The Best Speakers for a Small Room


I am looking for a pair of speakers for my relatively small (approximately 12x14 ft) listening/living room. I have a McCormack DNA 0.5 Deluxe power amplifer and a Meridian 506.24 CD player. I listen to a lot of different types of music, but mostly to progressive rock (Yes, ELP, King Crimson, Genesis, Gentle Giant), jam bands (Moe., Dave Matthews Band, Phish, String Cheese Incident) bluegrass, and jazz (both fusion and a lot of traditional acoustic). . . in general, very busy music. Does anyone have suggestions for speakers that would match well with my listening room size, electronics, and musical tastes? And yes, before you say it Carl, I realize that room treatment is absolutely critical and will act accordingly. I would prefer to keep the price around $1500 (new or used), but could go up to $2000 if there was something really special out there. Thanks to any and all that respond!
gmorse
Consider the Totem 1. Alternatively consider the Sony SM7a. The Sony gets no respect, but it's a borderline great speaker and a tremendous value.
I have a 10x12 room and use a pair of JBL 4311 Studio Monitors from the 70s. They are very efficient and would compliment the type of music that you like. These speakers were found in many studios and radio stations in the 70s/80s and a 3 way that is designed to work best tucked into a corner, unlike many speakers that need lots of space around them to perform properly. Since speaker placement is critical for good performance I recommend that you audition before you buy. Used JBL4311's or there "consumer" model which is identical the L100 are available on the net for around $500 a pair. Look on audiogon or ebay. Good luck and happy listening. Dan
If you are lppking for a great speaker to fill a small room look into MONITOR AUDIO silver series. for a bookshelf speaker the 3i, and for a floor standing a 5i. they are awesome and I don't know of another speaker that can compete for the money. I am not one of thoes people who think their speakers are the best just because I own them. I am a dealer(in UTAH and can't ship so I am not saying this for business) and have dealt with a lot of speakers. for review go to www.monitoraudio.com also when it comes to acoustical treatments I could set you up. I am a ECHO BUSTER dealer and can outfit your small room with bass blockers, diffusers and absorbers for a small price (compared to others). call me for any questions thanks jeff keyes www.soundinstalls.com 435 753 9000
I share your musical tastes and if you can find a pair of used KEF Reference 103.2's with stands, you'll have great sound at a bargain price. Very smooth, detailed, and they image extremely well.
Green Mountain Continumum!!! Closest thing to Sonic Perfection in a CAST MARBLE ENCLOSURE(BOOKSELF)!!! Most floorstanding speakers CANNOT reproduce this! Do some research on these its worth your time!!