Why do, and its generally women, prefer bookshelf speakers over floor standing EVEN if the bookshelf is going on the floor on a stand, thereby taking up almost EXACTLY the same space in the room? I've always been amazed at this--two speakers, identical in width and depth, with only height as the differential, are presented to the fair lady, who instantly picks the bookshelf WITH stands, making it occupy the EXACT SAME KILL ZONE FLOOR TO CEILING AS THE FLOORSTANDER. Why is this--when price is not the determining factor--of course given a price difference which IS meaningful, the answer is obvious, but when NOT--WHY? Seeking opinions to this very old question that plagues the industry and allows Bose Lifestyles to still breathe our precious air.
This maybe a stupid answer..but there is something really magical about good quality simple 2 way Bookshelf/Monitors..With only two drivers,they seem to get things more right than many complex speakers with multi drivers..I know these simple monitors can't do everything but,under the right situation a simple Monitor ( or Bookshelf ) speakers can be extremely pleasing......Proac Response 2's for one...Many ,many more.....
I object more to size and weight as obstacles to have to deal with than I do floor stander or not.
Most but not all good floor standers also happen to be bigger and heavier, and thereby also harder or less convenient to deal with.
Many people do not have large rooms also and monitors tend to work very well there in general compared to floor standers. Some floor standers work well in this case as well but many do not.
Yes, I do believe Tvad got it right. With a number of brands I've dealt with now, or in the past, a small floorstander usually has a smaller footprint than the standmounter in the same line once it is placed on a good stand. It's definitely a visual thing. I really don't get it myself. Visually a floorstander will hide the speaker cable better too than something like a single post speaker stand if seeing the speaker cable is an issue.
Most floorstanders have traditionally been less than what could be considered attractive. Many recent designs are much more aesthetic friendly. My wife loves our PMC FB1s. Allows me to set up my Klipsch Forte IIs. I have always prefered the look of standmounts, I always had a soft spot for Totem Ones. Some newer floorstanders are pretty nice looking these days. Its easier to control the resonances of a small box, so a flooestander has its own inherent problems if not designed very carefully.
yeah, yeah, yeah, (Does this make me the 5th Beatle?) Anyway, BULLSHIT, BULLSHIT, ad nauseaum, ad infinitum... The space to the ceiling is dead, DEAD, DEAD, so what is the ACTUAL difference. (Please TVAD, even Chris won't allow you to grow a vagina here and answer, 'well, the space is overwhelmingly negative, as it relates to...BLAH, BLAH, BLAH...it's to the ceiling if its as tall as a speaker on a stand, dammittt! MANUPP GUYSSSSS!!!
Good one Catfishbob. In my room I have yet to find a good floorstander. To me so far the floorstanders are too forward in the mids and the imaging is not real sounding. There was a wall of sound like I was in a huge concert hall. I prefer the band just in front of me as in a small bar. That being said My room is 26' X 12' with the system on the long wall (no choice) and it's partially due to the nearfield listening. OK I'm sure if I put up enough sponges on the walls and ceiling I could make the floorstanders sound more real. So what I'm saying the room has more to do with it than most (including me before I heard better in my home) people would think. So to me good monitors sound the best and BTW I have Dynaudio C1's. C2's look fantastic in my room but just do NOT sound right. I was so close to upgrading to the C2's (in the end for looks) but asked myself if I were blind which speaker would you rather listen too? That is the best part of in home demos. Now I will admit if I was NOT in the 26 X 12 listening room the C2's did sound better. So for me monitors just work right and to my liking.
You asked why "generally women" have this preference. I believe that Tvad gave you the accurate answer. You won't let him grow a vagina, but the need for that vagina is embedded in your question. Next time, ask a manlier question!
As to why some prefer the sound of monitors - I do believe that small and, ahem, stiff, cabinets and the resulting reduced contriubtion from vibrating cabinet walls may be sufficiently appealling to some listeners to justify the sacrificed bass response that could be had from a floorstander with the same footprint. Of course, floorstanders with heroically stiff cabinets (e.g. Wilson) can get you the "best of both worlds", but then the trade-off is price.
