Need Small Bookshelf Speakers With a Big Sound
The Ryan R610 sounds like it might be a good fit for you. They have a very traditional look and sound great. Also, like Harbeth, they play well at low volume. The MSRP is $1999. http://ryanspeakers.com/Products/Products/R610.html But whatever you decide to do make sure you them before you buy them. |
Interesting comments all. I see LS50's pop up often. I owned a pair and while I liked them to me they excelled at acoustic music and not electric, especially "classic rock". One line of speakers I always thought that had "big" sound were PSB's. They have a nice lineup at various price points and sizes and always seem to garner positive reviews. I've owned several pair and always liked their signature sound. |
You found Focal and Dynaudio too polite and weren't hearing the high end but Sonus Fabers had it? I've always found the former two to be brighter than the latter. I find most Focal speakers to be very accurate and detailed, but most people I know find them overly bright. I do love some of the pricier Sonus Fabers. |
Maybe you can find a nice set of vintage Klipsch or better yet Altec horn loaded speakers, they sound great and I think most come with a set of balls . I was just told, that was just bad of me to say, by my better half. I'm sure she rules the roost in the house but you should be able to have the speakers you want. You sound like you are a reasonable guy, I wouldn't think you would come in the door and say ,Hey honey ,I found these A7's and what a deal, the couch will have to go of course, don't worry kids like to sit in the floor! Yes honey they are antiques, I knew you would like that , and they still have the grey patina on them, It's a win , win! |
You can find some great vintage speakers out there with a sound that just can't find today. There are lot's of people who would say thank the lord, modern speakers are better by far. I will not argue with with what someone likes, but I am so glad I got to hear great vintage speakers at the very beginning of my audio journey, I feel very lucky to have a house full of vintage stereo's. Enjoy those AR4x's |
This is going to sound crazy at first (maybe longer than that), but if you have two good corners in your room, you might want to consider some Klipschorns. Yes, those giant speakers are what I'm suggesting. Now hear me out. If you do have two good corners, Klipschorns tuck away in those corners and for the most part, really don't take up much space at all. In fact, how many people actually utilize the space in the corners. The other thing about Klipschorns is that they can come in some beautiful real wood finishes and most people would not even know they are speakers. They can look like fine furniture if you get a nice set. You should be able to find some used ones in your budget and they will exceed every requirement you have stated except for not being "small bookshelves." And, as I mentioned, they may just meet your real requirement of not being visually obtrusive or taking up a lot of space. |
I have heard a good number of the speakers suggested, and many are excellent. However, I have found some of the most musically engaging moments while listening to several speakers in the Rega RS line. They all sound big with very nice bass, have an excellent finish, and they do an excellent job of capturing the palpable presence of instruments and voices. Placement is not critical - they sound pretty good no matter where you set up. We have too many great choices, but the Regas have quieted the voices in my head looking for something "better". Good luck! |
I have a pair of Genesis Physics model 7s sitting in the basement because my wife thinks they are too big. They have some of the best tweeters I've ever heard. PSB Imagine XBs are the largest she would let me get. Thank goodness for the man cave where I call the shots!) The PSBs are pretty good. Amazing bass and vocals. I can't vouch for the sound stage because their placement is compromised by she-who-must-be-obeyed. I wish I had know that the guy who designed the Genesis is in business on his own His name is Huw Powell of Human Speakers and I believe I read that the Adcom 545 is his preferred amp. I would strongly encourage you to visit his site and give him a call. He has a small but devoted following and would definitely have some suggestions that optimize your amp. BTW, the Model 7s were an absolute steal when I bought them around 1990 for $100 I think, and no, I will NOT sell them. I would sell the PSBs and buy the Human QT 2+ in a heartbeat. (the Model 61s are too big) http://www.humanspeakers.com/human/products.htm Best of luck! |
I saw that you were advised to listen to the larger PSB bookshelf, the PSB Imagine B. I have owned a pair for about 4 years now and can say with some confidence that they would make it past the aesthetics committee, particularly the Dark Cherry finish. Great fit and finish. You and I appear to have similar musical tastes. And I am pleased with the sound overall. More about that below. I normally listen to these with a Bryston B60 integrated amp, but I have hooked them up to my ancient Adcom GFA 535 and they sound fine. No comparison with the Bryston, obviously. And they sound even better with my newer Benchmark AFB2 amp. (And by the way, I hated parting with my old Adcom CD player too, probably the best piece of equipment I’ve ever owned in terms of price/performance.) Regardless of the amp used, you’ll probably want at least a small sub-woofer for fuller sound, though they do sound pretty good without. You’d have room in your budget for that, and I find that it is easier to hide a subwoofer out of the way than to negotiate for big speakers. These sound best at least 12" from the wall behind them, the bass port being at the back. I would