"Take any line of speakers and move from the monitors to the floorstanders. Huge difference. One monitor in any given line might sound better than a floorstander in another line. I think that is often confused with considering the smaller speaker to sound 'bigger.'"
Douglas_schroeder" Good point. I feel that the "monitors" I now own from Intuitive Design sound better than the floorstanders I used to own from a different line. This is not to say that the floorstanders were bad, just that these monitors are phenomenal. The next step up in the Intuitive Design line is 38,000 dollars, then 65,000 dollars, so they're not a consideration for me. |
Everyone knows small speakers they want to sound big. I have never found any small speaker to actually foot the bill; small speaker = small sound. It's physics. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing bookshelves. It's just that a person isn't going to get a floorstander performance from a pint size speaker.
Take any line of speakers and move from the monitors to the floorstanders. Huge difference. One monitor in any given line might sound better than a floorstander in another line. I think that is often confused with considering the smaller speaker to sound "bigger."
But it seems to be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow to consider a 1 foot tall monitor as being up to the task to compete with a floorstander with x cubic feet more volume for bass. If they could actually GET the performance of the bigger speakers without building them bigger, we'd have no big speakers to buy! They'd all be the size of the Boze cubes. (That's not to say that someday technology may take us there. maybe.)
If I had the 1 square foot of floorspace, which most of us do, I wouldn't even dream of monitors (unless budget or WAF dictated) if I could have floorstanders. And, yes, I've owned several pair of monitors over the years. I don't think I'd ever go back. A small speaker is what it is, not what it isn't. |
LS3/5a's sound much bigger than they are (which is tinny).
VSA VR-1 sounds big in a small to medium size room.
NHT SB3 gives great low end for a reasonable size bookshelf.
I think that most small speakers that sound big have a pronounced mid-bass bump that makes them more difficult to integrate with a sub. But if you are talking about a simple near-field set up it can be very pleasing. |
Totems - probably all of them, but I have personal experience with Mani-2s and Sttafs, and also, GMA Europa are worth mentioning. The Sttafs don't qualify based on your criteria as they are floor standers; however I would point out that Sttafs and other "small footprint" floor standers (of which there are many) take up no more room, and often less room than stand-mounts. For example, GMA Europas and Mani-2s should be mounted on 24" hi stands, which have a footprint of 12" x 13" or more, and a total height of 43". This compares to 7.5"x10"x35" for the Sttafs. |
celsstion sl700 with a high cuurent amp (sonus faber extrema will do the same thing) |
I would suggestthe relatively small but very LARGE soundind ZU Tone. |
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The Caravelles from Star Sound. |
Totem Mani-2's. Used to own a pair.....went tubes....got more effecient speakers. Wish I still owned them. Takes a lot of watts to drive them.....but big sound, big bass. Great monitor. |
My JMlabs Micro-Utopias play quite large in my fairly small room. They're more than sufficient and my previous speakers were big floorstanding Alon Lotus'. I would say inroom bass get's into the mid 40's for me and it's quite tight and punchy. |
Plato, sounds like an add?? |
Soniq Mike -
If you want to get the real deal, try a pair of Verity Parsifal monitors. The complete parsifal has the bottom part of the speaker with the bass module in it, but you can just take the top monitor part and just them on a stand. I think they are $9Gs or so for the monitors.
They sounds HUGE and amazing. If you closed your eyes you would think you were listening to a big floorstander. And yeah, they easily extend into the low 40s if not high 30s in the bass.
For a lot cheaper, I also like the Von Schweikert VR1s. They have a full, relatively warm sound, but they don't obscure the deal like a sonus faber or something would. These guys sound much bigger than their size too |
depends on your definifition of big..bose has marketed the dissappearing speaker to great effect for decades. generally, lots of small speakers throw a huge soundstage, and some of those are also pretty convincing covering the upper bass region. though lower bass isn't there (in lots of recordings it isn't there either), your ears will adjust(ie ls3/5.....totem one....europa....etc). big cabinets(particularly sealed enclosures and, to a lesser degree, transmission lines), generally offer a more balanced presentation, and deeper, more articulate bass. larger ported designs, tend to be more detailed(forward)in the midrange, and cover lower bass, though in most cases the bass region is less detailed and relies on viseral impact. |
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ProAc Response 2s. They sounded "bigger" than the Magnepan III speakers they replaced in my system (this was in my pre-Gallo time). Dave |
Definitely the REVEL GEMs sound much much bigger than they look - and not only bigger they sound but simply wonderfully!! |
Zu Tones, on robust stands, driven by a forceful tube amp. Try to find a pair of used Osiris stands. It will be large and sensation, and when you have the cash, a Mini Method Subwoofer will complete the illusion.
Phil |
No, never heard anything small that even remotely sounded big....unless it came with a sub woofer |
Silverline SR-17's. You won't believe you're listening to a monitor. |
I recently came across a pair of real gems. They are the Aural Ersatz TAD-803 speakers from Bizzy Bee Audio, with Paul G's "single-driver, no-load tweeter mod." Actually I got them as part of the TAD-60 amplifier deal and had intended to sell them without even trying them, but that would have been a big mistake. These little guys sound amazingly good. The don't have quite the low end extension of large speakers, but the bass that is there is surprisingly articulate and tonally right. And through the midrange and highs they are very detailed, coherent, and natural sounding. They don't suffer from the usual crossover-related distortions/constrictions of multi-way systems, and that's where these Aural Ersatz TAD-803 speakers have a big advantage. There really is no crossover like no crossover. Plus, on many 2-way monitors, the designers set the crossover between 2 and 3kHz, which is in a sensitive part of the human range of hearing.
The TAD-803s look a lot like B&W 805s, and as crazy as it seems they can probably go head to head with the B&Ws and probably best them in a few areas. Sensitivity is 90 dB for these attractive 8-ohm monitors. Here's a link to more info and pictures. http://www.2baudio.com
They don't sound small, and they don't sound artificially large either. When set up properly they throw a huge detailed soundstage that extends way outside the speaker's boundaries.
Paul at Bizzy Bee Audio sometimes runs fantastic specials on these speakers so if you keep checking his website you can sometimes get quite a bargain. List price is $1499 and they look and sound like they're well worth it. The simple truth is that I like the speakers so much, that now I'd sooner sell the amp and keep the speakers. (But I'll probably keep both for a while.) |
Harmonic Precision Caravelles distributed by Star Sound Technology. Zu Audio Tones. |
Green Mountain Audio Callisto disappear and you think the whole band is in front of you. These speakers never make you think they are small, they are just about the music.
http://www.greenmountainaudio.com/Speakers/Callisto/Welcome.htm |
