Speaker Tier List - 31 Speakers in Under 30 Minutes!!!!!!

S Tier
A Tier
Cambridge Audio Minx XL
B Tier
C Tier
Elac Unifi Reference
D Tier
F Tier

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Recommended Speaker List

Around $100 (These prices will fluctuate between $75 - $150)
Pioneer AJ First Gen - Laid Back

Around $200

Around $400

Around $500

Around $600
Polk Reserve R100 - Neutral

Recommended Amp List

Under $100

Around $130

Around $250

Around $400

Recommended DACs

Subs

[Bangaranggg]

If you want the best type of woofer, I'd look into getting a Labrador

[divorceddawg]

I was just thinking about the “Saturday Speaker Shootouts” yesterday. Good timing on this.

[danielcaswell]

I like the ranking list. I'd really like you to do a straight sounds quality ranking in addition to this value tier list.

[LookSee]

With all due respect to this channel, Joe 'n' Tell has a great speaker list which he calls his Leader Board. Worth checking out.

[asplmn]

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.

[tharveytucker]

Was really curious where you’d place the Q Acoustics 3030i

[eddtru]

Still rocking my sscs5, best $75 I've ever spent in audio. Many thanks to the cheapaudioman.

[Felicianov]

Great work! I like this series. Can't wait for the strictly performance-based tier list.

[isaac.]

After tons of Internet research, and lots of YouTube 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.

[NeilBlanchard]

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.

[dave]

Great video, Randy! Where would you rank Emotiva B1+?

[Roof_Pizza]

Maybe you should punish the manufacturers and use their msrp not any artificial sale price. Good video.

[SauceyJo]

been watching this channel on and off. The video quality is getting better and better. keep up the good work

[svalbard]

3:33 "Aluminum dome tWEEEhtur I believe." The A130s really take Randy back... to puberty.

[Beathoven]

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

[Abrahamhasnoname]

Hi Randy! Where would you rank the JBL 530 when they’re on sale?

[BobFonseca]

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!

[snowfiend_]

Great review here. I bought my RP-500s and Stage A130s based off of your advice, and am in hi-fi heaven.

[rjzlwop]

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

[sidesup]

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.