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Best speaker for small 12x14 room 50 WPC tube amp

I had Spica TC-50's in this room but got no bass out of them; I switched to Klipsch RB 5-II's and got some bass if they were closer to the wall but lost any depth of soundstage.

I wondered whether a Klipsch RB-75 would do better than the RB 5-II overall, and whether they would need a subwoofer (as my amp has a sub output) as they are front ported instead of rear ported.

What would a pair of Klipsch RF-5's or RF-7's do in such a small room? I listen to jazz and vocals. I don't like the Klipsch speakers that are not real wood veneer. The RF-35 & RF-82 are vinyl covered.

The Klipsch forum attracts mainly fanatics and I have been unable to get a straight, helpful answer there.
rivieraranch

Showing 2 responses by jax2

jax2
3,031 posts
 
Heresy's might be a good choice, but I suspect you will not get as much bass as you might like. I've owned both Heresy's and TC50's. One direction you might try if you are runing tubes is a Galante Rhapsody. It is a bit on the larger side of a monitor, much like the Heresy. In a small room they will produce what I perceive to be more bass than either TC50's or Heresys. Actual response figures don't necessarily reflect that with the Rhapsody's going down to 50hz before dropping off - they are rear-ported and I have them near corners (where else in a room that small) which may be reinforcing the bass. I have had all three pairs of speakers in the same small room a bit smaller than yours, and the Rhapsody's do best and are more refined than either Heresy or TC50. If you try the Heresy route there are many mods to do on those speakers that will improve their sound. Plenty written already about that subject in the archives here, and by the "fanatics" over on the klipsch site. They're great little speakers, but I have not found them to put out much low bass. I'd agree to raise them up and tilt them up by just a bit. I tried them on low stands, but that really kills the bass. Cornwalls would certainly be a good choice for bass, but are much larger than other options, and may even overload a small room. Forte II's may do the job as well. Chorus II's may also, but again, I'd be concerned about overloading the room at that point. I'd still point at the Rhapsody for a more refined sound, albeit not as fast as Klipsch horn options.

Good luck.

Marco
jax2
3,031 posts
 
While they do go nicely down to @40hz , I really don't think that they could compare to the Heritage series from Klipsh in the base department .

Actually much of the Klipsch Heritage series do not go that low...I think this is a common misconception based on the fact that the classic Klipschorns do handily make it down to the 30's when used in the corners...not if you take them out of the corners though. Belles and LaScalas drop off sharply around 50hz. Heresy's definitely don't make it below 50hz and you'd be lucky to get them into the mid 50's. Cornwall's would do the trick down into the 30's. The Fortes and Chorus go pretty low, but are not part of the Heritage series.

Marco
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