I picked these up used for $200 usd in very nice condition and consider them a good value for that price. These seem to be somewhat rare in the U.S.A. Mine are the cherry wood variety, S/N 106287, and the build quality, finish, and overall appearance are excellent. Each features a rear vented port and single heavy duty gold-plated binding posts. These are very well suited for a music system in a small room, an apartment, or a desk space. As a stand alone pair of speakers, they make nice bass*, bordering on impressive. However for subwoofer integration & A/V use, bass management via a high pass around 80 - 120hz is useful. In fact these speakers are very low in distortion above 100hz and from 100hz - 20khz measure quite flat, ~ +/- 1.75db . The bulk of their distortion, linear or non, is from below 100hz. The Stereo.ru website features a review & measurements, in Russian, on google.

For context, I use the SA505's in a corner-facing nearfield setup, in a 10' x 10' bedroom, with speakers ~4' from my position. I have a 42' video monitor in the corner of the room, about 30" behind the speakers. I use 3' stands which are no closer than about 22" from the walls. My subwoofer is on the floor between the stands. My seat is roughly dead center of the room facing the corner & TV. I mostly listen to FLAC files of live music recordings. I'm using these with a passive 100hz, 12db/oct high pass filter in line to a 150watt/ch amp, & an M&K dual-12" subwoofer with it's low pass @ ~100hz.

The overall sound is truly satisfying and subwoofer integration is seamless with the high pass in place. Human voice sounds natural and not boomy or hissy, cymbals don't sound harsh either. Without the high pass, the mains and sub combined can produce too much bass for this size room, requiring me to low-pass the sub @ ~50-60 hz, thus minimizing the system's overall dynamics, and hence I use the 100hz high pass filter. For extended dynamics and A/V use with a subwoofer, bass management is recommended.

Even without the sub the 505's can sound quite nice. Steady, tonal bass like hammond-organ bass pedals can sound strong, while more transient kick drums & heavy percussion are lacking in presentation. Acoustic music & vocals could simply require or even benefit from no sub at all.

When properly set up with stands, these speakers can produce very fine, three dimensional imaging, virtually disappearing with well-produced & especially live recordings, yet also potentially revealing flaws & discolorations in the source material or equipment. From my seated position as described, instruments are well placed in space, sounds appear to emanate from the empty space behind the speakers and not the cabinets or drivers themselves. This is the sort of imaging characteristic I expect from good speakers when they're setup properly. Even after 2+ years, these speakers continue to pleasantly surprise me with how nicely they can sound. As near-field monitors these can truly excel.

I could easily recommend these for someone looking to fill a small room, apartment, or perhaps a desktop area with music - especially where size, fit, finish, and appearance are additional factors in additions to sound quality alone. For A/V use, or just outright extended dynamics and minimal distortion, an A/V receiver with bass management or some sort of high pass is recommended. And as always - room size, speaker placement & system integration are the most essential key factors - if these things don't matter or aren't practical for you, then a more affordable speaker is perhaps a better choice. My only real caveat with these or really any small speakers is that the bass and relative dynamics are limited when played loud or in a large room. Without a subwoofer, the bass from the SA505's can be quite useful and perhaps enough for a sensible apartment or bedroom listener with concerned neighbors. However adding a sub & high-passing the mains adds dynamics, and I think this trade-off characterizes small speakers in general.

Bottom Line: for a $200 used price these are a nice value, I don't regret my purchase one penny. They are very nicely made speakers, very nice sounding speakers, and can very well be ideal in the right space & setup.

*for a small speaker ;-) ...(IMHO, 5.25" 2-way speakers are for small rooms, apartments, desks and similar spaces, and will not sound ideal in a large room. Furthermore, it should be implied that any honest review of such a speaker, favorable or not, ought to consider this by utilizing a reasonably suitable set-up for evaluation.)

One Simple Word: SOLID

None

Very rich, musical and accurate bookshelf speakers I've ever heard in this price range. With an excellent bass reponse and a great amount of detail, I simply love them!

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KEF Q1 Bookshelf Speakers