Speaker Tier List - 31 Speakers in Under 30 Minutes!!!!!!
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- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2021
- S Tier
Sony SSCS5 (Wait til They are $75-120) amzn.to/3leQBpr
JBL Stage A130 (Wait for $180) amzn.to/3zOrcqK
Neumi BS5 amzn.to/3lgInxc
Elac Unifi 2.0 amzn.to/3fg3Gey
A Tier
Jamo S801 amzn.to/3igtMQC
Cambridge Audio Minx XL
Elac Debut B5.2 (Wait for $250 or less) amzn.to/2UYTjVH
Klipsch RP500M (Wait for $300ish) amzn.to/3jaJ08X
Klipsch RB51ii (Get the while you Can) amzn.to/3zT7WZ9
Emotiva B1+ emotiva.com/products/airmotiv...
B Tier
Jamo S803 amzn.to/3rLBd5l
KEF Q150 (At $300) amzn.to/3rLCvNu
Elac Debut Reference amzn.to/378t5lQ
KEF Q350 (Wait for $500) amzn.to/3xceHnb
Wharfedale Diamond 12.2 bit.ly/3ffpWoZ
Elac Debut B6 amzn.to/3x9LklD
Klipsch RP600M (At $377) amzn.to/3rM0vjz
C Tier
Micca RB42 amzn.to/3j55b03
Elac Unifi Reference
Dali Spekter 1 amzn.to/3lbFQEw
Polk R100 amzn.to/2WEkLs9
Elac Debut B6.2 amzn.to/379Ei5F
Wharfedale Evo 4.2 bit.ly/2V2S7jy
Polk S20 amzn.to/3lgJJb5
Dali Spekter 2 amzn.to/3zU8nm9
D Tier
Micca MB42X amzn.to/3zQsP7t
Klipsch RP400M amzn.to/3rHNfN7
Klipsch Heresey amzn.to/3jaU5Hb
F Tier
Polk S15 amzn.to/3zQt0j9
Polk T15 amzn.to/3fh8ikx
Klipsch R-51M amzn.to/3ffvzmX
KEF LS50/meta amzn.to/3rI1lhk
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Recommended Speaker List
Around $100 (These prices will fluctuate between $75 - $150)
Sony SSCS5 - Lively amzn.to/3pZNnGk
Pioneer AJ First Gen - Laid Back
Neumi BS5 -Neutral amzn.to/3q0SR3B
Around $200
Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ - Crystal Clear and Punchy emotiva.com?aff=9
Elac Debut b5.2 - Neutral amzn.to/2WPNQxw
Wharfedale Diamond 11.2 (In and Out of Stock) - Laid Back/Bassy/Detailed amzn.to/37W8hPA
JBL Stage A130 - Neutral/Great All Arounder at $179 the best value amzn.to/3t7gOHe
Around $400
Klipsch RP600M - Neutral amzn.to/3pBoXCf (This speaker’s price can fluctuate between $440-630 which is really dumb)
Jamo C93ii Bit - Boosted on Top amzn.to/3beIG6F (Can also be found cheaper at Crutchfield)
Q Acoustics 3030i - Neutral with Punch - amzn.to/2OQkpLo
Around $500
SVS Prime bit.ly/2LozJgF
Wharfedale Diamond 12.2 bit.ly/2ZckoD9
Around $600
Elac Uni-Fi UB5.2 - Neutral amzn.to/3s3srPG
Elac Debut Reference - Buttery but Detailed amzn.to/39bt6WC
Polk Reserve R100 - Neutral
Aperion Novus - Neutral and probably the best desktop speaker one can get $599 bit.ly/2Q1H9rW
Aperion Novus Open Box $449 bit.ly/3us8zGx
Wharfedale Diamonds Lush and Detailed amzn.to/3aBAso0 Come as singles
Recommended Amp List
Under $100
Aiyima A07 - Neutral and Full amzn.to/3g9YLNf
Around $130
SMSL AD18 - DAC/Amp Lively on top but solid tone controls amzn.to/3rVZxkN
SMSL SA300 $140 amzn.to/3u83oLs
Around $250
SMSL DA-9 Balanced Amp amzn.to/34SdbLs
Around $400
Emotiva TA-100 - DAC, Phono Stage, Pre Outs - Balanced and Tasty emotiva.com?aff=9
Vista Audio Spark www.vista-audio.com/products.htm
Recommended DACs
Ifi Zen DAC amzn.to/2T3wuyY
FX D01 amzn.to/3d9GY6U
SMSL SU8s amzn.to/2SWTGiw
Denafrips Ares 2 www.denafrips.com/ares
Subs
Emotiva SE8 emotiva.com?aff=9
Emotiva SE12 emotiva.com?aff=9
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****Neumi BS5 amzn.to/3lgInxc
*********Elac Unifi 2.0 amzn.to/3fg3Gey
Ah I wondered why your speaker listings were so poor, you're one of those ignorant "don't tread on me" Pro troops morons. Unsub. C'ya dummy
