Your favorite Small Apartment Speakers


  1. I view this as sort of a companion thread to the “Best Small Speakers At any Price” thread.

Lets hear what you’ve used and loved!

Thanks in advance.
gochurchgo
Another vote for the JA Pulsars. Mate them with a subwoofer, and you can do mega metal!
Op, these speakers are not ideal for your type of music, but for anyone who looks for a small (but otherwise 'big') speakers, these are great.

Franco Serblin's Lignea (founder of Sonus Faber)

https://youtu.be/XcAIdq_fEY4

https://youtu.be/7WDHYj6DOZ8 (music starts at 5.30min)

https://youtu.be/fOmvjerBwwY

On these linka you can 'hear' and see them, but you dont need D'Agostino amp to run them, since theit impemdance do not fall under 7.9ohm.

I run them with the 30w single ended amp.;They are capable of producing magic (jazz is my thing) 
I would say fritz, ref 3a mm decapo..the de capo doesnt have ton of base so great for apt
I know the thread is basically dead.
But still, this thread is not complete with someone suggesting the Evolution Acoustics MicroOne. Simple as that. 👍
I bought ProMonitor 1000 about a month ago! I was looking for small white speakers and they are just pefect, I think they have them in othe colors as well. They were recommended and here is where i found them https://pickadvisor.org/best-bookshelf-speaker-under-200/

Btw I ordered two more (will be delivered on Mon) so I'll have 4 and I'll have surround sound :)
I had bad luck with speakers from definitive tech!!!
Plastic the use is cheap, they are easily breakable!
Consider Polk speakers, they are much better
I bought ProMonitor 1000 about a month ago! I was looking for small white speakers and they are just pefect, I think they have them in othe colors as well. They were recommended and here is where i found them https://pickadvisor.org/best-bookshelf-speaker-under-200/

Btw I ordered two more (will be delivered on Mon) so I'll have 4 and I'll have surround sound :)
My apartment system consists of the stand-mount Dynaudio Confidence 20 with the Dynaudio Sub 6 all on IsoAcoustic Gaia feet with real sub-bass output. The Gaia's adds fantastic clarity and isolation from structurally transferred noice.

Please see my system here https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/7850

Cheers,
Martin
I think you’ll be much happier with small floorstanders than bookshelf’s if no sub. 
Highly recommend Spendor A4. Excellent tone, sounds great with all music genres, easy to drive, healthy bass response, very small footprint. Classic British sound from a British speaker iconic brand. 
I own the larger D7’s and adore them in my reference system, as well as the Spendor SA1 bookshelf speakers in my bedroom system. 
You just get such a more expansive and full sound with floorstanders v bookshelf’s 
I've had the Davone Mojos now for over 5 years, and they sound great. Recently added a James subwoofer in and sounds amazing, and you can dial in the amount of bass you want.
I'm not so much limited on space as I am worried about pissing off the neighbors (bass). I listen to a bit of bass heavy music.
Not the consensus for me. I have plans for a floor stander in a small space. Vivid Kaya 45 or Paradigm Persona 3F. Not big speakers but not small either. In November I will home demo the Pesona 3F.
So the consensus is that floor standing speakers are a no go for the most part? WHich makes sense though some have suggested subs with stand mounts and it would seem to me subs would be worse for your neighbors than floor standing speakers but thats admittedly a guess.
They are lots of good small speakers at a variety of prices on the market.  I collected some small speakers such as JBL, Bose, Leaglee GT01. I am using the Leaglee GT01 speaker because it's cheap and small to carry anywhere. 
On the higher end, I think Reference 3a Dulcet BE have to be on this list. On a budget, I've heard terrific music out of a pair of NHT 2.1 SuoerOnes.
Suggest that you look into the Vanatoo T1Es. DSP driven... plenty of bass output and extension with a balanced frequency response. They will work well in a small apartment and you won't need a power amp or pre-amp to use them. They are self-powered and fully digital. No sub will be needed, but a good set of stands will enhance the experience. See my review of these speakers. Click Here 

John
The JMlab (Focal) Electra 905s are rare to find on the used market because they’re older, but they are fine speakers. They feature the time-aligned D’Appolito configuration that helped put the brand on the map. They are very fast, neutral and lively, so accommodate any style of music, but also revealing, so can tend towards bright or dry if associated gear is not up to par. Though the drivers are small, the slotted port produces surprising bass.

The Sonus faber are really nice, but do tend to favor unamplified music. They’re liquid, but may not have enough speed or snap.

I would also agree with those recommending Polk, which are fine value for the money. They have some slim floorstanding designs as well as bookshelves that could work. Polk were my first audiophile speaker purchase, and those speakers are still in the family. I bought the slim RT series towers, which I considered "mini-towers," MSRP of about $550 in 1996. At one point, I got out of high end, and rebuilt a mid-fi system around them. I subsequently drove them with much higher end electronics as I got back into the audiophile groove and upgraded my system. They are always great fun to listen to.

