Should I graduate to floor standers or will larger bookshelves suffice?

Well said "ddgtt"...if you have the room...go floorstander.Youll wonder what your missing.Stand mount in my room works...im alright with no sub...but at times?

@digsmithd they look very nice, and the reviews look great as well…

any opinions about the Revel 226be? They have a REALLY NICE sale on them at Music Direct.

I have not heard the revel’s ..but there are alot of fans of the speaker.I would get tired of the white drivers...i know kind of petty?.Some diggin in and finding reviews/articles helps...somewhat.Im on a pair of atc 19v2/sound anchor 24" and for what they want for them (atc19) these days.. its a bargain imho.

@ddgtt wow those Kaya speakers are just gorgeous and unique! I’m a sucker for a pretty face. I didn’t research the price yet….I’m sure good looks come at a premium.

Here in the U.S. the Vivid Audio Kaya K25 speakers sell for $11,000 per pair. 

Yeah, that’s a bit out of my range. I top off at about 7 maybe 8k. And I would rather be lower. Looking for that “punching above it’s price point” speaker.

Dynaudio Contour 30 made me happy. They are a bargain used. 

OP- I heard the Revel be speakers at audio shows and I liked the sound. Also got some favorable reviews. But I know some didn’t care for the sound.

Like most thing high-end audio it’s a matter of subjective sonic preferences - it’s best to listen for yourself to find what “you” like.

Floorstanders are generally superior because of the added bass extension which was tuned to match the midrange and tweeter.  While one could get a stand mount and supplement with subwoofers, but matching is typically difficult and usually subpar than a floorstander.

On a side note many use a subwoofer fill out and/or add bass energy. However, some including myself plan to use “articulate” subwoofers to match my “articulate” full range floorstanders to reach lower bass AND to support the rest of the upper frequencies (it fill it out for a more full/complete sound).

It’s possible that the suggestion of being closer to the speakers is correct. You own good speakers. I’m not sure location of your listening position isn’t the problem. Putting different speakers in the same spot might not fix the problem.

Floor standers!!!

I’m just going to weigh in on this from a enjoy the music point of view.

I have a unique tune Amp and Harbeth P3ESRs running from a Node2 in my office. It’s nice.

I have a Cary Audi front end into Fritz bookshelves in my formal living room.

My floorstanders aren’t even in tje same discussion. They are both awesome...but graduate and have some fun with a big 2 channel system that doesn’t ever make you think about a sub.

@kennyc yeah, I agree, but no way can I find and demo all these different brands and models, especially of course the internet only ones. Unfortunately, this has become a common way to buy speakers these days. And yes to the stand mount/floorstander dilemma as well. But I’ve always had a soft spot for stand mounts. Though I think the only way I’m getting another stand mount is if it’s larger than what I have, with more output in the bass. 

@jonasandezekiel Can you keep both, or maybe hang onto both for awhile while you compare sonic presentations? Seems very educational, and fun.  

 I’ve always had a soft spot for stand mounts.

Me too.  Although I prefer and own floor standers for maximum  fidelity, space and time, and budget permitting I'd like to explore stand mounts:

• Mofi PointSource 10 - demoed and big Andrew Jones fan, will purchase 
• MSB 120 and 126 - if I move to an open concept kitchen/living area, these are my first choice in addition to my main system (I dream of a dedicated listening room...with decent dimensions)
• Fritz speakers uses top parts at reasonable price points.
• British nearfield speakers like from Rogers
• Joseph Audio Pulsar - a close slice of their top floorstander
• Harbeth + Hegel : ideal match, I'm trying to justify owning this additional system
• Fleetwood Deville SQ - from positive reviews seems supremely musical, want to demo
• Crystal Cable Minissimo - excellent reviews, and the option of adding their Subissimo low-bass system seems to be seamless integration

maybe hang onto both for awhile while you compare sonic presentations? Seems very educational and fun.

@kennyc I could possibly do that. I’m not the type to hang onto speakers, but they’ve been good to me. They sounded great in my previous residence.

A larger stand mount like Mofi sourcepoint 10 is a very interesting option. .

Having a similar large open room, IMO, OB (open baffle) will give you the best overall experience. Monitors need quality $tands. Clayton’s new OB speaker * (MSRP $2950) looks like they will provide an excellent presentation: subs questionable

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRrgJ-_npls

see my Virtual System

hth

hth

@mapman they look really good. Definitely not a wimpy stand mount. Great suggestion.

@tweak1 I have really good stands, yes. I tried looking up Clayton online, and couldn’t find any links to a website.

Kennyc…

That’s an excellent list of great stand mounts. The MoFi, Joseph Audio Pulsar and Fritz are very impressive, 

I think if you are talking about the same money the floor standing speakers will always sound better or at least project louder and provide more sound. As multiple folks have said it makes zero sense because the stands take up about the same floor space. 
The only caveat is if you like to move things around. Moving bookshelf speakers is easy… moving a 125lb/ea speaker is another story. I love the looks of stand mounted speakers but I’m a dealer and like swapping and moving and testing stuff. 
best and easiest pair of floor standing speakers I have ever had are Monitor Audio Silver 7G 500. They have 2 rear ports and one up high. So easy to reach your hand into that top port and move the speakers….

For me speakers must be functional, attractive and sound good. 
I don’t care if you have the best sounding speakers (although debatable) if they are ugly I don’t want them. I listen with my eyes 👀 open….
 

Here's a link to C Shaws new OB speaker

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/new-speakers-unveiled-from-clayton-shaw-caladan

Plus one to all the suggestions to explore subs as a way to extend the life of your current speakers in a larger space.  Also, plus one to @erik_squires suggestion to check your amplification.  Your Studio HDs are power hungry.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/legacy-audio-studio-hd-loudspeaker

@knownothing my amplification is more than adequate, ( I use class d monos) and I have an excellent subwoofer, JL audio f112. All bases, I think, are covered.

I was thinking about changing over to a multichannel amp for convenience, but later for that.

@jonasandezekiel roger that.

@knownothing so, maybe I’m just crazy? It’s ok, I can take it.

@jonasandezekiel you’re not crazy, I was trying to agree with you that your bases are likely covered on power and bass.  No matter what kind of speakers you choose, with your room, some digital signal processing like Dirac Live might be beneficial, especially for bass management.  

You’ve gotten lots of good advice on different speakers to look at, I have nothing to add other than good tone, timbre and PRAT can help distract to some degree from less than perfect room acoustics.  

Good luck,

kn

Does anyone have any experience with Arendal speakers? They look really nice with great specs for the money, but of course you can’t listen to specs…. 

@kennyc - What are MSB 120 and 126? The only MSB I'm familiar with makes very high-end DACs and amps, not speakers. 

but of course you can’t listen to specs…

sure you can, find a youtube video where someone reads it out loud

@larsman

@kennyc - What are MSB 120 and 126? The only MSB I'm familiar with makes very high-end DACs and amps, not speakers

Whoops, I meant MBL here . 

@kennyc yeah, crazy.