~$300-400 Possible upgrade from Klipsch iFi?

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Shorehn

Gawd
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Sep 28, 2005
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So Christmas is almost here and I've been asked repeatedly to add something nice-ish to my list. I've already got a pair of Beyer DT880s which I'm fairly happy with (other than the earpads being a little discolored) but I've been very curious for a long time about the prospect of upgrading to something nicer than my current Klipsch iFi set.

I've tried to do some research here and on AVForums about bookshelf speakers, studio monitors, etc, but there's a lot to this and I probably don't have enough time left to do my customary examination of every minute detail. Given my budget, can you think of a setup that would sound better, especially with classical music?
 
Taking the iPod dock into account:

The closest direct upgrade to your Klipsch iFi set would be the Focal XS, but that system ($599 retail) is outside of your price range.

The Audioengine 5 is very iPod friendly as well, sounds nice for the money, and comes in at $325 which is on the lower end of your range.

If you do not care about the iPod dock, however, there are better options out there.

In the active monitor realm you have the M-Audio Studiophile BX8a Deluxe coming in at $361.06. M-Audio speakers are a common sight on these forums, and, having heard them, I would say that they have very nice detail for their price. The one downside with these is that some people report quality control issues with M-Audio monitors, but I know a LOT of people that own them and no one that I personally know has had any issues.

A pair of Mackie MR5s is another active monitor option that has has some rather great reviews, coming in right around the $300 mark.

There are many bookshelves + amplifier combinations that would be fantastic options as well, but they may be more difficult to get together by the holidays?
 
I guess you could get a basic stereo amp for like $50 versus an A/V receiver and spend $250-350 on some bookshelf speakers and maybe a sub. Personally I'd keep what you have and save up for a really nice setup.
 
Yeah I agree with JohnleMVP on waiting until you have more to spend. The Klipsch iFi I hear is quite nice (much nicer than the Promedia). If so and if you want to do better in all areas, I think you will need to get at least $500. Then you can go something like Gizmo/WAF1 + Dayton or BIC sub. Or go Tritrix DIY/Gizmo + Dayton or BIC sub (or any other sub around $200 that is good). I am not sure how well these combos fare to the iFi but they are well regarded and keep the cost down.

Of course if you go used, that is another story but even there, you may need about $500 to get a 2.1 setup that goes beyond the iFi. Also if you are willing to go 2.0 then that may be possible but you will most likely lose out on the bass extension.

The iFi was a $500 system using .75" titanium dome tweeters and a 3.5" metal cone woofer. It went down to $250 when they were about to be discontinued (I think in Costco or someplace like that). So to go better, you may need more than $500. At about $800 I think the possibilities open up. At $900 you can get something like the BIC H100 sub ($225 + fs at Overstock at the moment), a Gizmo (at chase home theater), and the SR71 Zaph kit (at madisound). At that point, I think the SQ will definitely be better since the SR71 is supposed to be a bookshelf kit comparable to $1000+ brandname speakers (they use SEAS prestige drivers often found on speakers costing well over $1000.00). Of course you can get the Dayton RS621 kit for $300 less and they also sound great ...but I have a set so I am biased in my opinion. :p
 
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I'll probably just keep what I have for now then since I'm not actually displeased with the iFi's sound quality - it was more of a "can I do better?"
 
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