@ Please go away. This is not a political forum, and we aren’t about to let it become one. I see that that you feel very passionate about some things, and it is your right to feel the way that you wish. Please just don’t do it here.
@ appreciate that we can all have differing opinions. One of those reasons is because of the sacrifice that people in uniform have made to protect your right to free speech and to have the protection to have view points such as you do. I have served my country in uniform and I will always support those that continue to do so.
@ I thought he was one of those don't tread on me guys, but I actually think his shirt is a Metallica shirt not a tea party shirt. He has Mexican friends, the fat. So he can't be a don't tread on me guy. If he is, then bummer cuz he seems so cool.
I am a huge fan, but some find the don't tread on me philosophy a little offensive. Also, I think you are awesome. I bought the criton 1tdx and a 2tdx center channel because of your glowing review. I couldn't be happier with the speakers. Keep up the great reviews.
If you want the best type of woofer, I'd look into getting a Labrador
Ha. That made me chuckle
lol
The Irish Wolfhound has a deeper bass sound
Great work! I like this series. Can't wait for the strictly performance-based tier list.
Loving this Tier List! Great Job!
Fantastic tiers, and very well presented!!!
Thanks for the breakdown! I'm piecing together a small stereo setup after years of apartment living. I picked up an old NOS Yamaha RX-V793 receiver from the late 90's off c-list. I don't care about surround sound, but it was $60 and has preouts for all channels plus sub, and a 90hz high pass. I was also able to score a Sunfire HRS-12 powered sub for $175 which is a bit overkill for my 15x15 room, but couldn't pass it up.
I was using a pair of old 80's Canton Plus S 4ohm bookies as my mains, but these went to work with me to be powered by a Nobsound mini bluetooth amp. I'm running some old Boston A60's as mains now, but I'm borrowing them from my garage stereo. I'm looking for something under $300 new or used that does well with metal/alt/punk/ska/80's synth etc. , but isn't overly bright. Low end extension isn't crucial as I have a 1000w rms sealed 12" sub to augment that. The receiver supposedly has 75 rms a channel, but I'm not overly worried about efficiency as it has preouts so that could just give me an excuse to buy a separate amp down the line.
The dimensions I have to work with are 13"D x 15" W x 24" H, and that would give me 1" from the wall. The Cantons are sealed 4" 2 ways so they aren't picky about placement. Neither are the A60's as they are also sealed, but with an 8" woofer. I have a feeling I should try to find front ported bookies given my placement limitations? This is a near field setup with each speaker being about 4 feet from me, and separated by about 6 feet left to right.
I've been leaning towards some Emotivas as I've always wanted to try some ribbon tweets. I've had aluminum(paradigms) titanium (MB Quart/JBL) cone (Cambridge model 6/KLH/Jensen/Toshiba/Pioneer/Fisher/Technics/etc.) and plenty of silk soft domes, which have always been my favorite(cambridge newtons,bostons,cantons,wharfedales,brauns,minimus 7s,polks,etc.)
