true bookshelf speaker


There seems to be a lot of bookshelf sized speakers which all seem to provide far better performance as a stand mount .
What mid -high end speakers provide the imaging openess etc on a bookshelf ?
Or is it a matter of compromise or increasing the WAF by having speakers on a stand imposing in the room?
valverocks

Showing 1 response by br3098

There is a reason why most "bookshelf" speakers sound better when stand mounted. It usually has little to do with the stands themselves, but with allowing some space around the speaker (sides if not rear) and also for proper height positioning.

Think about it - what speakers would you imagine sounding good when placed inside a tiny cave (and you are outside the cave)? Reflections resonance (from the loosely mounted shelf) and proximity damping are the main problems working against you here. Almost any speaker placed on a standard height and width bookshelf space is going to sound, more or less, like a dorm room (no offense to those of you who might have great systems in your dorm room).

So, what can you do? You can try the following:
1- If you must use a bookshelf speaker on a bookshelf, try a horn loaded model like the Klipsch RB series or the HSU HB-1. Some folks have reported great results with Linn Tukans on a bookshelf, but I have only heard them on stands.
2- If you can lose a couple of shelves, try mounting a speaker designed for on-wall centered in the empty space. I have a pair of Dynaudio Audience 42W that are stand monuted in my office, but might work as this way.
3- Forget the bookshelf idea and use a relatively small floor or stand mount speaker. Again, a horn loaded speaker would work well, but I might try a Snell-style speaker like those offered by Audio Note.

Have fun.