I loved the look of my Totem Model 1's. They were cool looking I thought and easy to move about - well except for the Target 1 stands. They gave way to the Vandersteen 2ce Signatures - frankly these are so ugly they are cute. I went to my local dealer to look something to replace Vandersteen 1C's with something more and thought monitors might do the trick again. My dealer gave me the same speech outlined above...floorstanders take the same footprint with more bass etc. I thought a good pair of Spendors would be great, small enough to move about... then he brought in a used pair of Aerial Model B's weighing 90lbs each and we fell hard - fantastic sound and beautiful wood....they will hang around the living room for a very long time!!
Soundolear? Anyone remember this company? Speakers that look like a floor lamp.
Has any progress been made with on-the-wall sound panels? I guess they are like electorstats? Some were made in the 1990s, but i guess they did not catch on?
I think speakers on stands look worse than full floor models. The stands, somehow, remind me of cheap furnature in a motel room. They also tend to be way overpriced. Some OEM stands add a grand or two to the speaker price, which I find abusive and gross. Just think of what else you could get to add in the system.
Luckily I have a nice pair of big, heavy macho floor standing speakers with lots of balls (only 4 feet tall or so mind you) to go along with my effeminate looking, puny little negative space Dynaudio monitors on the stands, or I might be insulted.
Elizabeth, I'm so glad you responded! :) I was just about to remind folks that you had 3.6's. The room screen concept is interesting but I don't think my wife would agree. Nor does she agree with Audiowoman that my Vandersteen 3a sigs are cute. BTW even I agree that the speaker next to the "old fart" is ridiculous. I've also seen some HUGE SoundLab speakers crammed into tiny (or at least very narrow) rooms.
there's definitely a mars/venus thing when it comes to large-form audio gear. i've found that a genuine gauge of your woman's love is her reaction when she first sees the gigantic pair of magenpans in the living room.
I know at least 2 women who subscribe to Tvad's hypothesis. I have always preferred big floorstanders mostly because I'm a freak for deep bass. I own some stand mounts (Totem Mani-2) however and the portability of them is very appealing. Even though the footprint of the Mani's equals other big and bulky speakers I have, when it comes time to rearange things, I really appreciate the stand mounts . . . especially when it involves carrying them to another room, and up the stairs.
My belief is it all comes down to a MONEY issue with woman. They most likely think or rationalize that a bookshelf speaker cost less far less then a big floor standing behemoth. And with that thinking that leaves more money for hair,nails,clothing,shoes,facials,dinner out,spa,vacation time and the kiddies..that's the way see it.
It seems to me that Tvad's answer is so self-evident as to be almost beyond dispute. A person who prefers not to decorate a room with audio equipment, whether male or female, prefers that audio equipment is as invisible as possible. Hence the popularity of Bose with these folks.
When forced to choose between floorstanders and stand-mounted monitors, which take up roughly the same PHYSICAL space, such a person will undoubtably choose the speakers that take up the least VISUAL space, and that is stand-mounted monitors. You do not need even a basic art education to understand this. You only need to have one working eye. Your reaction to Tvad's answer, Larry, is bizarre.
Just to offer a counterpoint from one representative of the fairer sex. When my (then girlfriend, now) wife first saw my listening room, there were 3 pairs of tubed mono amps as well as a bigass ARC stereo amp, a Krell KSA 50s and an Atmasphere S-30 sitting out on amp stands covering the floor. Two 'tables and assorted other electronics sat in a large rack. I sort of apopologized and offered that I'd probably "streamline" down the road. She respondeded that the room looked amazing, the amps looked like art pieces (probably mostly referreing to the Atmasphere, Cary 805s and Cary 300B monos) and that it shouldn't be touched.
I agree that Tvad's answer is practically self-evident. Schipo also makes a good point about cost. I only have bookshelf speakers right now: Sony SS M3's. I'm waiting on stands. My Tannoy C-8's are gathering dust in a closet. I'm glad my wife was able to grudgingly accept the Sony's for their beauty. Still, the first thing she said was, "Hmm, they're bigger than I thought they would be." I thought the side of my head would explode when she said that.