I was just thinking about the “Saturday Speaker Shootouts” yesterday. Good timing on this.
Fantastic review my friend, kind of hard to keep up with all of them and remember which one was where isn’t it! You’re super exciting and I love watching your show I wish it was like an hour long episode every week kind a like the Dukes of Hazzard or the fall guy but very entertaining
I like the ranking list. I'd really like you to do a straight sounds quality ranking in addition to this value tier list.
It's coming
Randy - this had to be done! Thank you. If you were so moved, maybe a sound quality rating as a suffix? Maybe 1.0 to 11 ? These go to eleven ...
Value is balancing so much - what you like, and what you can afford - and that is excellent to know how you judge these. By adding a audio quality only, might let folks get better sound, and they can decide whether the price is worthwhile for them.
Been waiting on this! Thanks for great videos!!
The Elac debuts are really nice and musical. Used to run B&W DM601s as main entertainment system speakers, but they're so clinical and flat the Debuts quickly replaced them, then the B&Ws found good use as an alt ref monitor in the studio.
Adorama runs the Jamo 803 for 109usd regularly. Got them last month and hated the floppy base from the front port. They went on the list that Craig built almost immediately. Your older recommendation of the RB-51 ii was spot on! I’m going sing them on either side of a large desk.
Next challenge: rate the speakers based on the quality/performance (add more, like the Paradigm Atom Se, Svs Prime, Monitor Audio etc.).
Yeah I’m going to figure out how to do this better and go back and actually make a list of all the speakers I’ve done. Appreciate
You watching
Yeah I'd like to see how some of these compare on just a quality/performance basis, because it's hard to keep all the details and impressions from the individual reviews in mind when going from one to the next.
@@cheapaudioman Yes, one more vote for a speaker shootout/ranking based only on your opinion of their sound quality. Also, good stuff, keep up the good work.
Agreed. I'd like to see where you think the SE Atoms fit into something like this
@@scotto541 that's exactly what I thought & want to see🍻
Great review here. I bought my RP-500s and Stage A130s based off of your advice, and am in hi-fi heaven.
Bought my LS50 (original) for $749. Placement is absolutely critical. I have them 3 feet from the walls and I sit about 8 feet from them. Bass is surprisingly good, but they do need a sub. In my case, the bass extends far deeper than 90 hz before rolling off. Not gut thumping, for sure, but there is some weight. The imaging and transparency is pretty amazing. That’s the magic of these speakers.
Nicely done Randy. I think the Emotiva B1+ and kit bookshelves you've tested should also be added. I've got 2 S, 1 A, 1 B, 1 D and 1F. Thankfully I only paid $80 for the Klipsch R-51s and $48 for the Micca MB42Xs. I agree, when those Sony's drop below $100 there is no better bang for the buck and that speaker is affecting many of your F grades.
The B1 are on the list tier A but he didn't mention them in the video for some reason. Maybe forgot.
This is a great video! Thanks. Helps put things into perspective
Great job! Would love to see the same list based on your overall sound quality opinion! (no $$$ limitation)
Meanwhile, "richaudioman" ranked the Heresy's as A-tier for their value [compared to $15,000 speakers which also provide magic]. 😂 All about perspective. Thanks for the thoughtful tier list.
I was shocked when he put the LS50's in the lowest tier because it had no bass for the price. LOL! And he is right. They do have no bass. But what you do get for that price, is one of the most awesome sounding and Beautiful speakers out there.
I have a 5.2 system in my room (all older LS50s with two 8 inch subs) and it is heaven! Everybody who have listened to my system give me the wow factor, and tell me that it's like listening to headphones.