recommend against this speaker if you’re planning on actually putting them on a shelf. You’ll want at least 24" stands for them - I prefer them on my 28" stands - so you might try to stretch your budget for the Imagine T2 and forego the sub. These have only a slightly larger footprint, but they are floor-standers with the same drivers as the B, just an extra woofer and cabinet volume for more low end. About the sound: The tweeters in these are very good and will give you a nice, reasonably tight image for critical listening, albeit in a pretty narrow sweet spot. Don’t be afraid to toe them in - in my room, I like them pointed just wide of my shoulders. The bass is tight and accurate. And both work well together - you’ll be surprised at their sound for their size. Once broken in, I was amazed at how well they play even loud, complex passages (i.e. Staind). They might struggle with this type of music, however, if you have a huge living room. These speakers aren’t my first choice for classical music, though. I’ve taken a while here to say that I think these are pretty decent speakers for the money, and I’ve heard them respond well to most of the other tweaks I’ve made in my system - power, interconnects, new amp, etc. I don’t think you’d be at all disappointed with the addition to your current gear. Hope this helps. Oh, by the way, do listen to the Joseph Audio speakers recommended by an earlier writer, if you get a chance. The only thing is, my spouse HATES my similarly-shaped Pulsars, so you’d want to check that box before you fall in love with the speakers. I don’t quite get her reaction to them, but mine are placed deep in the man-audio cave where she doesn’t have to see them. Good luck! |
I would check out Saturday Audio Exchange if I lived in your area. I'm in Iowa and get there occasionally. They carry MonitorAudio, PSB, Paradigm, and Golden Ear, so you could listen to several potential solutions in one spot. The Golden Ears may not make the aesthetic cut, but are sonically a contender. I heard the Monitor Audio GX-50 in a direct comparison with the KEF LS-50 in Florida and strongly preferred the GX-50, (in fairness, neither was set up well physically though and the MA lists closer to $2K). The Saturday Audio Exchange website has a pair of GX-50s, new in Ebony (a gorgeous, jewel-like finish IMO), for $1500- which is a very good price, from what I have seen. Often overlooked, the Paradigm's Prestige 15s are also attractive and have gotten rave reviews. On a side note I've listen to LS-50s at least 6 different times- really only once where they were positioned well and demoed with decent stuff. They did not light a fire for me. I even wondered if the stores were not really interested in selling them- on the other hand many demos (not just KEF) are poorly executed. The R-300 were much more enjoyable in the same room. I have not listened to the Excite 14s, but have heard the older Dynaudio Excite 12s & 16s several times and liked them a lot. No connection to any retailer or manufacturer. Good Luck. |
I'd say the Dynaudio Excite speakers are very nice. Have a pair of Dali Zensor 3 speakers and they are by far my favorite under-$2K speakers and I went through a dozen monitors over the past few years before finding these gems. They do everything beautifully and have great low end response. I had the LS50's for a couple of months and found them strident and hard to drive with my 175wpc Plinius integrated amp. So, an unconventional speaker that I finds fabulous, particularly when paired with their sub, is the Gallo Strada II. The speakers disappear into the room and they are rather small in size. They are in your budget if you find them used. Good luck. |
Another though occurred to me : Red Rose Ribbon Monitors from Mark Levinson (the man, not the company). The front grill cloth extends a few inches above the baffle (to protect the baffle-less ribbon tweeter), but it's otherwise just a nicely finished shoebox sized monitor with a very big, very dynamic sound. These may be tough to track down and aren't the most neutral speaker ever made, but they produce really big sound for their size. |
As soon as I saw this thread, I predicted a lot of brands being suggested, and there surely are! I'll 2nd the Acend Sierra 2 though. These are some serious big sounding speakers that can take 250 watts at higher volumes and make your jaw drop, I am not kidding. The Raal ribbon tweeter has a higher level of accuracy than domes but is never harsh. It sounds like the OP is doing this old school, shopping from store to store, and expecting to pay retail. The internet direct prices offer much better bang for buck if one is willing to try a 30 day trial. |
Klipsch are good, big sound, so are Harbeth, Dynaudio. I use the XTZ Master M2 and would recommend them without hesitation. Absolutely great speakers, powerful, detailed at each spectrum level, balanced and more. These are audio jewels unknown in the USA. An absolute must!!! N.B: they don't sound good right out of the box and really do need the 50 hrs break-in, just like real high end stuff... |
The nice thing about the mm de Capo's is that they are very efficient so if you ever upgrade your amplifier you could go with a sweet sounding 300B amp which will make those speakers really sound big. Their mid/woofer driver is directly wired to your amplifier and is a good part of the equation. good luck |
Thanks everyone -- lots to consider. FWIW, I don't mind internet shopping although I'd like to have a pretty good idea that something is going to work visually and sound-wise before being on the hook for shipping stuff back. Speakers, I imagine, aren't cheap to ship. I'd much rather get a used set of good $2500 speakers for $1300 rather than a new pair of $1300 speakers... |
