Best Speakers for music listening?

Question

I am planning to buy a pair of stereo speakers for listening to music.
I would like to know which speaker is better for Acoustic and Alternative rock music, Floor-standing or bookshelf speakers with sub-woofer? I also need a good amplifier to power them, model and brand. Although musical taste is highly subjective, I would like to know a general consensus.

Answer 1

Bose (except for the 901) are overpriced, over hyped, cheaply manufactured......etc

Best Buy and Circuit City do not sell the "best speakers for music listening". They sell everything from junk to the nicest gear the average Joe is willing to spend on electronics. If you are serious about sound you are going to drop some serious cash in high-end shops and you're not going to buy what some yahoo on the intardnet tells you he thinks is the best. You're going to audition a lot of speakers and go with what your ears tell you is best.

Answer 2

Best Speakers For Music Listening

Answer 3

Good Speakers For Music

Answer 4

In regards to speakers your best bet is to go with towers. Please do not consider Bose. (I used to work for them, not worth the money)Most 2-channel purists do not add subwoofers into their systems. When I listen to music my sub is turned off. The reason for this is the music was not recorded with a sub channel, simply 2 channels. So having full range tower speakers is how you can more closely reproduce the original recording.

Speaker selection is a personal experience. Listen to numerous brands with your own music cd's / SACD's.

As to amplification, it is also a personal choice. I use Rotel, good product and good pricing. Depending on price you may be interested in Parasound, or Mark Levinson. You may want to pick up a copy of Stereophile if you are looking to spend a larger amount than average people.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

Paradigm Reference Studio 100. Without question, the finest pair of speakers I have ever owned (and I've owned plenty over the years!).

I continue to have a soft corner for Klipsch La Scala, which reproduce vocals and wind instruments to near perfection, but they now perform Home Theater duties for me, where they are peerless.

The Paradigm are full range speakers and powered with appropriate electronics, they do not really need a sub-woofer. You'd be surprised at the number of floor standing speakers that do. They handle bass notes and mid range with authority and a very natural upper end frequency range. They produce a large, powerful soundstage and with proper placement, the imaging is breathtaking.

I use a Bryston Power Amp and a Counterpoint SA-5000 Vacuum Tube pre-amplifier. The Bryston is a very good match for the Paradigm speakers (both are Canadian brands) with clean, solid power. Whichever brand you choose, I would highly recommend separates (Pre and Power amp), if your principal application is music.

I also use a pair of JM Lab Chorus bookshelf speakers with a REL subwoofer in my bedroom. It's a great combination, but do remember that pairing a subwoofer with bookshelf speakers presents a very serious challenge in ensuring a smooth crossover (the point at which frequencies are split between the speakers and the sub). In any event, this will always be a compromise relative to a pair of high end full range speakers.

Answer 6

PLEASE don't get BOSE. People only think they are good because they are one of the few that advertise. They spend all their money on advertising and then charge you more for an ok speaker. They are an entry level speaker and don't even come close to the likes of Kef, Paradigm, PSB, Boston Acoustics, Mirage, and many more which are at the same price point and even cheaper.
I always cringe when people here I have this wonderful theater and these great speakers and they say "Did you get BOSE?"
I first make sure they don't have Bose before I really berate them as speakers so I don't hurt their feelings. I educate them on Bose speakers and tell them they are not real good speakers. I have auditioned hundreds of speakers over the years and Bose just don't match any of those listed for sound quality.
As for which speakers you should get, that is all up to you. Go and audition some and listen to them side by side because they all sound different.
I will leave you with this PLEASE DON'T BUY BOSE, they are way over priced for what you get.

Answer 7

First of all i would like to suggest everyone that replyed before not to reply in sections they have no idea what they r talking about.
Bose sucks, for price and even if it was decently priced it would still suck.
And just so u know bose dont have any decent stereo setup speakers anyways.
Also for the guy who said to get bose surround sound is an idiot since you asked for stereo music listening.

The question u asked is kinda like asking people which hamburger they prefer. Everyone has there own preference and most of the people on forums and yahoo answers will suggest the stuff they own because they think its awesome and they own it and they wanna make themselves feel better about owning one.

There are plenty of amazing speaker manufacturers but the key is to find out what type of person u r.
Speakers respond to different sounds differetly some are really High pitched and they will be ear piercing to some people. other speakers r really mid ranged so u will get good vocals and everything else might b muffled.

Even the very very high end speakers(costing 200,000-300,000) hhave variance in sound. So like one of the guys suggested to take a couple of your CDs u r extremely familiar with to a High end store like Tweater or any ma n pa store that carries high end stuff. and sit down and listen to them very carefully and figure out which represents your choice of music the best.

Now u have to remeber that the speakers in a showroom may sound a lil different at your home for a few reasons. one the showrooms are designed to demo audio, with certain things liike acoustic panels and glass doors with limited furniture. and two the speakers in the showroom are most likely broken in andthe ones u take home are gonna be brand new and not used to it.

As far as amps go those are the same way. You have to find out what your like. Most people wont hear a difference between one brand and the other but the way u asked the question im sure you would. So i would find out what u like in both speakers and a AMPs.

Answer 8

I have to agree with the other guys on how you shouldn't post an answer if you don't know what you're talking about. Bose sucks. I have sold home theatre for 3 years and know all of the tricks with Bose, they are not worth it. You would be particuarly disappointed in them for your type of music. Furthermore the speakers you get are primarily determined by price, if you are lookin for great speakers for the money try Athena or Paraidigm. You can spend thousands upon thousands for good speakers.

Answer 9

i have heard a lot of people say bose. i think thats just funny. the sooner you step out of best buy the better. this is a hard question to answer, but if you want the very very best, then i think you would want what the professionals use. sony music, and abby road both use this brand. and if you ever want to use them for cinema use, its the same brand that skywalker sound uses. that brand is B&W. the clearest best speakers you can buy are B&Ws. however your going to have to pay for the best. if money isnt an option, get 2 bookshelfs, a macontosh amp, and a subwoofer. you will not hear a clearer sound. go to a private shop, and hear them. you will not be sorry.

Answer 10

Sounds like you want to be serious listener.
Then you should go to Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.
and listen to the speakers with CD's of your
favorite music. Only you can decide whats you like best. What I hear and like , you may hate.
And what you love, I would hate.
Online check out hifi.com or crutchfield ,com
for help.