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Size matters Smaller that is

Hello,

Today I was at my local dealer listening to the most recent Sonus Faber Amati's. Wow what a beutiful speaker with quality exuding from everywhere. They were set up in the main listening room with Mcintosh 1.2"s and Mcintosh C1000T driving them, the source was also the reference Mcintosh player. The dealer put some Norah Jones on and off we went. I have to say that as good as the Amati's are to my ear they SLIGHTLY suffer from sounding a little closed in and boxy. By contrast my Sonus Faber Guarneri sound free, warm, and wonderfully open. This could be in part to my use of Mcintosh tube gear, but in general I find that larger speakers have to work very hard (Read expensive) to get out of there own way. I know no one speaker has it all, but in general I find that driven by first class electronics a smaller speaker is music to my ears. Where larger speakers also sound fantastic, but in general not as open and alive. Could also just be a Guarneri "Thing". My two cents anyway.

Regards
nocaster
lapierre
547 posts
 
Good observation Nocaster. That is why I paired my Dali Helicon 300s with
exceptional components (McIntosh tube gear... but it could be numerous
companies with great tube components) to help provide the great listening
experience.

Yeah I don't have the deep bass. Do I miss authority in the bottom end with kick
drum? Sure- on some songs. The sound is dynamic, detailed and warm with
great depth from a smallish speaker. Synergy is also key to making it right.

Chashas1 eventually I will get a larger full range speaker like Avalon Indra or
Magico V3. But for right now I'm staying with the small speaker with great tube
components.
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,840 posts
 
Nocaster, I think that with the Guarneri's one gets a little spoilt since they do so many things right. However, in a large room I happen to think you need a large speaker, or at least one that can fill the room easily without strain. The Guarneri's are fantastic in a small-medium size room, in a large to very large room, I think more ability to move air is a requirement.
It's a simple law of physics that x number of large drivers can move more air than x number of small drivers.
nocaster OP
52 posts
 
Hello,

All of the above are very good points and observations. My listening space is somewhere between small and medium, as Davef pointed out in a much larger room a larger speaker might be the way to go. Given that scenario though I would go with room treatments and position myself closer to the speakers. Of course if it's a huge room all bets are off. All the best!

Regards,
nocaster
ejlif's avatar
ejlif
1,366 posts
 
I think the room aspect of the equation is the most important one. I have a very big living room and also a small/medium bedroom. I've been listening to some different monitors as well as small floorstanders in both systems. It is amazing how much bass the small monitors have in the bedroom, they sound full and easily driven with 100 watts. In my living room however, almost no matter how big the speakers get I always feel like I need more. More power and more bass. The sound is overall better, but in the smaller room it is just so much easier for the speakers to do their thing. It has really got me thinking lately that if you do have a small to medium room, you are lucky in a way that you can easily drive your speakers with most amps and you will probably get plenty of bass and drive out of a smaller speaker.
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Obviously there are a great many variables that can be involved in this kind of comparison, but in addition to room size which has been mentioned, I would single out listening distance as well. Large multi-way speakers require greater listening distance for their drivers to blend properly, which may not be possible in a small to medium sized room. And even if it is physically possible to sit far enough away, doing so in a small room may result in side-wall reflection problems.

Regards,
-- Al
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