 speakers they had on sale for 50 bucks. Those little T15’s actually sound pretty darn good for what I paid and the size works for the application at hand.

Now that I see the Creek is working as it should I was thinking of upgrading to a better speaker. I don’t have any experience with bookshelf speakers in general but for instance, I see there is a pair of Music Hall Marimba’s for two hundred bucks on sale on the internet. The Marimba’s did get some good audio press since hitting the market.

I would like the speakers to be no bigger than the T15’s or Marimba’s and my budget is around 300 bucks for the pair. I like bang for the buck and decent sound quality.. Does anyone have a nice pair of bookshelf speakers they can recommend at that size and price point?

[mresseguie]

Our very own AC member, Ron, has a pair of GR Research AV/1 bookshelf speakers for sale for $320 that he built himself. You get real wood veneer, upgraded crossovers, and Ron's excellent track record.
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=138162.0

Regards,

Michael

[charmerci]

Maybe this comparison can help you? This person wasn't too keen on the Marimbas though they were one of the smallest speakers compared.

[brooklyn]

Our very own AC member, Ron, has a pair of GR Research AV/1 bookshelf speakers for sale for $320 that he built himself. You get real wood veneer, upgraded crossovers, and Ron's excellent track record.
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=138162.0

Regards,

Michael

Those speakers look gorgeous but a little large for my application, I don’t have that kind
of room near my computer desk. It’s hard to believe no one bought them at this point.

[brooklyn]

Maybe this comparison can help you? This person wasn't too keen on the Marimbas though they were one of the smallest speakers compared.

Charmerci, thank you for the link on the bookshelf speaker comparison, it may prove to be helpful..

[Folsom]

Our very own AC member, Ron, has a pair of GR Research AV/1 bookshelf speakers for sale for $320 that he built himself. You get real wood veneer, upgraded crossovers, and Ron's excellent track record.
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=138162.0

Regards,

Michael

With sonicaps, hard to beat that.

[mlundy57]

If you can handle a little DIY the GR-Research LGK 1.0's are fantastic, especially as desktop speakers. The kit is only $189 plus your cabinet material. Here's what mine look like:



This was the setup I had for them at last year's Lone Star Audio Fest. Everybody that heard them was amazed at the amount of sound coming from these little speakers.

Here's a link to a review Ron did on them:   https://newrecordday.com/gr-research-lgk/

If you are not into building them yourself you can get somebody to build a pair for you.

[brooklyn]

I really like your speakers and thanks for the link. Living in an apartment without a means to builds
the cabinets let alone soldering which I was never any good at, makes owning a pair challenging.

[mlundy57]

I really like your speakers and thanks for the link. Living in an apartment without a means to builds
the cabinets let alone soldering which I was never any good at, makes owning a pair challenging.

There are a couple of options if you can't cut parts. First, someone such as Ron (the builder Michael spoke of, not Ron the reviewer) or I can build a pair for you.

Second, you can take the plans to a local cabinet maker's shop and have them cut the pieces for you. Then all you have to do is glue them together. The soldering on these is pretty easy. There are only three parts in the filter and no PC boards to deal with so you don't have to solder itty-bitty pieces.

When it comes to cheap and cheerful, a little sweat equity goes a long way in increasing bang for the buck. If you do decide you want to tackle a pair of these, you will find a lot of help and advice on the GR-Research Industry circle.

Mike

[apstoltz]

I really enjoy the ascend cbm-170, might be a little large on a desk so you may want to look at the wave rest audio bookshelves as they have a similar sound as the ascends. Also the lgk from Danny I heard is a fine little gem. Good luck with your search.

[jarcher]

I've heard the Elac B6 recently and was quite impressed.  Great imaging, impressive bass and good midrange.  For the money, I actually liked them better than the F5 tower speakers.

Reading up on the Creek 4040 it was supposedly quite a warm little 30WPC amp.  Some maybe going for a leaner and more efficient monitor might make a better match - of course that depends on your preference in sound.  For that reason I think a PSB Alpha B1 would be a good option.  89-91db efficiency and the aluminum dome tweeter and metalized polyprop mid-bass might all help to give the Creek a bit more clarity and pop.  The Alpha B1 was for a long time the sub $300 speaker to beat, getting the thumbs up from Stereophile and TAS over 2008-2013. 

[JLM]

I still love my Ascend Acoustics CBM-170s after (was one of the original buyers and my comment is still on their website).  Crazy good imaging (some of the best I've heard in 40 years), great tonality (most small speakers lack mid-bass body), and make a good trade-off between being super detailed and non-fatiguing.  They work well in a sub $1,000 system but aren't embarrassed in a $10,000 system either.

[trianglezerius]

I second the Elac B6 which I have owned for close to a month now. One other thing I'd like to add is Andrew Jones achieved a really good balance that IMO don't need to be modded. Just pug and play.

I've heard the Elac B6 recently and was quite impressed.  Great imaging, impressive bass and good midrange.  For the money, I actually liked them better than the F5 tower speakers.

Reading up on the Creek 4040 it was supposedly quite a warm little 30WPC amp.  Some maybe going for a leaner and more efficient monitor might make a better match - of course that depends on your preference in sound.  For that reason I think a PSB Alpha B1 would be a good option.  89-91db efficiency and the aluminum dome tweeter and metalized polyprop mid-bass might all help to give the Creek a bit more clarity and pop.  The Alpha B1 was for a long time the sub $300 speaker to beat, getting the thumbs up from Stereophile and TAS over 2008-2013.

[avahifi]

Don't overlook Dennis Murphy's latest design.

http://philharmonicaudio.com/aa.html

Frank Van Alstine

[brooklyn]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations, they are all being considered. I did looked at the Elac B6’s but thought
they might have a little to much bottom end for my personal taste. I lean towards more of a crisp open sound.

[trianglezerius]

The Elac B6's are not bass heavy at all.

Thanks everyone for the recommendations, they are all being considered. I did looked at the Elac B6’s but thought
they might have a little to much bottom end for my personal taste. I lean towards more of a crisp open sound.

[Markvdv]

GR's AV1 are considered too big, Elac B6 seem bigger to me, unlikely to be an option?

[trianglezerius]

I own the B6"s and use a sub with them to get the last 2 octaves.

GR's AV1 are considered too big, Elac B6 seem bigger to me, unlikely to be an option?

[timind]

Has anyone mentioned AudioEngine? The P4 is a very nice sounding speaker in your budget.

[milford3]

The Axiom M2 V4's is a good choice.


http://www.axiomaudio.com/m2-bookshelf-speakers