Speakers "Too Big" for room

I'd say test it as you have the speakers. Provided you're getting the right acoustical axis in the room, and your RTA is decent enough, you should be fine

How big is your office?  Which Infinitys?

Big speakers in a small room will load the room quicker then small speakers in a small room. Loading the room means sound pressure level. 

See here!

Mike

The complex issue is that the smaller the room the more room modes you are likely to encounter.  Smaller speakers don't wake those dragons like larger speakers.  These modes can cause nulls but more noticeable are the enormous peak bass outputs in very narrow bands which sound excessively boomy or irritating.

A really common example are listeners who get massive subs and then have to keep the volume too low.  Clip the peak problems and then they can bring the sub up for a much smoother and more rewarding experience. 

Fortunately this is the kind of problem an EQ can fix quickly and cost effectively.  I am a proponent of using some balance of room acoustics including bass traps + equalizers to resolve these issues.  

Room is 14’ x 10’

Infinity RSII

It takes some distance to the listener for the drivers in a speaker to blend properly. A 14x10 room is going to be difficult to set up without putting the speakers or chair back against the wall behind them and getting poorly balanced sound from the wall's reinforcement. A small speaker can work better because it doesn't need this 'distance' to blend.

Ahhh, I see what y'all are saying now. Hmm. I'm not sure room treatment is an option (cosmetically). I'm not sure I want to insert an equalizer into the room either. Hmm.

thanx everyone

Ahh. yes, integration and blend...I see that too now.

As @erik_squires mentioned, big speakers can make things difficult.  That said, 14x10 is not too small in itself.  It can be made to work.  Going with a "Near Field" listening setup and typically not cranking up the volume (as it is an office..??) can overcome some of the "dragons", as Erik mentioned.  To me the question is where is the desk and your chair in relation to where you are putting the speakers?  In front of the desk, behind you, to the side...  Are the speakers on the long wall or short wall?...

Reasons I can think of:

1. too much bass
2. Incoherent sound.  Large speakers are usually best listened to from a distance for the sound to “gel” together well.  Some larger designs with concentric or more closely located drivers may sound more coherent in a more near field listening scenario.  

You can do it effectively, just lots of acoustical treatment / dampening may be required so not to over load the room. You can basically acoustically enlarge the room by heavily dampening the walls, floors, and corners. The volume at which you listen will also play a role in how much treatment is required. 

I agree with @ghdprentice …

He has described my current set up…

OP, Go for it! 

I love the infinity line and have many.you would have to spend alot of money today to replace something like those infinity speakers.enjoy the hunt.

The fundamental issue is near field listening to large speaker arrays designed to use power is like sitting next to a jet engine. Hence the art of bookshelf speakers. 

A very interesting set of speakers. It looks like a closed baffle with a large front face with extra external speakers. As one of the posters said above, just add more acoustical treatment. and find the spot it will sound best. 

good luck

@OP The RS II owner's manual suggests a starting point of two to three feet from the front wall for the speakers. There's no reason that the speakers can't work in a room the size of your office. It's not a small room by international standards. The later II B came with an equaliser so you could always use something like a Schiit to shelve down the bass if necessary. As has been said by a few posters, correct room treatment is the key to getting big speakers to work in, shall I say, less big rooms.

Why not?  Give it a try.  I put larger speakers in a smaller room and it worked out magnificently!!!  I’ve never been happier.  Happy listening.  

The first step I took in working with a restricted space was in the speaker design selection. Speaker (and baffle) size is only one factor and can even mislead. Some speakers of equal size are simply going to demand a larger room space than others.  One issue is how the speaker treats bass. You might want to avoid floor standers that have bass vents firing out the back side, which by design critically use the space/distance between the speaker and the front wall.  Front-firing speakers usually require less reverse space and can be positioned much closer to the background (front) wall, thus giving more space in a tight room for the listener's space and the essential acoustic blend and balance. And some speakers are more aggressive in delivery as well. Knowing the brand and listening to different speakers and setups could help avoid the typical speaker remorse.

I distinctly remember Paul McGowan saying that a speaker can be too small for a room but sonically speaking, no speaker is too large for a room. Aesthetically a speaker can be too large but ultimately that decision is personal preference 

@ct10 I would love to see Paul put his old Infinity IRS V (that he sold, apparently) in a 10x10 room.   World's heaviest headphones.  

+1 @ghdprentice and  ​​​​@ticat 

Put those speakers in your room and try it.