Bottom line is that all of these bookshelf speakers need a subwoofer to really get that 20 Hz range… Probably even the $3500 heresy. And if that's the case, you'll be blown away by the LS50s. But I get what he's doing. I guess he should have not included the heresy because I don't think it belongs there.
I shall say no more. :-)
Loved this video. Pure sound reviews are nice, but when you have to really think about the $$$'s and what you could get for the same money is where it gets interesting. Also, I would argue that my T15's are a solid B when used as a stand for good speakers :)
Do we really think T15's are that bad?? New to the channel but dang guys
I don’t own T15’s, so I can’t speak to their quality, but the runt of the litter needs love, too.
T15 is a solid F.
@@ZIDsVids They are pretty terrible. Im using them as a stand in til I get my Emotiva B1+s, and I was using the dayton Air B652 (60$) until I sold those, And those managed to completely blow the polk speakers its not even close. The dayton ones sounded 10x more expensive than the polk speakers they are just really not good for anything but surround duty
been watching this channel on and off. The video quality is getting better and better. keep up the good work
After tons of Internet research, and lots of RUclips videos I stumbled across your channel spent the last few days watching some videos and purchased a set of Jamo s803 with a Fosi Audio BT20a TPA3116. I am extremely pleased, Thank you, your Channel is awesome. And your Humor is Excellent.
thanks so much
@@cheapaudioman for my audio listening I'm running directly to it but I have tested the Bluetooth with my Samsung TV and on the upgraded Bluetooth version there's almost no latency at least in my setup.
I have 2 pairs of the Elac Unifi 2.0 and I wired each pair in series with the Sony SSCS5. Crazy good stuff. The Sony adds a tad more excitement up high whereas the Elac handles everything else.
Damn you for only ranking my recently purchased (based greatly in part to your review) Elac DBR62 as B tier! You said they were great and could probably be "end game speakers for a lot of people", surely that deserves S tier!
Haha I'm just shittin' you. As a value proposition you're probably right on the money with that grade. They are quite nice, but I reckon I could have been just as happy with a lesser speaker at a better price/value. Though maybe these will hopefully save me the cost and headache someday of feeling like I need to upgrade.
So in closing, thanks for the awesome video. And I'll echo others in that I hope you'll consider doing a video comparing/tier listing a large swathe of speakers based solely on performance. You've won a like and subscribe from this budding audio enthusiast. Cheers
Great stuff......do more videos like this PLEASE!
Really love your videos
Very helpful thanks for this
For a home cinema setup can you recommend a 3.0 setup with the jamo s803 plus center
Or anything for a wide stage and stunning effect that you pick over the jamo at a similar price point?
Best
Dré
Love it! Really nice initiative👍
I would love to see you review both the Adam Audio T7V and the Edifier S2000MKIII and place them in your speaker tier list; as the Adam Audio T7V is another amazing bang for buck speakers at $549.98 for a pair of them along with the surprisingly great sounding Edifier S2000MKIII speakers at $499.99. These speakers punch well above their price range and can even challenge some speakers at the $2000+ price range.
Hi!,
Which would you recommend to upgrade from the RB42s? They sound great but I have to turn the volume way up which I don't like. Looking to spend about as much as I paid for the RB42s. Appreciate any help or guidance👊 Great vid, btw!
This is awesome. Thank You!
I wish you weee into Home Theatre. Would love to see this done with Centre Speakers as they are all over the map.
I’m currently looking at Emotiva for the front 3 speakers. But I don’t have the luxury of trying out multiple systems like you do on your channel. (Which again is great!)
Liked! Thank you for putting a summary of the info on the description.
I just bought 2 sets of the
Sony SSCS5 for $73 each set on Amazon last week ($150 today). Also own the Neumi's. Love them both!
I think your analysis is quite fair. Thanks.
Interesting approach to the evaluation. maybe a 2-axis, performance on one axis and cost on the 2nd
Good video. Love that tier list. Now another one based only on performance please.
Great video, Randy! Where would you rank Emotiva B1+?