Looks to me like Larry(Lrsky) is looking more for "Tim the Tool Man" responses, and less for reasoned answers. I could hint that men with big speakers are compensating for something. Or quote Judge Reinhold's sales pitch from "Ruthless People" suggesting that if you die, you can be buried in them. Funny movie. But a real answer might have to do with how women, or non audiofreaks look at a room. My first thought looking at an empty space is "where do the speakers go?". A woman with a furnished room might think "do we have to put those things in here?". Or, "how can I put them into this space?". "Which ones are attractive and/or least obtrusive?". If it is your dedicated listening room, by all means, man up and put in Voice of the Theaters if you want!
My first thought looking at an empty space is "where do the speakers go?".
Yes! I am truly an audiofreek! My partner and I recently toured new homes around our area during an open house weekend, just for fun. My thoughts were exactly that _ where are the speakers going to go, then the tv, then where can we put the furniture so as to be in the sweet spot. So many of today's new homes have tiny living rooms - only one builder in 8 we saw had two great rooms that would accommodate both people and stereo beautifully....Maybe I have too much testosterone?
From my perspective, there are a couple reasons why people might like stand mounted, instead of floor standing. The visual impact, as stated earlier, IS very important to most people. I bought Mirage OMD-28s because I love the sound AND the look of them. They are quite lovely...even thought they are big blocks. As an art lover I require beauty, as well as function. Luckily, I found that. But it IS important. I made special stands for my desktop speakers, which make the visual impact dramatic, as well as raising them off the desk.
Music is an art that we love...so it only makes sense that art lovers also tend to love visual art, and floor standing speakers aren't as visually interesting as stand mounted, with their differing shapes. For instance, this winter I'm going to build speaker stands for running 2 pair of Gallo A'Divas in tandem, and I am going to design/build a wood stand that looks similar to the Gradient Helsinki 1.5 speakers. Not because it will improve the sound in any way...but because it will look beautiful. Art matters.
From a technical perspective, I know many people that prefer the stand mounted speakers because they can relocate the bass to a location that better suits their room acoustics. This offers more flexibility in placement as the bass won't get out of hand if too close to a wall, etc. My Mirage's are very bass heavy, and my speaker placement isn't optimal close to walls....so I've had to send the low bass to subs that are placed more appropriately.
"My Mirage's are very bass heavy, and my speaker placement isn't optimal close to walls....so I've had to send the low bass to subs that are placed more appropriately."
Is it possible Lrsky's strong reaction was because the floorstander's he has been lusting after were shot down in favor of standmounts and he has already been told they are visually smaller but can't see that logic?
C'mon Lrsky, where are you? We all get carried away and make stupid comments once and a while. A simple apology/explanation, and we will all forgive you; even Tvad, I'm sure.
Anyway, re the original question, I think Tvad nailed it. But in addition, I think the following also applies: stand mounting speakers is not unlike putting them on a pedestal; literally and figuratively. In other words, they are then being "displayed". Women like to decorate their living space more than men do. A stand mounted speaker will tend to look more like a decoration than a similarly sized box sitting on the floor.
My wife wanted me to get whatever I wanted just so I'd shut up about wanting new speakers. At first she hated the look of the Focal Chorus V series speakers, but once she saw them in black she was ok with the look. For some reason the V shape of the grill didn't work for her when it was in contrast to the color of the cabinets.
I had her stop by the store to choose the color and to also listen to the 816v vs. the 836v to help make the choice. She told me to get the bigger ones because she knew I'd be happier with them.
In the spirit of this thread, she'd prefer to never see any audio equipment at all but does enjoy listening to it.
Tiggerfc - You just have not found the right person. I have a friend that proclaimed many things as a single guy and then it happened, he met the right girl. I've never met a single guy that was over 40 that I really wanted to be. You get to a point in life where being single is really nothing more than being alone. Now back to the scheduled discussion.
As someone who moves around a lot, it it is simply easier to box up my monitors and safely transport them to my next location than a pair of 100 pound floor-standers are. They are also easier to keep clean and ding free.
Consider also that those who want the deeper bass extension might get better control with a separate sub that they can place where they need in the room and dial the crossover appropriately.
kind of like driving a car with you penis on the hood--more a statement of grandure rather than the practicality of actual usage. Most bookshelves work better.
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