[SylvainQc]

Hi friends. I was wondering if, like me over the years, you have met speakers mostly unknown or unpopular, often cheap ones, that just 'amazed' you at how good they can perform, while being cheap. I have a few models I keep around like older Castle, some older Mission models. Small, british and cheap because they manufactured tons of them
 That's good news when one is on a tight budget or wants something decent for a second system, at low cost.

[vrao81]

Paradigm micro. Cheap, tiny speakers with big, warm sound and rich bass for their size.

[thorman]

 have to say the ADS L520 ...Paid $10 at a Garage sale and ended up selling my Harbeth's because they were that close........

[Letitroll98]

I've got a house full.   

Celestian 7 Mark II, a completely different speaker than the Mark I.  They went to bass reflex from acoustic suspension with all new drivers, to a 8" paper cone from plastic and a titanium dome tweeter from aluminum.  A lovely speaker, detailed and impactful, paid $40 six months ago.

Athena B1, one of Sam Telig's giant killers.  Small speakers with a big sound.  I'm using them for TV duty now.  Got them for some ridiculous price as an open box closeout at Best Buy, I think $50.

Snell E Type Series IV.   Another speaker completely different than the former series of the same name.  Kevin Voecks took over design from Peter Snell and redesigned a new enclosure with new drivers and crossovers.  I think they were $800 used back in the day, I'm sure much cheaper today if you could find them, full range floorstanders with a delightful soundstage.

PSB Alpha T1, a small floorstander that adds another bass driver to the Alpha design.  PSBs are always good sounding no matter which level you buy, these fill out the mid base better than the bookshelf model.

[JLM]

Ascend Acoustics CBM170, $300/pair, about 20 years ago, new version available.  2-way ported monitors that are profoundly musical and reveal the inner detail.

JBL 305 Mk2, $300/pair.  2-way ported active monitors that can fill a room beautifully.

[SylvainQc]

I do realise that depending on 'location' , country, availability of brands, models may differ. Here in Canada, british speakers always did dominate the market, Celestion, B&W, Kef and so on. I must add on my list A/D/S products wich were mainly available here from their mother company, Braun. I loved their products, their sound and aesthetics though it's what was blocked them in america. To 'european' neat minimalist looking. I love Dieter Rams designs and still own many of their products, but here we ca no longer talk about 'cheap gems'. They were pricey.
Canadian speakers PSB, Paradigm, Energy, Mirage etc are true bargains here..

[vrao81]

Thought of another one, Dana 630, which I bought in 2009..the one I bought is the only one I ever saw for sale..here's a review:
https://www.avsforum.com/threads/review-avance-dana-630.903375/

[VinceT]

I do realise that depending on 'location' , country, availability of brands, models may differ. Here in Canada, british speakers always did dominate the market, Celestion, B&W, Kef and so on. I must add on my list A/D/S products wich were mainly available here from their mother company, Braun. I loved their products, their sound and aesthetics though it's what was blocked them in america. To 'european' neat minimalist looking. I love Dieter Rams designs and still own many of their products, but here we ca no longer talk about 'cheap gems'. They were pricey.
Canadian speakers PSB, Paradigm, Energy, Mirage etc are true bargains here..

+1 on ADS, Braun, I would add older Cantons to that list of good German speakers. Those soft dome mids in the ADS are excellent. I do have a soft spot for old EPI's as well. All cam be had pretty cheap in the used market if you look hard enough except the larger ADS are still getting big bucks.

[newzooreview]

Another vote for Ascend Acoustics CBM170. Very enjoyable.

[SylvainQc]

I went to see the Ascend Acoustics' site, they now have a Signature edtion of what seems a classic among small, affordable speakers. They say it's in production since 1999. Quite an achievement! I like the idea that a specific product can 'evolve' along the years. It sure means they got it right, right from the start. Thanks for sharing.

[RDavidson]

There’s so many I could list, but if had to really narrow it down…I’ve always had a soft spot for Paradigm, particularly the Atom v2 and newer.

[S Clark]

In retrospect, most cheap speakers I've owned sounded like cheap speakers.  The ones I didn't need but wish I had bought were the Soundfield 1 designed by member AJ in Florida.  In an untreated hotel room at the LSAF, they sounded like good speakers should, and in a very difficult environment.   I think the were $1000 list.   

[FireGuy]

Axiom Audio M2, M3 and M22... all versions.  Rear ported, quality drivers and 7-9 years ago true bargains.  Astonishingly good sound for very little money.  Exceptionally balanced, forward and extremely neutral.  Qualities that a lot of audiophiles cherish.  I still own all three along with Omega.  The M2V3 competes nicely with the Omega Super 5 at a cost of a few beers (sadly) at your local airport.

[SET Man]

I went to see the Ascend Acoustics' site, they now have a Signature edtion of what seems a classic among small, affordable speakers. They say it's in production since 1999. Quite an achievement! I like the idea that a specific product can 'evolve' along the years. It sure means they got it right, right from the start. Thanks for sharing.

Hey!

   Somehow I'm not familiar with this brand even though they have been around for over 20 years!

    Their 170SE looks great for the price especially that they are pretty sensitive for a small speaker and with 8 ohm load. Most smaller speakers today tend to give up sensitivity for lower bass extension. In small room, I could see them pair with a good 30-50 watts tube amp and add sub if you want more lower bass.

https://ascendacoustics.com/collections/signature-series/products/cbm-170-se-bookshelf-monitor?variant=31620618780726

[newzooreview]

The frequency response 100Hz and up is excellent on the CBM 170se.

It looks like they have a Klippel, and their measurements for their more expensive speakers are also impressive.

[Saturn94]

In retrospect, most cheap speakers I've owned sounded like cheap speakers.  The ones I didn't need but wish I had bought were the Soundfield 1 designed by member AJ in Florida.  In an untreated hotel room at the LSAF, they sounded like good speakers should, and in a very difficult environment.   I think the were $1000 list.

Great speakers! 

[Freo-1]

Boston Acoustics A40, A60.

[mick wolfe]

On the micro cheap, RS Minimus 7's. Still use them today in a bedroom set-up. Two blasts from the past at elevated price points, Mordaunt Short Pageants (roughly $500 with stands) and JSE Model 1's. The later at roughly $1K.

[JLM]

I had one Minimus 7 that I used in my Saab 99 (late 70's) with a Blaupunkt AM/FM mono head unit.  The Minimus 7 fit perfectly in the back window directly behind my head.  Worked great (less static, no one thought about stealing it, balanced sound, cars will never be ideal for recreating a 3D stereo image anyway).

[fredgarvin]

The minimalist version of the VMPS R626 was $995 I believe. It far out performed the price point.
Pinnacle Classic Gold Towers for $800.