I completely forgot about them. S or A tier
Only two that surprised me totally was the Evo 4.2 and the Dali. I do get your formula. Thank you for the time and effort. I have learned more in the last six months about how to wisely spend my money, and a lot of laughs! I went with the JBL Studio 220 on sale, a used Emotiva Flex amp, and I couldn’t be happier! Used what I learned here for my purchases. The JBL Studio 220 I bought on sale for 140, and the soundstage is so good it’s made me think someone else was in the room for a sec!
Why does the Evo 4.2 and Spektor surprise you? I’m thinking of purchasing the Evo 4.1 but looking if I can get a slightly cheaper alternative. Maybe the Wharfedale 11.2 (if I can find it now that it’s been discontinued) or the BW 606 S2. Budget max £450… any recommendations?
@@Fredd165 I don’t remember!!😂 I think what surprised me was the order. That he placed those higher than other speakers he seemed more enthusiastic about. I think they are ALL good speakers! I will tell you, after a LONG time of looking, listening, and researching, if I can find a reasonably priced pair of JBL Studio 230s, I’m buying them in a second!
I was going to go with the elac b 6.2’s but you changed my mind. now I’m considering getting the elac unifi 2.0; they’re priced at $600 though which is a long stretch from the $250 I was planning with the 6.2’s. In your opinion would you say the price jump is worth it? I want to be one and done with these speakers; don’t want to have to upgrade for a very long time. I’m running a Sony str-dh190 if that matters. This is all for a small bedroom so I don’t plan on getting a sub.
I like speakers with not that much cabinet area behind the drivers, or below the drivers. Not only does cabinet diffraction smear the sound but your ear/brain system has to figure out the placement of the instruments more, instead of them being sharply focused and instantly obvious exactly where they are coming from. Cabinet area behind the drivers can cause brain confusing cabinet diffraction. There are some strangely shaped speakers like the vintage Spica Angelus and Snell Type A, which purposely had wide cabinet baffles, but the baffles were sloped or rounded, not a shape that standing waves like to hang out. Sound degrading standing waves like straight up and down flat surfaces with a wide width, parallel surfaces, and corners. They really love corners. Which is the reason most peoples rooms don't sound right. Small bookshelf speakers do not have much cabinet area for diffraction to develop. There is a reason to get bookshelf speakers. With a subwoofer the bookshelf speakers can be brought out further from the wall and the subwoofer can be kept back closer to the wall to reinforce the bass with full bass dynamics.
Speakers like the vintage Dahlqiist dq10, 20 & 30, Vandersteen model 1 & 2 in all their incarnations etc. have no cabinet behind the midrange and tweeter. They all are famous for their decidedly un-boxy sound, with no sound smearing, from wood behind the drivers. Drivers with incredibly good dispersion can get away with cabinet surface area behind them better than most ordinary designs. There are also some advanced horn designs which have wide cabinets but they are shaped different and are calculated to launch the sound, instead of the common shaped cabinet which standing waves and early reflections like.
Love your videos man. Could you review some Audioengine speakers? Thanks
Still rocking my sscs5, best $75 I've ever spent in audio. Many thanks to the cheapaudioman.
Randy, can you tell me are Elac debut B5.2's good for nearfield/midfield listening and how They sound at low listening levels. They are currently €152.27 at Amazon. De.
I think you did a great job putting this list together, with good explanations on why you put them in which tier.
Out of curiosity, the Fluance Signature and Reference, if added, where would you place them. No need for an explanation why. I would place the Signatures in A tier, and the Reference in C tier.
Keep up the great work!
That where id put them too
A great entry value is the Pioneer SP-BS22LR. Prices do fluctuate but at lowest ($59 - Fry's in SoCal) it was an absolute steal.
Very true. Hard to find now though
How are the operational defintions for the different "tiers" defined? How are we to understand the _Context and Rationale_ for why you are making the decisions for each speaker if you have not defined the tiers?
