Audio Note if you can find them for sale on the 'Gon. |
Naim speakers also designed to be placed against the wall. |
Von Schweikert VR-1s sound great against the wall, although better out a bit. |
The 2.4 have a passive radiator (think port).
You need a sealed box with modest or flat bass and a 6 db/octave roll off that takes advantage of the wall without sounding boomy. Try some to audition some British speakers - they often have smaller spaces and they prefer a polite rather than overstated bass. I notice that two British speakers are suggested already....a good start |
Have been in your boat before, although 6 inches is very close. Totem speakers tend to work okay against a back wall even though they are rear ported - with a little adjustment here and there you can probably make them work. I have the Totem Hawks about 18 inches from a back wall and they sound great. The cabinetry is beautiful as well. Although not necessarily a guarantee, try some front or bottom ported speakers - Spendor, Tyler come to mind. Also I think Gradient has a speaker designed for close placement. |
GURU speakers, from Sweden, demo'ed at the NY Home Entertainment Show, were remarked by everyone as being one of the highlights of the show. They are designed to be placed against the wall, are relatively small, put out tremendous sound and bass. Priced at $2k:
http://www.sjofnhifi.com/servlet/Detail?no=3
http://www.sjofnhifi.com/detail.html |
I think you should look at the northacoustics.com "kitty kat revelator" near wall specific loudspeaker. |
blue circle audio has new speakers that they say can be placed flush to the wall
from their site
Third, it has to be family room-friendly. This simply means that The Pennys can be placed flush against a wall, out of the way. The PennyÂ’s small footprint and narrow front baffle allow it to blend into any room.
a bit over your price point (and getting worse as the us dollar tanks) |
Some of the VMPS speakers can be placed close to the back wall. |
The Guru QM10 speakers are designed to be placed up against the wall. I heard them at RMAF and they sound great. Audio Note would be another good option. |
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AZ Adagios. Superb speakers and work well close to the wall. |
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2nd the Guru's ...also heard at the the HT entertaiment show in NY and sounds very good and very small indeed, bass was very tight and everyone was looking around for the subwoofer...can't beat the price also. |
Thanks for all of the great ideas! First time on Audiogon, and overwhelmed by everyone taking time to give me some ideas. Once I sort through, will definitely let you guys know what I ended up with.
Itball, was hoping someone would suggest Tyler, as he can do custom finishes for my significant other.
Thanks! |
Tyler might also be able to do some custom tuning for your close placement situation as well. Another person you might want to have a discussion with is Duke (Audiokinesis). There aren't many people that know as much about speakers as he does. |
B&W made a version of the 805 that hangs on the wall.
805 scm?
Saw some in the signature finish too. |
I have my Zu Definition MK2s close to the wall. They are a bit pricey, but the less expensive Zu Druids may work there as well. And Zu does custom paint finishes. If you think that you are interested, you should call the company and talk to Sean or Adam. They have a reputation for being very approachable. |
surely wilson duettes as they have designed to perform as real bookshelves? |
Sorry to bother you again, but sounds like you have heard both speakers that I am not looking at---Tyler System 2's and the Totem Hawks, both are used but in good shape.
Any thing distinctly different between the two speakers? Both get great reviews, kinda hard to tell without hearing them side by side.
Thanks! |
Hawks vs. Tyler System 2: Actually have not heard the System 2, only the Linbrooks from Tyler.
I can tell you about the Hawks. They are beautiful to look at and excel in the midrange and in imaging - they really disappear. They are great in a small or medium sized room and benefit greatly in my opinion when paired with a good subwoofer (I use two actually but have a large room). They sound better to me with lots of power - I use a 200W/channel amp - although they cannot be played super-loud or the woofer starts to sound woolly. Don't get me wrong, they play more than loud enough for me. I think they sound better on blues, jazz and quiter rock than they do with say classic or heavier rock.
The Tyler Linbrooks are most deifinitely a step up in my opinion but I am not sure about the System 2. The Absolute Sound did a review this past year on the System 2 and loved them - they also love the Hawks.
Sorry I can't give you more of a direct comparison. |
I meant that I have heard the Linbrook Signatures and think those are a step up. |
See my response to "wife says on wall spekers" |
Thanks again, Itball--tough choice but thinking i will go with the Tyler line, so many good things being said about Ty to work with, and he thinks his will work pretty well against the wall, and high WAF on the cabinets. Nice thing about all the recommendations I have received is that I have had a chance to look at a lot of high class alternatives!
Tom |
Tom - keep me posted please. Very interested to see what you think of the Tylers and how they work in your situation. If I can swing an upgrade in the future it may well be to the Linbrook Signatures which I think share a sonic signature with the System 2. |
I just bought a pair of Kudos C2 for the same purpose. They are floor ported and I keep them about 4-6 inches of the wall. The detail is great, excellent sound stage a the base is very textured. Good luck |
Thanks Murr! The Kudos look very interesting, and I have not seen many floor ported speakers. Itball, if you like, can keep you posted, but Ty thinks that the Taylo 7 will actually fit my purposes more [bigger soundstage, and lows can be covered by the DD-10 sub], and wife likes the smaller footprint. He did say the sound was similar to System II, with a little less lower response.
Thanks again to everyone for the great ideas! Have learned a lot and will follow up with a post once new speakers are up and running |
