Room size & choosing speakers


I am new to all of this and trying to find best size speakers for a small room. I recently listened to B & W 802D's (with a McIntosh MC452 & C-50) at a local audio store & loved the sound. It is a great deal of money for me, but worth it if I can create that magic at home.

My fear is that I will be listening in a 10' x 12' room and that the speakers will overwhelm the room. I also think of the B & W 803D's (smaller, less money, not quite as full sounding), and still have the same fear.

Right now I am trying to decide between the 803D's & the 805D's with a good subwoofer (possibly Rel 328 or JL audio F112). Any thoughts or help greatly appreciated.
mksr

Showing 2 responses by onhwy61

In all probability if your goal is to recreate the magic you heard at the dealer you will fail by a significant margin. The room and its interaction with the loudspeaker is the single most important aspect of getting great sound. Most dealers have spent more than $100k exclusive of equipment just to get the room right. As a non-professional user you don't have to go to that extreme, but a basic understanding of room acoustics and the use of products and techniques to address common problems is very important.

The magic of hearing well reproduced music is not primarily a function of equipment. Instead it is more about correctly setting up and matching equipment. For less than half the cost of the system you heard at the dealer there are knowledgeable audiophiles who could assemble and set up an equally magical system. B&W and McIntosh are both very good companies, but there are other brands that offer better value. This plus the knowledge of how to properly setup equipment, particularly loudspeakers, can save a consumer money.

I have no opinion about the B&W loudspeakers you mention. Tboooe has extensive experience with that brand and I believe he has given you some good advice.
The Wilson Duette would be an excellent choice in that they are designed for flexible room placement. They also don't need a subwoofer for music. They will work best with high powered solid state. I'd recommend integrateds from Rowland, Hegel, McIntosh or even Pathos, but there are many others that will work. Good luck.