Was really curious where you’d place the Q Acoustics 3030i
Exactly!!! How come he missed this!!
I would place 3030i somewhere between B and S. Q Acoustics speakers are often -30% sale at least in EU. I got my home theater speakers 3030i + 3020i super cheap. Great value if you can get a good deal.
I think the Evo 4.2 needs a higher position. Compared to the others it is a heavy 3-way speaker which cost less than the small ls50 metas. The evo 4.2 is often described as reasonably priced high end. The positioning requirements aren't all that of a problem. Just try to reduce reverb in a room which can be achieved by simple things like rugs, curtains and furniture. They have no ports at the back so sound isolation at the backwall isn't really necessary within normal living room listening volumes. So for what's been given it is bang for buck
The 4.2 are great speakers. The better the input the better they get. Heard mine fed by a 1200AS2 powered amp and they were fantastic.
i will probably go with the elac 5.2 since i m on a budget. I could stretch the budget a little but there are some other things i take into consideration. Availability and pricing of the other components. what if i want a matching center? or i want 2 more speakers in the future as rears? Elacs are so readily available here with super low prices new, that the upgrade path is super affordable aswell and the saved up money you can put into a decent sub. If i would look for decent used klipsch... its a coinflip on how much i will spend in the future, matching center? maybe its super expensive, maybe not, maybe i need to rely on the used market but then.. what if there are none selling used around my area at that time? With the elacs, i can just straight up buy them right now, whenever i want and the pricing is consistent and i can plan ahead because i know how much money i ll need. Prices that go up and down like crazy makes planning a pain
Amazing content, love your videos, keep them up!! although I keep getting my hopes up haha, there must be some crazy tax on these speakers to get them into Australia. Every video I'm like "Wow $100 Sony SScs5 and Jamo's they must be like $200 each in Australian dollars"..... *checks Australian Amazon- $700.00*
Sigh.....
Keep up the great work, love what you do!!!
Honestly I think this is pretty solid start, only thing I would change would be moving the heresy 4 down more because yeah it might have some redeeming qualities but it's also got no bass and is $3k. I'd personally put it in F but I could see a case for E tier.
Bold move putting the Metas on the bottom rung. That being said, being the owner of both the KEFs and the little Sony’s (bought for $30/pr) there is a price/reward argument to be made! Love your channel!
Did you mean rung?
@@miata1492 si… corrected, thanks!
@@BobFonseca ; - )
With all due respect to this channel, Joe 'n' Tell has a great speaker list which he calls his Leader Board. Worth checking out.
He sure does. Great info on his.
With all due respect, there are a lot of people who have great list, but each list is different based on the individual and their preferences, ears, media preferences, and a million other factors. So, one more list never hurts.
@@Patrick_Runnels 100 percent 👍. It’s interesting how they do it a bit different. I like what he’s done hear.
Where do the SVS prime end up on this list sir.
I am considering choose one between Whafedale Denton and Klipsch RP600M. I have tube amplifer and prefer to hear soft high, plentiful mid and abundant low sound. In my case, which one do you recommend?
Wharfedale
Nice list, I like this format! So where would my Sonus Faber Concertos fit at the AUD $1800 that I paid 20 years ago? AAA PLUS tier, I think 😂🤣😂, and still going strong.
Thats a whole lotta speakers to keep track of in your head, man!
Where would you place the Monitor Audio Bronze 100s?
Jamo S803 are on sale at Ad-oram for $109 still (as of 8/3/21). Does this make them A+???
Where would you put the CSS Criton 1TD and the GR Research XLS encores?
The XLS didn't blow anything away over at ASR
I recommend listening to the Monitor Audio Bronze 2's if they are still on sale. I'm very happy with the value for money ratio on mine, even coming from my old 1990's Acustic Energy AE-1's that my cat murdered, which were amazing.
