Bookshelf speakers that will fit and work well on a bookshelf.

[dadgad]

Not sure a 303 will drive Kans, should you now consider that route... might need a bit more oomph...

Well the 303 is rated at 45w/channel, the same as my old Meridian 103D which works well and the same as the old Technics mentioned above. There could be an issue with high current at low impedance, I guess - depending how loud the OP likes the music?

 

[Lee T]

The Warfdale diamonds have arrived, they're set up with a good amp and good DAC. They sound slightly better than a decent transistor radio. You suddenly realise why you spend so much time and money and effort on decent hifi, I suspect the Warfdales won't be here for long.

That's odd, have you checked the internals, maybe the caps are failing, these definitely should not sound this way, I have some here, they sound wide open & packed full of detail with a tight solid bottom end.
The tweeters can have problems if misused, leaving the sound quite muddy & dull.
Seems you may have purchased a bad pair, hope they didn't cost too much.

 

[Lee T]

JR149s tick all the boxes and can be found in decent condition for under £500 with a little patience, e.g. what look like a decent pair here (which have the cheek to use my measurements without asking permission!) and you are there under-budget.

Decent pair here too, nice price https://www.gumtree.com/p/speakers/jr149-jim-rogers-speakers/1280133349

 

[djftw]

That's odd, have you checked the internals, maybe the caps are failing, these definitely should not sound this way, I have some here, they sound wide open & packed full of detail with a tight solid bottom end.
The tweeters can have problems if misused, leaving the sound quite muddy & dull.
Seems you may have purchased a bad pair, hope they didn't cost too much.

Aye, I'm not as big a fan of them as Raga, but if they sound like a half decent tranny there is something wrong!

 

[Lee T]

Also, make sure you have them connected correctly, the rear biwire connections are a little unusal, it's easy to connect them out of phase.

 

[Martyn Miles]

Decent pair here too, nice price https://www.gumtree.com/p/speakers/jr149-jim-rogers-speakers/1280133349

Seems a low price.
What would a pair of decent grilles cost ?

 

[garyi]

I had a pair of cura c5 (I think) bookshelf speakers, solid and sounded superb. They come up once in a while on the bay and such,

 

[mandryka]

That's odd, have you checked the internals, maybe the caps are failing, these definitely should not sound this way, I have some here, they sound wide open & packed full of detail with a tight solid bottom end.
The tweeters can have problems if misused, leaving the sound quite muddy & dull.
Seems you may have purchased a bad pair, hope they didn't cost too much.

I was overreacting. The problem was that for some reason the first piece of music I played through them was a whole symphony orchestra -- I never listen to that sort of thing -- and you know, they're little speakers so they didn't sound good, or rather, the difference between them and my ESLs was so enormous that I felt really glad to have invested in the Quads. For small scale music they're much better.

By the way I haven't bi-wired them, and they're on their sides to fit without adjusting shelves. I don't know if these things make a difference

 

[Matty297]

Technics SB-F1s fit the bill and regularly pop up on eBay.

 

[Mullardman]

I had a pair of cura c5 (I think) bookshelf speakers, solid and sounded superb. They come up once in a while on the bay and such,

All of the Cura models sounded nice in the right system. I sold a few out of Audio Excellence in Preston. A short lived company, based, IIRC, in Farnborough. They should have done better...

 

[garyi]

I regret sellin g them to be honest, rosewood finish I believe or at least a very nice finish.

 

[UKMattG]

Sonus Faber Toy Speakers. They're around 10.5" tall and there's a set on ebay currently at £500. I can't vouch for these but they'll look great and do everything sonus Faber are renowned for... just easy on the bass but maybe there's room for a sub. Hey presto!

 

[Arkless Electronics]

As several are recommending Kans I'll add my view that they should be avoided at all cost!! Along with Isobariks, two of the worst speakers ever offered for sale!

 

[Martyn Miles]

As several are recommending Kans I'll add my view that they should be avoided at all cost!! Along with Isobariks, two of the worst speakers ever offered for sale!

Gosh, Linn speakers do divide opinions !