Speakers under 12k

[Dr.Bass]

Friends,
I am helping a colleague of mine buy a speaker. Basically trying to get him initiated into this hobby . He has agreed to spend upto 20k. This is for a pair of speaker and a stereo amp. Source will be his existing DVDP.

For Amp, I have shortlisted the Norge Ref 2000 which will cost him 12k new.
Now for the speakers I am going to ask him to stretch to around 12k.
But then I am not very familiar with the best speakers in this price range. Obviously I dont expect floorstanders in this price range. Among standmounts I can see two immediate candidates

1. Norge Bookshelf speakers (12.5k)
2. Wharfdale Diamond 9.2 (some one please tell me the exact price of this speaker)

Please add to this list if you know of better candidates.

Now coming to the musical taste. My friend is a hardcore UP guy listening to lots of Ghazals (Mehdi Hassan, Ghulam Ali, Farida Khannum), Hindustani Classical (Bhimsen Joshi, Bade Ghulam Ali, Ali Akbar Khan etc), Yesudas, Manna Dey, Mohd Rafi, some new generation singers like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and may be a little bit of main stream Bollywood music.
All in all he is not into western music at all. Mostly CDs played by him would be average Indian recordings. I suppose he would like a Warm, Open, Colorful sound for his kind of music. Accuracy and neutrality may not be his first choice.
Bass can be a little loose doesnt matter but mids and highs should have some magic. I would have ideally liked him to get a tube amp and a matching speaker but his budget is too low for such a thing.

So, what would be a good speaker in this scenario ? Please suggest with prices.

 

[rikhav]

I think for his needs a EPOS bookshelf would be very good but not sure if it will be available in the said amount.
Is he open to a used speaker? If yes you can check out if any EPOS BS is there in the used market

 

[srikarkav]

Hi,

Since your friend is mostly into Indian music the Wharfdale Diamond 9.1 will suit him fine and will come within the budget of 12k too.The price of 9.2s varies from 14.5k to 15.5k.

cheers,
sri

 

[captrajesh]

I think for his needs a EPOS bookshelf would be very good but not sure if it will be available in the said amount.
Is he open to a used speaker? If yes you can check out if any EPOS BS is there in the used market

Epos BS are 40K new + stands. Even old ones would not be available for less than 25K with stands.

For that budget, only the likes of Wharfadale are the only option. He can also scout around in the used market. Chennai has a vibrant used gear market but one needs to tread very carefully.

 

[rikhav]

Epos BS are 40K new + stands. Even old ones would not be available for less than 25K with stands.

For that budget, only the likes of Wharfadale are the only option. He can also scout around in the used market. Chennai has a vibrant used gear market but one needs to tread very carefully.

Hi Capt.
Never knew the price bracket of EPOS

I feel Dr. Bass should also audition Diamond 8.2 or 8.4. IMO, they do the midrange better then the 9 series.
I purchased the 8.2 brand new for Rs. 10,500. But I think the distributor is finished with his stock and the company also has stopped making it

 

[captrajesh]

@Rikhav,

I was looking for BS speakers till recently so knew the prices.

OP can also look at options like Jamo, Mission etc in used market.

 

[Kittu]

If you are ok with used speakers check with forum member hifipal4all(Ramesh) . He can help you get some in bangalore.

 

[Asit]

I was looking for a cheap pair of bookshelves myself (for my son or for my bedroom, because I have at least one extra unit of everything amp/CDP/CassetteP except speakers). I went looking for Wharfdale 9.1/9.2's, but the Kolkata store had only the 10 series which are rear ported and wouldn't suit me.

Are the 9.1/9.2's still available? I agree some of the 8 series were even better (perhaps 8.2? can't remember).

How about the cheapest PSB? How much do they cost these days? Would the PSB be suitable for Dr. Bass's friend?

Regards

PS: It just came to my mind that the S30 BS speakers from Cambridge Audio for the price (under 10K) are not bad at all. They now now have a couple of other BS also, but not sure about price and performance.

 

[Kittu]

I was looking for a cheap pair of bookshelves myself (for my son or for my bedroom, because I have at least one extra unit of everything amp/CDP/CassetteP except speakers). I went looking for Wharfdale 9.1/9.2's, but the Kolkata store had only the 10 series which are rear ported and wouldn't suit me.

Are the 9.1/9.2's still available? I agree some of the 8 series were even better (perhaps 8.2? can't remember).

How about the cheapest PSB? How much do they cost these days? Would the PSB be suitable for Dr. Bass's friend?

Regards

9.1/9.2s are available in bangalore ... You may find 8 series also (display or old stocks).. PSB are expensive not sure if they can be sourced under 12k but you can contact our forum member Ashishkesarwani... He is the new franchisee in delhi for lakozy.

 

[vivek.saikia]

For a budget like 20k, the best combo would be Norge 2060 (7.5k) + Wharfy 9.1 (11.5K). For the mentioned type of the music preference, this is a killer combo and even it is well within the budget (rather less than that). The savings can be invested in cables and interconnect.

 

[srikarkav]

For a budget like 20k, the best combo would be Norge 2060 (7.5k) + Wharfy 9.1 (11.5K). For the mentioned type of the music preference, this is a killer combo and even it is well within the budget (rather less than that). The savings can be invested in cables and interconnect.

+1 to that.

And this also might help your decision.

http://www.hifivision.com/reviews/4405-norge-1000-amp-wharfedale-9-1-a.html

cheers,
sri

 

[Dr.Bass]

Thanks for your suggestions guys.
I too was not very impressed with the Diamond 9 series when I heard them about 4 years back. The Diamond 8 had won many hearts mainly because of its midrange, which was better than most entry level speakers. The Diamond 9 actually went a step back in terms of midrange and improved in terms of Bass quality (fuller and weightier). However it did not have any magic for one to fall.
Somehow, just going by my memories I am not very enthused by the 9.2 for my friend. Can any of you give me a pointer to the Wharfdale dealer in Bangalore ? I know there is one guy in Brigade road who used to do it.
What about the current Diamond 10 series ? How good are they ? Pricing ?

Apart from these can anyone of you throw some light on the Norge Bookshelf speaker ? It looks good, but how is the sound like ?

 

[ajinkya]

As Asit suggested and I second, do try the CA s30. They are on the smaller side with excellent midrange, and treble performance. For the size, base is taut and hard-hitting. Pairing them with a slightly warmer amplifier will be a good match since they are on the drier side of neutral.

 

[keith_correa]

Also check out the Q Acoustics 2010 and it's bigger brother the 2020.

 

[vinredd]

Yamaha NS-333 is in the same price range, and it has some decent reviews.

 

[square_wave]

My suggestion. Ditch the amp. Club the budgets and go for an active speaker. The audio engine A5 is quite decent. I have had that speaker in my home when a friend had them shipped to me. Pretty colorful and open sound. Will suit his requirements.