What are the major differences between the Elac Debut Reference vs the Wharfdale 12.2? I know they are both on the forgiving side of things. Are there some qualities for some situation one works better than the other (type of power, etc). They are both the same price nowadays.
Wharfedale has a signature sound that is on the warmer side. Believe this was confirmed in the Wharfedale 12.2's review.
12.2 way more neutral and 'musical'. The warmth and smoothness of the 12.2 is hard to beat.
Where would you put css and hr research?
Yeah, sadly I agree about the LS50's value. They do need a subwoofer...but the thing that gets me is their sensitivity. For such a small speaker they need a surprising amount of power. I do think they're good speakers (especially the cabinet build). IIRC I got my older LS50s for $900 on sale, before the wireless/metas came out so I didn't think it was tooo expensive. They're just not anywhere near what some folks would consider a "value" level of pricing.
I own the JBL A-130s, and you're right, they are fantastic!
Great info here, bummed to not see either the SVS prime or ultras on here. Would love to see how they stack up against the rest and each other on this list.
Would also like to see SVS for comparison. Just found the prime satellites on clearance at BB for $315 and figured I would give them a try for surround.
Decent first attempt, a few obvious omissions. ( Q accoustics, Emotive) Maybe try later with a tier rating for say $300 and under and then over $300. Would better target those budgeting to a specific price point.
Thanks for the compliment? Yes. A few omissions. I’ll do better next time
R.C.AM. & community:
Thanks for great video value your opinion.
It was mentioned but I must have missed it: where would you have put the Q's 3030i?
Thanks again for your time and service.
Hi Randy! Where would you rank the JBL 530 when they’re on sale?
This! I can't believe it wasn't included here, @cheapaudioman !
Randy, great video!
Even though much above the price range of speakers you usually review, I would like if you would get hand on a pair of Buchardt S400 and also the Buchardt A500.
Those sound like fun
Or maybe the S300 MK II, €1200 at the moment.
Great list btw!
@@cheapaudioman Don't review Buchardt. Don't metamorphose from the "CheapAudioMan' into a 'WalletAbuseRon'. WalletAbuseRon has ruined thousands of marriages.
Great Video, thanks!!!
How do you rate B &W CDM2? Could you compare this speakers whith the speakers in your list or they are out of this? Thanks a lot!!!!
Fluance? Got a pair on your recommendation I love em
Here in the EU KEF LS50 meta have been 999€ after tax for two months. I got my pair for 850€. I think at that price it's really good value. I do like the sound way more than my other 300-500€ speakers. I was also thinking of buying pair of Evo 4.2 since they are so cheap in the EU.
I had the Ls50 meta as my number one preferred speaker for a while The evo 4.2 passed it as it is a 3 way and seems to be handle the content with less effort. .
@@Beathoven007 Evo 4.2 sounds lovely but it's just massive compared to LS50. I do prefer a bit smaller size speakers + subwoofers. I'm planning to keep KEFs as my reference speakers and test others if I have extra money and time.
Down under (aka Australia) our dollarydoo’s don’t seem to be getting us as far in Hi-Fi.
We have a sales tax of 10% (GST) which we include in our pricing, but our sale deals seem to be well over USD Deals, Klipsch RP-500M on sale is $999 AUD for reference. I think Dali Spektor. 2’s maybe the most reasonable price at $529 AUD, which is what $350 USD? Emotiva B1+ is $512 AUD with shipping. Any high value suggestions for AU?
You built your channel on the Emotiva B1+, where would you place that?
Very interesting! I would love a video on definitions of terms you audiophile guys use when critiquing. For example, roll off.
Do I hear a second? Yes, I'll second your motion.
I think Randy should do his used terms with his definitions .
Again, a great video. Shame that in France many of those speakers are unavailable or much more expensive (import taxes I presume) which may change this ranking. At least I know that I shouldn't purchase Klipsch R-51M. Thanks, it helps a lot.
