Greetings, I'm looking for some speakers that will shine even when placed really close to the rear wall. I'm working with only 4-8 inches of clearance. I have a Bel-Canto digital integrated amplifier 150/300 watts per channel and Polk Lsi9 speakers, but at such close proximity to the rear wall, they tend to sound bloated & boomy. I like jazz, r&b, top 40 kind of stuff. I'm looking to spend less than 5k.
Gradient Revolution, Carolina Audio JTM, Konus Audio Essence, Klipsch K-horn, or Cain and Cain WWWS ... 150w ss would be overkill for the last 2 though
An excellent speaker for this application would be the KCS Seas Exotic. I have owned many speakers (including up to Audio Note ANE SEC silvers) and for the money, and well beyond they are winners. I enjoyed my pair for over a year and sold them to a very experienced audiophile friend who was stunned by their performance. They will work well close to the wall, look good and are very versatile with the amps they will mate with from low powered SET to SS designs. A good set of stands will be mandatory but other than that they are very straight forward and provide truly exceptional sound and value. John at KCS is also one of the really good guys in audio and a pleasure. I have turned a few others onto these speakers and so far everyone has been very pleased
Try the Spendor S8e. Terrific speaker in your price range, although I admit bias, as I own a pair. Fantastic mid-range. Solid bass. Smooth highs. Everytime I upgrade something in my system they get better and better, no matter what I throw at them. Fantastic imaging too.
Suggest you consider the Vandersteen Quattros. They can be tuned to your room and so placement close to a rear wall should not be a problem. They are in your price range (used). And the best part is that these speakers are wonderful!
Hi, I made the same recommendation a few weeks ago for the same situation, and only because I have a friend who is in the same situation and I have actually heard his speakers, but the NHT floorstanders, 2.9 and 3.3 I believe are recommended to be placed 4-10 inches from the wall. They have excellent depth at this distance as well. Bass goes to about 35hz for the 2.9, which is what he has, and the sound is a bit forward, but very warm and detailed. At 5K, I bet you could do better, not sure what the 3.3's run at.
i did a similar search for near-wall positioned speakers, albeit at a lower budget. the best i heard i were paradigm signatures. i'd also be interested in checking out ohms, which seem to be impervious to placement and have the no-risk home audition thing going on.
I heard some monitors by Induction Dynamics at a dealer a couple of years ago. They were initially set up on stands and I liked the way they sounded. I asked the dealer how they would be closer to the wall. To make his point, the dealer placed them on a bookshelf which was directly backed up to the wall and they still sounded very good. They are well built, have steep crossover slopes and if I remember correctly came in at around $3000 for the pair. I believe they also make a version of this monitor that is designed to hang on the wall and still perform well.
Thanks guys. I'll take 'every' recommendation and research/listen to as many as I can. You guys were really quick to help a newbie-nook with his system. Thanks again.
Hello try a pair of carolina jtm/2,I just picked up a pair, these are phenominal,they can be placed close to rear wall I have owned a lot of speakers through the years one of the true sleepers!
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