Best Compact Floorstanders?

Hey Josh.

I'll add my thoughts - I really like the pair of used Totem Sttaf floorstanders that I bought recently from a guy in Vancouver, BC. Incredible speakers for the money. I don't know what these guys are saying about the Sttafs not having enough bass range. These speakers do a great job with low end frequencies. I couldn't be happier. These replace my 20+ year old Advent Loudspeakers with 10" woofers. The Sttafs run circles around the Advents (and with 5.5" woofers). Sweet sound and incredible detail.

Stands are just a waste of space that could be used for more drivers.

Tend to agree with "A" and strongly agree with "B"

I agree with your assessment. I also agree with Wescoman - used Totem Sttaf's are a fantastic value. They are great speakers with solid bass beyond anything in their class.

Both compact monitors and small floorstanders based on compact monitors have their advantages and disadvantages. The floorstanders generally have a more even tonal balance with better bass extension and a little more sensitivity and therefore better dynamic range. The monitors have dual advantages of less resonant cabinet panels and a much smaller front baffle. The lower cabinet resonances provide better resolution and low level detail. The small front baffle makes the speakers more of a point source and gives more pinpoint imaging.

It depends on what's important to you in sound reproduction, room size, and musical tastes.

Of course, a floorstander can be free of panel resonances, but it takes thicker panels, a lot more bracing, and sometimes special panel-to-panel isolation schemes, and all these raise the price exponentially even if the speaker uses the same drivers as the monitor version. To get the same minimal front baffle may require front baffle sculpting, which again raises cost.

The deeper a full range speaker reaches, the bigger the challenge to contain the bass energy without it smearing the resolution and detail of the midrange and treble. Big bass waves easily excite enclosure walls, creating panel vibrations that obscure low level detail.

And there are some compacts with outsize bass extension and dynamic range (e.g., Totem Mani-2), also at higher cost for the isobaric configuration and high excursion drivers.

One way to get the best of both is to get minimonitors and subs. The challenge is to integrate the subs to sound as one with the monitors, but if you do, you get the advantages of mini-monitors regarding clarity, resolution, and imaging while the subs fill in the bottom octave or two. Furthermore, the monitors can be placed for best imaging while the powered subs are placed for best and flattest bass response. And the bass output of the subs doesn't excite cabinet resonances in the satellites.

Thanks for the great replies..

I just noticed that my Agon system details havn't been updated for 9 years!!!! Since 2003..I need to some housekeeping round here :)

Im getting great sound from my Shelby+ Kroll Nano monitors paired with some great sounding JWN Eico HF 20 rebuild monos. I've yet to hear better soundstage depth and 3d imaging from any floorstander. I can only imagine how much better things would sound with the matching woofer monitor.
I have absolutely no desire to switch floorstanders, particularly the multi driver variety equipped with complex xovers and wicked phase angles that requirie amps in the 5 figure range to drive them properly. As always YMMV

I bought a pair of used Silverline Preludes and a used REL Q150e sub...for an embarrassingly small amount of money. They are astonishingly great, as am I for having such refined purchasing skills.

I've owned several compact floorstanders over the years (Totem, Tekton, Vandersteens, Salk, etc.) and the best are definitely Dynaudio Excite X32's. They are the most neutral, natural, balanced and musical I've heard in a compact design. There is something just "right" about the Dyns. They have a small footprint, but sound much bigger than their size would suggest.