PS: where are Q Acoustics 3000 series? :-)
I added a moderately priced ($350) sub to my LS50 Metas with my Rotel amp and it is mindblowinly great!!
Maybe you could do a ranking video with powered bookshelf speakers? I have the Edfier S880DB and am wondering if they are worth keeping. 😁
@cheapaudioman - Thank you Randy for all of the time and effort you put into this list, which is the culmination of MANY individual reviews! I would love to have the time and money to buy a bunch of speakers, try them out in my system, and decide which pair was best for my needs. But since that isn't really an option for me, videos like this are a great backup option. Only thing I can think of that would be even better is if you could somehow rate various combinations of these speakers with different AV receivers. I'm partial to Marantz myself but would accept whatever you might be willing to do for recommending various combinations, considering how the AV receiver sounds when paired with certain speakers, and vice-versa. Keep up the awesome content!
hey man, im looking for a decent amp to power a pair of wharfedale sapphire 87's for my garage. What would you recommend? price being sub 150 bucks?
Hi and greetings from the UK , the Dali Spectre 2s and the elac b5.2 are the same price at £230 which one do I purchase . Thanks
Sony SSCS5 is a fantastic bargain speaker that you can totally tweak if you want, Danny from GR also has an upgrade kit for them too. I have these and have tested some really expensive speakers and these can put 1500 dollar speakers to absolute shambles.
It’s pretty well documented that the RPM-600m has a sizable dip in the upper mid-range, around 2000 Hz. It’s not forward, cutting it with an equalizer in that region will make the speaker even less neutral.
cool but where does your CSS audio and XLS Encore speakers rank?
Where would you rate C93 II and C91 II given the sale price of 250 and 200 for a pair respectively?
Crickets.....CAM? CAM? JAMO 93ii purchase or Emotiva B1+ on the line here
If the diamond 12.2 are on sales for 370$, where would you put it? Oh, and thank you for the Aiyima T9 tips, I pair them together and loved them
I just found your channel and I really like your videos. A little suggestion. Next time stick to the retail price or the discount price. For some of the speakers, you classified them using discount prices and for other speakers, you used retail for the classification. By using the same criteria you'll end up with a better tier list.
Great Work, BUT.... WHERE are the QAcoustics 3020i or 3030i?
...and the Emotiva?
Great work. The tiers would differ a bit in Europe. Elacs, Dalis and Wharfedales would make it higher. Just check german or uk amazon. Shipping costs matter.
For sure. Wharfedales are priced very well in Europe from what I understand.
Monitor Audio is also a great english brand...
Super idea for a video. Now amps & dacs!!!
Hi. Could you also do a Speaker Tier List for best sounding speakers ? Could be also for the exact same speakers you have here. Best value is ok but when I have a few dollars more to spend, what speaker would be better in your opinion. Would be nice to have this information also in such a graphic. Just a suggestion of course. Thanks for the video.
I hear great things about the Tekton M-Lore small floor stander at about 650.00 shipped
I picked up a pair of the Polk s20 for my garbage set up and they sound great. They’re on Amazon for $220 often
Where would you have put SVS prime bookshelf on this list?
Looking into getting the evo 4.2, sounds like with european prices(500-600$ on sale) they are B tier if not A. Not S because of the poor vertical off axis maybe?
I can get a pair of dali spektor 2s for 175 euro roughly 195 dollars is it worth it?. What amp/reveiver would go well with it
I have a pair of the Polk S20s and consider them to sound mediocre. They're also massive sitting on my computer desk. Do you think the Klipsch RP500M would be a worthy upgrade in terms of sound quality?
Much different sounding. The polks are just brutes. I think if you can find the 500’s at a decent price it would be. Klipsch are more refined for sure and oddly enough have a better midrange
Are the Elac debut 2.0 B5.2 a upgrade from the Sony sscs5's?
Yes. For sure. The sony's have a bit more sparkle but the Elacs will do many things better including bass, imaging, and soundstage. they also have a better midrange