smaller speakers for critical listening?

I want to thank everyone again. Travel is starting to shut down again in the Northeast, so I'll likely be putting off my speaker auditions until ?. To make matters worse, my old Bryston amp just lost a channel; that's fine, I've been anticipating buying a new amp to match new speakers, but it means that I'm listening to music lopsided until the covid fog lifts.

I love all the recommendations. Some of these speaker companies I've never heard of, some barely have dealers in the US. I'm excited to get at it.

I will, though, reiterate that my question is not so much about great small speakers but whether folks feel they can be *completely* satisfied with small speakers. I'm not surprised to get answers that are all over the place as I did ask for personal opinions. Some interesting patterns emerge: many suggest some variation on the elusive idea that "small speakers can be fantastic if you don't have the space or budget for floor-standers." But I'm interested in hypothetically bracketing off budget and room; I'm really asking whether stand mounts can be entirely satisfying regardless of room and budget. @prof got at it when he wrote: "Can a stand mounted monitor be satisfying to listen to? Hell yes! Can it be satisfying in the long run as the only speaker to own? Not so sure." I'll repeat that I don't want to buy "better" speakers or "great speakers"; I want to buy a speaker that can reward serious listening, that can transport me. (Again, I realize this is subjective. At the risk of waxing nostalgic, when I would listen to my Maggies, I could feel my blood pressure going down, my body melting, my emotions thoroughly engaged. I want *that* again.)

A number of you have reasonably asked about my room, budget, listening preferences, and so on. Of course I understand that the speaker itself can only take me so far, and that I need to think into the entire system and into the room. One reason that I've wanted to make my question theoretical rather than situational is that I have three possible rooms, all of which present problems ... and we may well be moving in the next few years anyway (most likely downsizing). Suffice it to say that one room is quite small (10x12) in which the speakers would have to go up against glass windows; one is a living room with an "open" design, also with glass windows as a "front wall"; and the third is a monstrous vault of a room, the house's original garage, with 12' ceilings, echos, etc. So in one sense I have options, in another sense those options present some challenges. I've talked over the rooms with some specialists/dealers and I have a sense of room treatments, panels, etc. 

But I'm also a theory guy and I like abstracting from specific situations. I am genuinely interested in whether folks here can be fully satisfied with small speakers regardless of budget or room. I also wouldn't mind narrowing my search to either stand mounts or floor-standing speakers. If, for example, there had been some consensus that floorstanding speakers are necessary to cross the threshold into bliss, then I'd focus on that (and deal with the rooms accordingly); on the other hand, if there was consensus that stand mounts could be a forever speaker, I might lean that way. Mostly, I enjoy the experience and intelligence out here and wanted to pose an existential and admittedly subjective question.

Thanks everyone. Great and encouraging thoughts.

djones51, I haven’t really thought much about active pro monitors. You’ve given me something new to think about!

@yogiboy, Harbeth is one of the speaker lines I'm thinking about. I've heard the 30.1s but I need to hear the P3ESRs. It's so hard to tell, sitting in a store ...

@yogiboy, congratulations! Part of me wants to settle into some new speakers (and all of me wants life to return to normal so I can audition more), but I also admit that I enjoy the research. What will I do with all my time once I pick a pair of speakers? Oh, right--listen!

@djones51, I've read about the Dutch&Dutch 8c. I have to admit that I don't really understand active pro monitors. I understand the concept behind active monitors (and I've looked into Adam monitors for my son's digital keyboard), but not how they differ in terms of the experience of listening. It's also different that the places in the northeast that sell them are not traditional hifi stores. As I said, I'm going to have to look into them!

Thanks so much, all. I'm interested in everything you guys are saying. I know that my original question was elusive and hard to answer. I'm not so much wondering about excellent small speakers; I've heard some great ones. And I certainly agree about small floor-standing speakers; for example, the Joseph Audio Perspectives really have about the same footprint as the Pulsars.

What I'm really wondering is whether--in people's personal experiences--a smaller speaker can cross the threshold and offer an engaging critical listening experience. And the answer based on the responses is an emphatic YES!

My current stand speakers (PSB Imagine B) are temporary replacements for my defunct Maggies; they're easy on the ears but don't reward deep listening sessions, at least to my ear. I don't want to merely get "better" speakers; I want to get speakers that I can sit and listen to. The warmth of cellos and pianos making the hairs on my arms stand up. You know what I mean. And what I'm trying to figure out is whether a small speaker can do that. (Yes, again, I know this is all subjective.)