I have B&W 803 D3 speakers plus two JL Audio subs in my 14X15 listening room.

Sounds absolutely wonderful.

I think you will most likely be just fine!  I have friends with smaller rooms and bigger speakers and it sounds great.  Be bold!  And enjoy your system!

The design of the speakers can make a big difference.  Sealed vs rear ported vs front ported.  Some will tolerate being closer to room boundaries than others.  Different speakers need varying amount of space to work.  Good luck and have fun.

I think the speaker design and (to an extent) amplifier design would play a bigger role than the physical size of the speaker itself. At least from a sonic perspective. Aesthetically, huge speakers in a smaller room might look out of place but the size alone won't dictate whether or not the SQ is what you are expecting. 

I'm not as technical as most of you guys but I agree with Mapman. My L.R. is about 16'X14' and would love to have a pair of JBL L-300's or 4333's but it just doesn't seem like the room's big enough for them. So I have JBL L-100T's with updated crossovers and the smaller speakers sound great in this size room.

So, I moved them in. So far, to my tin ear, everything sounds OK. I’ve not really stress tested anything yet so...time will tell.

I even have the KEF KC62 sub going. This is a VERY cool product and perfect for a small room matched with LS50.

@pawlowski6132 

That's quite a rack going on.  Reminds me of a game I played were you continue to stack things higher and higher until someone goes too high and they lose.  

With that tripod configuration I wonder how powerful an earthquake would need to be to topple things.  My guess is you don't have a dog or a cat.  

Love the space.  

@pawlowski6132 

Brilliant speakers (I should know)

Mine play in a room 3x the size, so I can only guess at how they might behave in a smaller room. Sealed bass, open-baffle mids, front- and rear-facing ribbons; ideally they like a lot of space around them but I imagine they will sound fine at low to moderate sound levels, and they do sound fantastic even at quiet volumes.

RS-II need a LOT of power if they’re going to give their best. Think 4-500wpc @ 4 ohms, and stable to 2 ohms. They are nominally 4 ohm speakers, but their impedance curve dips to 2 ohms around 100Hz and above 10 kHz.

Rebuilding the crossovers should be considered. Unlike the RS-IIa and IIb, the RS-II are not bi-ampable.

You’d have to spend lowish five figures in today’s market to approximate their level of performance. Give them the amplification they need and I think you’ll love them.

Happy listening!

A speaker can easily be too big for a given room size.  Larger taller speakers with more drivers are made for higher volume SPL capabilities to satisfy listeners in a bigger room.  Often this requires a minimum distance from the speakers to the listening spot so the drivers output can blend and be coherent.  That is distance requirement no. 1, speakers to listening spot.

Largrer speakers also tend to sound best when positioned away from room boundaries, walls and corners so that reinforced bass is not overpowering. Distance requirement no. 2, open space behind and to the sides of the speakers. 

Distance requirement no. 3 is the minimum distance between the speakers for a coherent sound stage and its ratio to distance no. 1. 

The final distance requirement is distance from the listening spot to the wall behind you. If your head is closer than 2 feet from the wall you will be in a bass accumulation zone and the speakers will have exaggerated bass.  

Add up those three distance requirements for a given speaker and that will tell you if your room is sized for them or not.

Looks good and glad to hear it sounds good.  Speakers too big - clickbait to any audiophile.  If you can get them through the door they’re not too big.  If they don’t fit, you need a bigger room.  

@devinplombier

Yes!! I have a modified Carver with the following specs.

Here's the detail of the mod

https://nelionaudio.com/index.php?/services.html/carver/carver-amplifiers/carver-m-10t-mkii-opt002-restore-and-upgrade-r3/

Also, fwiw, 95% of what I listen to is voice and small ensemble acoustic instruments at medium volumes. So far so good.

I love the room. It looks like a great place to hang out. Great looking system as well. 

As you probably know, there is tremendous opportunity to improve sound quality through acoustic treatment. A larger rectangular highly absorbent rug. I think there are ways of making the curtains highly acoustically absorbent... so when you wan to critically listen you close them. Put flat absorbent panels behind, And these don't screw up the charm of the room. 

Enjoy the music!

