What are some good speakers and speaker brands?

Speaker & Monitor Advice/Recommendations?

• I'm a novice when it comes to speakers/sound systems. I'm looking for a sound system of the highest quality with a price range of approximately $400-$700. I have done some research on PA speakers, surround sound systems and monitors and have ended up quite lost as to what I should purchase. The reason I’ve I started with PA speakers is because I’ve been using an old Optimus 10” PA speaker and I’ve been happy with it. So far, it has out performed 3-5 12-15” PA speakers that are supposed to be nicer. I've looked at brands such as Peavey, Behringer, Bose, KRK, and Sony and visited stores like Best Buy, Guitar Center, etc. I have also looked on amazon.com and various other websites. Initially, I thought the Behringer would be a good buy, but after visiting a couple stores, I wasn't so impressed. They said it is one of the most common products to come in for repair and that replacement parts are very expensive and difficult to find. I know, everybody says Bose are the best. I tested a $900 Bose set up and was surprised at how good sounded, especially the "thump" in the bass. I checked out the KRK ROKIT 6 and the detail of the sound was pleasing, but I guess that's what monitors are supposed to sound like. I've specifically looked at the following products: KRK ROKIT 6; Bose Acoustimass 5; Behringer Eurolive B215D. I also looked at a Peavey PA speaker that was very nice, but it was a bit expensive. Preferences: Deep, full, warm, thundering bass/lows Crisp, detailed, treble/highs A "full" feeling--I don't want it to sound "thin". I want to play music at a loud volume, but I don't want to blow the speakers. The speakers would be in a 10x15 foot room with an 8 foot ceiling. Large size is not a problem. I'm open to whatever gives the best sound. Primary Uses: 90% music 10% movies Questions: Does KRK make quality monitors? What brands do you recommend? What are your experiences with different speaker types/models? Can you give me pros and cons of the Bose Acoustimass 5 and any other mentioned products? Any helpful information you can give would be much appreciated!

• Answer:

  I am not a fan of Bose. They do psycho-acoustic tricks to fool you into thinking the speakers reproduce all the sounds - but they lie. Bose also sues anybody who tries to publish a review (Search "Bose vs Consumer Reports" to see the details why). Now - music is a different challenge for a speaker than home theater. You can get away with less-expensive, less-accurate speakers for movies, but you notice flaws when playing music. If you are really into music - I strongly suggest you consider this set of speakers: * Magnapan MMG-1's : $660/pair * SVS or HSU Research subwoofer: ~$500-$1,200 Panel speakers have a HUGE surface area compared to more typical cone-style drivers. This allows it to produce incredible detail with music. They have often been said to be 'better than sex'. Panel speakers cannot produce bass so you need a good subwoofer. SVS and HSU are two very popular brands well respected for their quality. You can also buy a subwoofer kit from speaker building sites like www.partsexpress.com to save money. You basically assemble and paint the woofer to save 1/3 or more off of what a retail sub would cost. Hope this helps.