I was out of the country for a couple of weeks but am now back and ready to get into this again. I looked back through all the responses and it seems like, when considering my size/appearance requirements, the popular suggestions were: Dynaudio Excite 14 or Excite 18 Harbeth P3ESR KEF 300 Ascend Sierra 2 and possibly: Dali Ikon2 Mark2 Tannoy DC8 Joseph Audio Prisms RM22 or RM7 mm de Capo's B&W CM6 S2 Totem Model-1 Signature Rega RS I will look around here and elsewhere, but if anyone happens to stumble on a nice deal on a pair of used speakers on the above list, kindly let me know. I hope to hear before I buy, but imagine most speakers suggested here will make me more than happy, given my size/location issues and the fact that I've been listening to headphones and whole house speakers for the last 5+ years. So I may just take my chances, if necessary. :-) Thank you all for the ideas! I am very excited to find speakers as well as stands (and probably interconnects). |
Find a pair of usher be 718s. Used in excellent condition should be around $1300. I've heard many of the suggestions, and these are best. Incredible bass, very warm, and they look nice. If you want more traditional aesthetic, perhaps try the totem rainmakers, however you may need to tuck a sub somewhere in the room. |
ATC SCM-11 (newer 2013 redesigned model) http://www.whathifi.com/atc/scm-11-2013/review "...,Best standmounter £800-£1200, Awards 2015. ATC has struck gold again. These are the most talented standmounters anywhere near this price Tested at £1,200 ...." BUT .... With a qualifier as already highlighted above ..... You will do significantly better with an eventual move-up to upgraded quality and performance from current fare electronics . |
Goliath killer ..... JMR offrande supreme v2 http://jm-reynaud.com/orfeo-supreme-v2.html?___store=en&___from_store=default http://www.amherstaudio.com/?page_id=42 French high-end AUDIO Build and performance excellence personified and these are very efficient to boot at 91db...... BUT (again) ..... revealing and engaging speaker excellence capability is a double-edged sword. Shortcomings and compromises upstream (amp and source) will be exposed and magnified in lock-step. |
Guru QM 2. This little box out of Sweden gets the music more right than almost anything I have heard. Everything sounds great on these. Lots of PRAT, vocals are superb, and bass is nothing short of amazing for the size or quite a bit bigger for that matter. I play lots of rock, acoustic, rock, bluegrass, and all fantastic. Hard metal is goodish. It's almost eerie how they project into the room. Put them against a wall or in the corners as they are designed for and enjoy. They are little gems. Have them setup in a second system in the upstairs living room placed in the corners with a 100wx2 tube amp and they are outstanding. I have heard the LS50s in the same room. They have a more hifi presentation to my ears but not as natural and are tinny in comparison. They did absolutely no justice to any kind of rock imo. |
Not sure if you already pulled the trigger on new speakers, but I recently got a pair of Ascend Sierra 2's, and after a couple of weeks of listening, I am pretty much blown away. Others I've had in the past few years: Monitor Audio GR10 Epos Elan 15 Monitor Audio GX100 B&W 685 S2 Dynaudio X-12 Dynaudio Focus 160 I'm running them with a Rega Elex-R, and they sound really great - nice tight, tuneful bass, and a ridiculous amount of detail from the ribbon tweeter. And my favorite thing is that they sound fantastic at lower volumes, as I live in a condo. And I got the "B-stock" which is $300 cheaper, and I have no idea why because they are drop dead gorgeous, and I don't see any imperfections. Hope this helps. |
The ELAC UB5s will deliver what you are looking for. Incredible bass capability in a neutral, detailed sound. They will need power though- a good hefty 100WPC. @kalali- I have heard the JA Pulsars and without hesitation they are the best speakers I have ever heard and worth every penny of their $7700 retail price. Very good bass, excellent dynamics and an unparalleled clarity and transparency yet with sweetness and delicacy. Other more costly speakers have more scale and can fill larger rooms (not that the Pulsars bad in this aspect) but they simply do not sound as good. The Prisms (~ 3700 I believe) are not close to the sound of the Pulsars and can easily be beaten for the money- e.g. Harbeth C7ES3. |
My favorite bookshelf speakers are the AE (Acoustic Energy) AE1 MKII Reference made in the UK. Make sure you get the MKII as the difference is HUGE. I compared both side by side! These speakers play surprisingly loud when called upon to do so, and as you turn the volume up, the sound only gets better, no compression, just beautiful music, unconstrained and imaging is second to none. In a blind test you will mistake them for floor standers. The new version is $5000 per pair, so I suggest you track down on the used market. Best of luck! |
I just read through the thread, and realized that the OP, Chiguy, never gave some of the basic facts one needs when making speaker decisions, unless I missed the info. When shopping for speakers, the size of the room they are going in is paramount. We also need to know the power amp being used, or considered. Chiguy did mention the amp is a 20 year old one that he might be replacing, but that doesn't help much. Also what he'll be using the speakers for, music or movies, and what volume levels he's hoping to attain. We can throw out ideas all day, but without some basic information such as above, it's not really much help. One thing I would suggest, if the OP is allowing his wife some say in this speaker decision, he better be bringing her along on the shopping trip rather than bringing yet another pair home to only have her veto them. |
