Big speakers, are they really the best way to get great sound?

No doubt.....Big speakers are the best way to have it all from top-to bottom "BASS"   Dynamics, Slam and Impact. 

daveyt:  My room is rather small to most audiophile standards at 12'x13'.  Also, my room isn't perfectly shaped either except for that end of the room where the speakers sit. The back half of my room is about a foot narrower than the front half of the room.  However, I still get incredible overall results and breathtaking bass response in my room with my larger pair of Revel Salon 2 speakers (not sure how large of a speaker you're thinking of.  However, the Revel Salon 2s are large enough for this exercise).  The Revel Salon 2 speakers are magnificent speakers and can still compete very favorably with todays current best offerings.  The key to why my speakers are such a big-time success in my room?  The Bass (and tweeters) sections are adjustable.  I don't run the speakers with the bass in the "Normal" position, which is full bore.  I run my speakers in the "Contour" mode, which is design to enable my speakers to be placed a smaller rooms, closer to the front wall, and still deliver astonishing bass response.  I discovered this about the  Revel Salon speakers way back in the early 2000s, when I had a pair on Salon 1 speakers in a similarly sized room and I was able to achieve magnificent bass response in that room as well.  This is my retirement home, and as long as I'm here, the Revel Salon 2 speakers will remain!!!   Unless at some point in my already advanced years, I decide that true full range bass is no longer a priority for me.  But, that is highly unlikely.  With the Revel Salon 2 speakers, in my smallish room, I'm truly living the high end audio, audiophile "Dream" in my room.  Happing listening.           

daveyf: Me personally, I want it all when it comes to being able to experiencing the full frequency range and also the entire musical spectrum in my room-----no matter how small (within reason, of course). Most all speakers, even stand mount speakers benefit from being placed in a large, spacious room (as you see Borresen bookshelf speakers being showcased in huge rooms at the shows). However, so many audiophiles, like us, do not have the luxury of having very large rooms at our disposal in our homes, so we have to make due with what we have. Now, you have to make a personal decision as to what size speakers you want in your small room. You’re correct, my speakers aren’t huge compared to the speakers you described, they’re more midsized as you said (but still large for my room). But the Revel Salon 2 speakers work really well in my small room because they are so adjustable and can be toned down to be sonically feasible in a small room like mine (most speakers can't be adjusted)  So, when it comes to larger speakers in small rooms, it really broils down to two things: speaker selection and your own sonic personal goals that you’re trying to achieve in your small room. My speakers provide me with such an extraordinary high level of sonic bliss in my little room that I feel like I’m listening to something very special ever time I turn up the volume. Lastly, I get incredible, near world class bass response in my little room as well, so I really am getting it all. Take care and happy listening