I like the small Spendor towers, too, which have a lot of resolution. They have a slightly warm, woody characteristic, which I find common in a number of British-designed speakers, but it’s very attractive on acoustic music, and overall more neutral, if less overtly beautiful or liquid, than the Sonus faber designs.
Depends on what (and how) you want to listen to, and probably on what you are connecting them to, but I remain partial to my old Sonus Faber Concertinos for a "warm" sort-of-smallish room full sound.  They are available used.  If that's not your cup of tea, that's fine - I don't try to impose my listening taste on anyone else.

Howdy!
Look into the Legacy Audio Studio HD.  Legacy makes some amazing products!
Dave
@giantsalami  If I found the right deal I'd be super interested in the Kismets. Any complaints on them or just moving on?
I have Focal Utopia Diablo III's in a small room with a REL subwoofer and they lack for nothing, especially when driven by my PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premier HP amp. Maybe you need to simply get a subwoofer for your system if you want more bass.
@gochurchgo,I have the bookshelf. I moved on to Modwright after a few issues. I have the KWA-150 SE amp and the SWL 9.0 Anniversary pre. Also, running a couple of REL subs under the speaker stands. The Kismets and Cantons do not need too much sub, depending on the quality of the recording. On a couple of my CD's, I turn the subs completely off.
@doni I was super hot on those but it seems like now that people have them they seem not to be as great as the online reviewers said they were. Still curious to hear them. You can usually find the s300's for cheap but I haven't seen the 400's yet.
@giantsalami  do you have the bookshelf version or the now floor standing version?

I haven't heard them but they use top quality drivers. Off topic but what did you move to after Odyssey (amplification-wise)?
I like the Cantons in a bigger space.  Great bass and imaging. I'm using the Focal in my computer room which is pretty small, almost near field. Both are great speakers. 
Hey big greg, I contacted you before ordering the Cantons, and I'm with you on them being well worth the money. My preference is with the Cantons over the Focals. I purchased a set of Iso acoustic stands for them and that just opened up some nice,tight bass .I still have the Odysseys and Evokes,one will have to go soon. @ gochurchgo, I used to have all Odyssey, and still have the monitors. They are great speakers.
"I recently purchased a pair of the Canton 9.2 and am thoroughly impressed by them. I have owned Tekton Impact Monitors, Focal 1008 BE, Philharmonitors, Odyssey Kismets, Evoke Eddies, and a few more. These Cantons are staying with me..."

I have the Cantons also and think they represent great value for the money and I really like their looks also. They have a surprising amount of bass for their size and are detailed without being bright or edgy. Having said that, I prefer the Focal 1008 BE, they’re a little more detailed. I don’t live in an apartment but have used both in a small room.
... NEW: Something by Golden Ear (MY EX-FRIEND SWEARS BY THEM) or the KLIPSCH HERSHEY llll; vintage: late 90s or early 2000s Gershman Avant Garde RX-20
My amplification will be all Odyssey so it’s interesting you mention the Kismets.@giantsalami
JBL LSR305 powered studio monitor. Accurate, huge sweet spot due to wave guide tuneable and for $300 you have speakers that sound as good and better than a lot of consumer audio speakers that I auditioned that were $1000 for a pair.
Though no longer available in the US, I think my Esoteric MG-10s to be excellent. I drive mine with  BEL 1001 MK5 in a small room ~12'x15'. Haven't seen a pair show up used for a while.
I recently purchased a pair of the Canton 9.2 and am thoroughly impressed by them. I have owned Tekton Impact Monitors, Focal 1008 BE, Philharmonitors, Odyssey Kismets,  Evoke Eddies, and a few more. These Cantons are staying with me...
Dynaudio focus series

110 or 160 tough to beat for the price. I have the 160 now but I think I actually love the 110 sound more - I very much regret trading those!

No offense to the polkies, but the dyns stomp the Polk LSi series in every category - to my ears anyway!
I'd consider the Buchardt S400's, as they have very good base for a small speaker, and are designed by former Dynaudio engineer, so sound should be comparable to the Special 40.  About half the price, however, and I've been very happy with them.
Boenicke W5 table or on stands ..need 100 watts to drive them but they deliver ..warm natural voicing ..
have them would not trade them 
also have Metronome 7 ‘s from the late 70,s
i got them for my mom to use in her apt ..just inherited them ..little boxes huge soundstage ..bass shy ..but do well in book cases as long as the baffle can stick out beyond the edge 
ADS 300s Especially if you add a Sub.
Fabulous Mids and Highs.
Very transparent.
A pristine pair will cost you about 150. tops
i’d second the Totem Arro suggestion, and even better value for money a pair of Totem Dreamcatcher: incredibly lively, small footprint, bi-wireable, almost as good as KEF LS50 for 1/5 the price
Not sure what qualifies for a “small” room but my living/dining room where my rig is measures 14’ x 28’. The speakers are on the long wall but only span about 40% of it firing across the 14’ width of the room. 
I've owned several pairs of speakers in a small bedroom since 2003, both floorstanders and standmounts. I currently have a Sangean hdt-20> Appj Miniwatt 2013> Paradigm Atom v3. This is the most musical, least fatiguing system I've ever owned. These are also the smallest pair of speakers I've had in my space and the Hd Tuner and tube amp were added around the same time as the speakers so this could just be the synergy I'm in love with.