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Need Small Bookshelf Speakers With a Big Sound

Good morning.  I have been out of any kind of audiophile circles for a long time.  We moved into a house with built-in speakers about 5 years ago, which I really enjoy, but of course it's better for casual listening at a party than for quality listening.  Our family room is in a pretty open space that borders our living room and kitchen, so my wife is very focused on speakers being unobtrusive in appearance.  I was therefor looking for small speakers and got turned onto KEF LS50s, which sounded really nice for the price, and more than good enough for my desires.  And they are small.  But I didn't really focus on their "untraditional" looks.  It turns out that was a deal-breaker when I brought them home to demo.

So, I am back to square one.  What I would really like is a speaker that is about the size of the LS50s, or maybe a little bigger, and has a nice looking, traditional wood finish.  Bright colors and artificial surfaces, no matter how good they sound, need not apply...

I would say my self-imposed budget is around $2,000 at the top.  Unless new speakers leads me down the audiophile slippery slope, the speakers would be powered by my old Adcom 545 II amp and GTP 500 II tuner, with either an Adcom CD changer or Apple TV streaming the music.  Not exactly Audiogon Best In Class, but I think it will bring a smile to my face.  And you never know if this will lead to upgrading the whole shebang.

Any thoughts appreciated.  Not that it matters, but I am in the Chicagoland area.
chiguy

Showing 3 responses by mapman

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,638 posts
 
Save a lot of money and get great refurbished and upgraded speakers right from the factory for less.

Take a look at the pro or cam 16 models.

http://ohmspeaker.com/outlet-store/


If if you can go bigger consider the L or c2 models. You will get more high quality sound this way than with anything new of comparable cost plus the benefits of buying direct from a reputable maker that has been around for decades.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,638 posts
 
After many years and having heard various setups both large and small, I am of the opinion that for a truly "big" sound, even in a smaller room, you need at least 8" woofers or larger and larger enclosures to match.

In 1978, few serious speakers used bass drivers less than 8" and these could be had for a few hundred dollars.

Nowadays, for that price new, "high end" speakers are minuscule in size in comparison. They may be of very good quality for what they do but do not sound "big" or close to full range and dynamics are limited. The result is nice but not very exciting sound compared to what is possible.


mapman's avatar
mapman
22,638 posts
 
Ohmspeakers.com. Has all shapes and sizes of their Walsh models for placement most anywhere and I find they tend to sound as big and open as anything for their size.  Might be worth a look. 
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