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Speakers for a unique small room

So I have been going about speakers all wrong.  I am used to having a large listening room, but due to a divorce i am in a house that is pretty small.  I will be buying a new house in July but I need some good speakers for a small room now and hope maybe they will blow me away for when I get a dedicated room. 

So first here are some specifics the size of the area where I listen.  The room is 10 feet (3.1 meters) x 14 feet (4.3 meters) and the listening position from a speakers which front is 3 feet (1 meter) off the wall is 8 feet (2.4 meters).  The 14 foot wall has a large window, behind the listening area are stairs going up to the 2nd floor and their is no right wall as it is open to other parts of the house.  Here are some pics to put things into perspective:

 

So right now I am running a NAD M12 and M23 as well as an SVS 3000 Micro, My speakers are PSB Imagine X2T an 8 feet is just WAY to close.  I want something that if I am sitting 8 feet away from sound amazing!  I cant listen anything fatiguing, I am looking for a bookshelf.  I also would like something that would be amazing when I have a dedicated room as well.  I have tried the LS50 Meta, still have them but thought they were mediocre at best.  

So I am hoping I can get two pieces of advice, great speakers for a small listening space.  Harbeth P3ESR XD's are the only speakers I have seen that can be great in small spaces.    I want something that will be great and I have a budget of $2500 with a little wiggle room.  Would love as wide of a sound stage as i can in a small room, No Klipsch and no Focal please.  Great speakers but just way too fatiguing to me.  

I listen to a lot of Jazz and Classical the rest is filled with Grunge, Punk, and Classic rock but Jazz and Classical are my priority.  

Based on the pictures if anyone sees any opportunities for treatments in any way please call them out and I will get them.   

 

128x128justinrphillips
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jank
17 posts
 

 

jeffrey75's avatar
jeffrey75
109 posts
 

When did a 10' x 14' unsealed space become rated as small for use with small speakers only? I think the 1/3 rule for speaker placement would work, Cardas is practically identical in this room size, or at least it is a excellent starting point. noaudiophile has following for a 10'x14' room, if you flipped sides of the room(main wall to right of door) the staircase might actually work to your advantage. As far as convenience that would be up to the OP but should sound better.

Space Between Speakers 4.20
Head to Main Wall 7.70
Speaker From Main Wall 4.06
Speaker from Side Wall 2.90
tjnindc
91 posts
 

I have a similarly sized room, though with some different challenges. the width is closer to 9.5 feet and the length is closer to 19 ft but with a bay window behind it. I also have (and love) that SVS micro. Mine seems to work best along the side wall. 

My best experiences have been with sealed and front ported speakers. I had the LS50s in there for a long time, but never quite got them to work. When I moved them to the basement and the main TV room where they had a lot more room, I started to understand why people like them so much. 

The two best fits for my room came in under what I had set as a budget - the Sonus Faber Lumina II and the Falcon Acoustics Mofi branded LS#3/5a (the sliver badge, I believe). Both sound fantastic. I got the Falcons used with very low hours, and they did take a while to break in. Both work incredibly well with the SVS sub. They also seem less sensitive to distance from the side wall. I basically have them 2.5 feet out from the front wall and the center point on the tweeters right around 6.5 feet apart toed in to a point just behind the listening position which is just under 7 feet away. It’s pretty close to an equilateral triangle. 

Rear ported speakers (or speakers with a passive driver in the rear) struggled even when the port was dampened. 

It is a totally different beast (or sound), and I know that you explicitly mentioned ‘no Klipsh’, but they play really well placed towards corners. I have Heresy IVs that I swap in on occasion when I want something more lively. The Falcons and SFs share almost none of the same sonic characteristics - my sense is that they will be more to your liking. 

Playing around with acoustics in a small room is an adventure, but you can certainly find great sound. Best of luck. 

arcticdeth's avatar
arcticdeth
1,572 posts
 

Hardwood is horrible for music.

reflection is severe. I know, I went through it.

 

 

very nice room, bet Motörhead sounds wicked good !

fatdaddy2
380 posts
 

Look at Salk stand-mounts; a lot of options (model wise and wood-wise) and great sound from the lot.

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