I am looking for a good set of speakers that will work well with the Mark Levinson 336. I don't want to spend more that what we paid for the amp, something affordable but decent.

I'd appreciate any recommendations or suggestions..... Thanks !!

p.s. It's a gift for my hubby. I think he uses a conrad johnson or krell ( not sure which one is the pre-amp or receiver ) forgive me, I'm just a wife, don't know much about these things..... I'd really appreciate the help.

If feasible, you might consider letting your husband choose the speakers that will be his gift. Let me explain:

Those of us into this hobby are quite individualistic; our priorities vary enormously from one person to the next. I'm a long-time hobbyist turned dealer as well as speaker manufacturer, and I couldn't begin to pick a speaker for someone without knowing a lot about them and their situation. Besides... for most of us, the "quest" for a new toy really is a big part of the fun.

Just my opinion, of course.

That being said, I can understand if you want to go ahead and surprise him, in which case I'd suggest getting something that can be returned without a severe restocking fee.

The big Levinson amp gives a lot of flexibility with speaker choice, and there are lots of very good speakers that come in below the price of that amp.

Okay, let me toss out a few questions if you don't mind:

What kind of music does your husband like?

Soft or medium or loud, or all three?

Which is the higher priority: excellent sound for one person in the exact "sweet spot", or very good sound throughout the room?

What size is the listening room?

What sort of speaker-placement flexibility will he have? Many speakers work best out in the room a few feet, but that can conflict with the priorities of the lady of the house.

What are the cosmetic requirements or preferences for the speakers?

Will the speakers need to stand up to curious, enthusiastic toddlers, clumsy big dogs, and such? Any other special requirements?

What speakers does he have now, does he like them, and are you aware of any comments he's made about what he'd prefer?

Are you located in a major metropolitan area, with access to stereo shops?

Feel free to contact me if you'd like. Don't worry, I'll leave my salesman hat off and put my hobbyist hat on.

Best wishes,

Duke
audiokinesis at yahoo dot com

Last night, I looked at the brand of the speakers he uses, the name is ALON. I recall the audio guy who sold it to him mentioned something like you can drive up to 400 watts per channel on those speakers. He listens a lot to Jazz Music, a bit of heavy metal also loves Frank Sinatra.

He's a got a room dedicated for his stuff, the size is about 28 X 24, the same area where he's got his home theatre set up. The furniture I have in that room is modern classics so mostly black and chrome.

Yes, we live in New Jersey very close to NYC. Can you recommend a decent audio dealer ? No Harvey's please, they're all crooks !!

Thanks Again....

Thanks for replying.

Alon made some very nice speakers in my opinion. The brand lives on under the name "Nola", which is "Alon" spelled backwards.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but are you sure your husband wants new speakers?

The Alons he has - do they look like the speaker at the link below? If not, how are they different?

What do you or your husband want the new speakers to do better than the Alons?

Will the new speakers be used for home theater as well as music? If so, then we should take into account the center channel speaker; we don't want a sonic mis-match between the center channel and the left and right main speakers.

I'm not in regular contact with any New York area dealers, but I'll do some poking around.

Can I e-mail you at the address you used when you posted here?

Best wishes,

Duke

• Alon Lotus Elite page