My budget changes by the day but isn't the driving factor here. The room is tricky. Lots of glass and angles, and no way to move the speakers too far off the glass wall. I'll have to deal with that with treatments, etc. Duke wrote: "Without knowing specifics about the room and the constraints it’s hard to say what northman’s options are..." I completely get what you're saying. When it comes to finding the right speakers, I will certainly focus on the relationship between the speakers and the room. For now, I'm more interested in this: "Imo there are much better options that throwing in the towel on critical listening." THAT is what I'm curious about--whether, to get at critical listening, people feel I'm limited to planar or floorstanding speakers. Again, I hear that the answer is NO--and that's reassuring.

@gdnrbnb, two speakers at the top of my list to audition (once it's safe) are the Treo and Quatro. I'm going to assume that they're "better" speakers (how else to put that?), but would you say that you can do long listening sessions with the VLRs? Do they cross the threshold for you?

I don't want to belabor this but I'm interested in the Dutch and Dutch 8c. I remember looking them up a few months ago and they seemed too ... esoteric, too obscure. I didn't really "get" them. Putting the room aside, do they produce a beautiful sound that compares to the other speakers in this thread (Salk, Harbeth, Vandersteen, KEF, etc)?

Thanks everyone. I really can't do much more than research at the moment, so it's pleasurable to talk this out. 

Thank you all for such thoughtful, engaged responses. It means a lot to me that so many took the time to consider the question with such care. I'd especially like to thank @verdantaudio, @phusis, and @prof for their meditations. 

I hear a few of you circling @prof's remark: "Can a stand mounted monitor be satisfying to listen to? Hell yes! Can it be satisfying in the long run as the only speaker to own? Not so sure, for me."

That's where I get stuck. For a number of reasons including my budget, I can't set up multiple systems. So at least for now it comes down to purchasing "the only speaker I'll own." Of course, the problem is existential at the moment: auditioning any speaker is difficult for me, let alone doing a home trial. My real concern, as I think I've stated, is that I don't want to upgrade to "better" speakers, I don't just want good sound. I want to fall in love when I listen to music, an experience I've had in the past but not with my current speakers. I fully understand that stand mounted speakers can be wonderful. I'm just worried that I'll get that "itch" for "more." Many of you have talked about bass, so perhaps I should be thinking more intently about that, especially with stand mounts. My original question--which posters here took seriously--is about "the long run," the question of critical listening, the deep pleasure of music. I know that no one can answer that *for me*, but I appreciate hearing what other people think. 

I do understand that it comes down to trying out a lot of speakers and working with the room. Once the world rights itself, I look forward to that. I can hear some of the speakers mentioned here by traveling 5-6 hours (to NYC and Boston). It does feel to me, perhaps naively, that I'm trying to decide between two different approaches, two ways of narrowing the search: stand mounts (and a sub?) or floor-standing. But perhaps this is too simplistic. 

Here's a though experiment for you, @prof (if you're reading this):

Let's say you pick up a top notch recording of _____ (take your pick: Kind of Blue; Beethoven's Grosse Fugue; Morton Feldman's Trio; Workingman's Dead; Joni Mitchell's Blue; Aja; or maybe something that *you* actually like). I'm thinking of something ambitious, precise, and not too busy/loud. You pour a glass of something warming, sit down, and listen. Which speakers?

Fair enough, prof! I know it was an unfair question but I thought I'd ask. 

Fair enough, djones. Yes, stand mounts, not "small." By the way, D&D are definitely on my list now.

@jjss49 , I'm totally pleased! I'm truly appreciative of all the thoughts, recommendations, and insights. I have a literal list next to me (now adding the w-b vertex), and I've emailed Reference 3A about dealers. The hunt is on, at least in the imagination! (Begone, covid!)

I have a question for anyone reading this. Is there a general principle about how much space is desirable behind the listening chair? I'm noodling around with my small room but the chair would likely have to be right up against the back wall. Or, I might ask it this way: with stand mounts, what triangle dimensions would be getting too small, the chair and speakers too close together? Of course it depends on the speakers, etc, but I'm wondering if there's a rule of thumb for near field listening. 

Oh, wow. @jjss49, thank you. That's incredibly helpful. 7' is obviously more than enough by those standards. Dang.

I can't tell you guys what a help this has been, all your advice. I'm on a new path and I'm excited. Now, out with the pandemic and in with some speaker auditions!

Thanks, @rockrider! I'm actually now contemplating a route that I simply hadn't thought about before: using my small room as a semi-dedicated listening room.

I'm wondering if the room is big enough. I can ask this elsewhere but do you guys think that a triangle with 7' sides (speakers/chair) would be big enough for stand-mounts? Of course it will depend on the speakers but, in general, is that simply too small for an effective set-up?

Thanks again, everyone.

@atmasphere , you're absolutely right and I'm glad you called me out on that. I was looking for a small, inexpensive set of speakers for a second room and I remember the owner of a hi-end stereo store lowering his voice, smiling, and suggesting I head down to Radio Shack. "Great speaker at a great price." I can't remember when that was but maybe 1990? I picked up a pair of wee ones and they served me well until just last year.