@zx10 Wrote:

My L.R. is about 16'X14' and would love to have a pair of JBL L-300's or 4333's but it just doesn't seem like the room's big enough for them. So I have JBL L-100T's with updated crossovers 

I had my JBL 4430's in a 14'x16'x9' room. I also had my JBL L65's, JBL 4315's in the same room. I will note that you can sit in close proximity to the 4430's, 4435's and 4425's with no loss of stereo image see here and here. For in the what it's worth category, there is no perfect room! 😎

Enjoy the journey.

Mike

@pawlowski6132 

The only germane data point I can offer is that I tried a stock Carver M500 with my RS-II, and it was immediately clear that better amplification would be needed. Currently I am running Classé monoblocks that are up to the task, but I can't say they have too much power.

I'm familiar with Nelion but I have no direct experience with their mods. Looking at the power claims they make though, I would venture that they perpetuate Bob Carver's legacy in more ways than one 😀

Based on your musical preferences and expected listening sound levels, your modified Carver will most likely drive your speakers to your satisfaction. Enjoy!

@pawlowski6132 

I downsized a couple of years ago and moved my beloved B&W 802 from a large room to a regular bedroom in a townhouse, about a third of the space.

I was thinking I would need to sell them and get small monitors but decided to keep them. I've got two big bass traps behind the speakers and additional room treatment. It sounds a lot better than what I expected. It is true you may not be able to have enough space for the drivers to fully integrate, but I don't think this is so critical, at least not in my setup.

As it has already been said above, it completely depends on the room. It’s much harder without a dedicated space that you can modify to work. My room was designed by an acoustician and  has no drywall inside. Amazing results 

My first pair of Maggie's were MG2.5r's. Then I moved to the MGllla's all in a much smaller room you have listed. I knew one day I was going to move them to a larger space. I enjoyed them anyway, the clarity, the full body of speaker able to fill that small space made it all worth it. Sometimes more is just more...

Enjoy the Music

Is the office in a modern concrete building or in a wooden shed? I have small monitors in a big room and they load the room horribly. You may guess what material has been used for construction. 

Wood construction.

You will see and hear no advantage of  big speakers in a moderate sized office. Bookshelf speakers would sound and feel more elegant.

First pic posted showed unwieldy headphones for 14X10.  Second pic looks more functional.  Who are you trying to satisfy?  That's right.  YOU are good to go and that is all that matters.  Forget the 'peanut gallery'.  Not your first rodeo.

Thanks everybody. I love all the comments in the feedback.

Too Big? Probably not. Most Infinity models were not necessarily designed for large rooms but more for a balance of boundaries.

There’s a review on yours: https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/rs-ii-lab-test-article-w-full-measurements.621716/

I’ve worked around Infinity for years and still have a set RS 2.5’s. I’ve had them in rooms that were less than ideal and some that were amazing. With open back midranges and a second rear-firing tweeter, they need space behind them. Don’t listen to others’ strong pointed opinions, listen to your ears. An educated guess is still a guess. My current room is similar in size but not fully closed away from the rest of house.

Trying out new speakers 101: Before you do anything get out a measuring tape and some painters masking tape. Mark, measure and document where your old speakers are in case you had to go back to your original setup. And to recognize differences or similarities to your new setup.

Can you switch between the length vs the width of the room in the how the room can be used? Sometimes I’ve found surprising differences in this. Sometimes there is no option due to the layout of the room itself.

Using the room depth would allow a greater distance behind the speakers and likely greater bottom end. Perhaps upwards of 3’, maybe more, to find a good sound stage. The drawbacks may happen where there’s not enough space to the left and right of your speakers (try towing them in little), whereas using the width direction in the room may bring a more open sound stage but may compromise the bottom.

As you evaluate your placement pay attention to distances to side and rear walls. Admittedly, mine are about 18” off the rear wall. Walk around the room. Evaluate from different listening areas. After a year I moved my small sofa about a foot – what a difference.

From memory, I don’t think RS II’s were set up for bi-wire or Bi-amp, but the amp can make or break the results. I won’t go down that road, but these need something that is happy to drive 4 ohms or less. Doesn’t need to be big – just healthy

I stay away from EQ’s in small spaces. But you might check what a BBE processor can do. EQ changes loudness of different frequencies. BBE Sonic Maximizer changes time arrival. This is a very simple but overlooked problem in most systems. Most systems have some level of phase distortion, meaning some frequencies arrive ahead or behind the others. Amplifiers, cables, rooms, heck even the recordings themselves, contribute to time arrival issues. Often interpreted as blaring midrange or weak bass or something that makes us reach for an adjustment. New or used, a BBE doesn’t cost much.