Can recommend some non-fatigue SMALL bookshelf for near-field listening?


Hi guys,

I have been searching for a pair of small passive speakers for near-field listening for a long long time. Ideally, something with <27 cm depth would be a great fit. A relaxed/non-fatigue/good bass sound would be preferred. 

I tried these.

B&W 607s2 -- currently using -- can be aggressive/bright quite often

Dynaudio Evoke 10 --- pronounced at 2-5 kHz, sounds thin to me.

LS 50 meta ---- bass a bit tide... need some volume to sound good.

 

Can you guys recommend some other speakers that can do the job? What about Mission QX1 MkII or Wharfedale Denton 80? My amp is Nad c275bee with a Schiit freya+ preamp.  Thanks a lot guys!

 

 

 

 

tension255

Small, good bass, there's a contradiction. 

My office, true bookcase size, I went for Wharfedale Diamond 225's, very nice, and a single sub just to keep them from sounding small. Driving with a 10 wpc tube amp, see the setup starting 12th photo here

 

Those Focal Utopia’s look sweet…I love their headphones. For my small room I enjoy Tannoy Autograph minis 

 

Vandersteen VLR CT w/ tube amp for the win. My desk top setup. They are WAY under rated (or not even rated?)

I also have dual REL Tzero MKIII subs under the desk. They really don’t take up much room.

The Kef LS50 works very well for near-field listening. The coincident/coaxial driver provides a single point source of sound that separate drivers cannot march.

Totem Skys? Just sold a pair but they sounded very smooth with the soft domes.

Why not get neutral passive studio monitors? Studio monitors are what recording engineers and YouTube composers listen to all day long, although they overwhelming listen to powered monitors. But something like JBL 705 passive or ATC SCM7 would fit the bill.

[please excuse my poor English]

Given you requirements:
1. nearfield
2. relaxed sound

=> Harbeth P3esr (or P3esr XD, but slightly more defined)
+ subwoofer, if necessary (later)
+ Antimode 8033 DSP correction for the subwoofer only (approx. €350)

WHY?

- because P3esr are closed speakers (no reflex-ported), they are insensitive to the room acoustics. I heard 2 pairs in the same house, but in 2 very different rooms; I was struck how similar to each other they sounded.

- because they fit the bill, depth wise.

- because they sound positively terrific, especially near-field, and with acoustic music (but also other genres).

I think the Acoustic Energy AE500 would be a great choice for your requirements. 

Do yourself a favor and read all the reviews on the Sonus faber Lumina and Lumina II (depending on your size). Non-fatiguing, great sound, unbelievably well reviewed. Reasonable pricing.

I will be selling Fritz Rev 7SE speakers in the next month if you are interested. Around $2,800. They are amazing speakers (just bought Pearl Audio Si Elias speakers). The reviews on Fritz speakers are extremely positive. 

Seek out a pair of Proac 1SC on the used market. Smooth, detailed, 3-D and easy to drive with a small tube amp. Totally immersive , non fatiging sound.

I was going to suggest the Buchardt A500 since you can't have a subwoofer and want bass.  But your budget and available room for speakers are mutually exclusive to your performance goals. 

Within your budget, sacrificing deep bass, check out the Vienna Acoustics Haydn or the Harbeth P3ESR.  You might be able to squeeze a small subwoofer in somewhere later on.  Perhaps something tiny like the KEF KC62.

i would agree that fritz's standmounts are excellent sounding, faitgue free and a good value

Best nearfield I’ve heard is Rogers LS3/5a with Sugden or Belles integrateds. Sublime!

When I first heard the Harbeths, it stopped me dead in my tracks. 
liked them so much, when I became a Mytek dealer, I added them for the small footprint. Add a pair of Skylan stands for a reasonable cost if you need them.

The P3esr xd has gone thru a major redesign, with crossovers and drivers. 
the woods are gorgeous. 

P3ESR XD is reported to sound brighter than the original P3ESR.

I would vote P3ESR for your requirement. Anything warmer than this the treble would be rolled off and sound pretty dead.

Sonus Faber older models such as Concertino or Concerto also sound warm. However, the main difference between Sonus Faber warm and Harbeth warm is in clarity and detail. Although the Harbeth sounds warm, the clarity and detail are quite good. It's more transparent than the Sonus Faber. With the SF, you lose detail which in turn affects clarity. The result is you appear to be listening to the speakers with a thick blanket covering it.

For me: Focal Sopra No.1. I'm still amazed listening to them... No fatigue at all and render almost all type of music flawlessly!

 

Spendor, several models may fit your needs. They are definitely non fatiguing 

There are a couple of pairs of the Platinum Audio Solo for sale right now here on Agon.  This would likely be a leap of faith as most are unaware.  I have the floor standing Quattro of this series and loved them for about 15 years until moving to my Wilsons.  The Platinums are power hungry but I suspect your 150wpc would suffice in a reasonable space.  Their bass from the 4.5 in driver is unbelievably accurate and deep.  Take a look!

https://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/1195platinum/index.html

+1 to all who recommended Harbeth P3esr's. That's probably the only speaker I regret selling. For nearfield setup you don't need a sub, but just in case a REL T/Zero is very compact and goes surprisingly low.

Another option is Fritz Carbon. Can't go wrong with either.

 

The best nearfield speakers I’ve ever heard were Wilson Audio Tune Tots, but they are very expensive compared to most. I bought a pair after listening to them and I don’t usually care for the sound of small speakers. Harbeth is always a safe bet and good value. Absolutely add a subwoofer so you don’t drive your neighbors crazy turning it up to try and get some bass. A nearfield sub can really rock your world without bothering the neighbors. Despite what salesmen say about their small speakers with big bass do yourself a favor and offload the low frequencies to a subwoofer so your mains can reproduce the frequencies that they do accurately. Your ears and your neighbors will thank you

Not sure what your budget is, but the Silverline Audio Minuets are great.  They are small in size, project a big sound and the highs are nice and relaxed.  

If you are considering the P3ESR also check out the Tannoy Autograph Mini for a bit less money.  They have a very small footprint and look great on a desktop. 

Thanks all!  Sorry for my late update, but I have been doing quite some research re. the suggestions. Checking the frequency response/review/home demo. 

I did a home demo of KEF R3, and I found they are still a bit bright, and I set a roll-off from 4kHz - 20KHz, ~  -0 to -10 dB.   Yes, rolling off the upper-mid and treble of the KEF R3 would be what I am looking for. 

I would have kept the R3s but they are just too big for near-field. 

Now I can really narrow the options to be more specific.

- A rolled-off upper-mid to treble sound. (if say kef r3 is nature, then I need a really dark one).

- Not forward vocal (this can rule out many great classic speakers)

- laidback sound stage 

- <27 cm depth 

- okish bass (50Hz -3dB). 

Guys, it seems nothing is left now. Maybe evoke 10 or Elac solano, or maybe I should give up......    ;-)

Guys, it seems nothing is left now. Maybe evoke 10 or Elac solano, or maybe I should give up......    ;-)

I listened to these in a room, and not on a desk as near field, but they seemed good.

If you like numbers: 

 

Check out the Aperion Audio Novus Bookshelf. Decent review here and starting at 6:15 he talks about using them on his desktop.

 

 

I forgot to mention the Aperion Novus has a plug on the back which, when removed, reduces the treble by 3db. They'll also be offering these in gloss black soon.