Best speakers for a small room? 10'X14'

Spica TC-50. One of my sound rooms is 10'x 15' and I have tried numerous speakers (Proac Response 1.5, Magnepan 1.6QR, Sound Dynamics RTS-3, Totem Arros and Sig. 1). The Spicas sounded the best with the Arros a close second. The Maggies did not sound good at all and I had them 3' from the rear wall.

Personally, i don't think that Maggies would work well in a room of that size. You should have no problem pressurizing that size room, so efficiency is not a major concern. This would point me towards a sealed box or transmission line design, especially if the speaker is of full range design i.e. a large woofer or three way. Sealed and Transmission line designs produce bass that is faster, more articulate and less bloated.

Optimally, I would look for something along the lines of a monitor with the possibility of a reasonably sized subwoofer set-up. The monitor should be small in size with a limited baffle area. Since you don't have much room to work with, this will produce the widest and most seamless soundstage possible. Boxes with larger baffles and drivers that are spaced further apart require greater distance to focus.

The two speakers that come to mind right off the bat are the Spica's ( as mentioned above ) or the Sequerra Metronome's. Both are excellent little speakers that can be had for next to nothing on the used market. Neither is real strong on bottom end though, so you might want to supplement them with a sub(s). You could then place the monitors for optimum imaging / soundstage without having to worry about losing the bottom end. The modular arrangement of the two piece system would also allow you to put the subs where they would obtain the necessary amount of bass reinforcement for optimum performance.

Either way, let us know what you do and the results of yoru decision. I'm sure that there are others in similar situations and it's always nice to compare notes. Sean
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The Maggies won't work. Period. Try the Coincident Triumph UHS. $1200 and you're in. I've owned many pairs of speakers to include several highend British brands and I've fallen in love with Coincident. Unknown giant killer.

Thanks everybody. There are some great suggestions so far, some of which I'm familiar with and others that I've been researching as you recommend them.

I've always had a fondness for the Spica's and have often thought about buying them just because they can be had so inexpensively. Unfortunately, I just missed out on an auction for a pair of TC-60s (I'm guessing they're as good if not better than the 50s although I've heard conflicting views on this.)

I'm very intrigued by the Totems and have been researching them today. I have heard the Model 1 and liked them very much. I think I've ruled out the Maggies by virtue of the fact that they're so placement sensitive that I'm not sure I want to hassle with them. I don't think there'll be enough room to get them away from the wall since I have to place the speakers on the longer wall.

The other two speakers that I'm researching/considering are several Thiels (.5, 1.5 and 2.2 or 22 - thanks bose). I've heard the .5 and 1.5 and prefer the 1.5 although the .5's seem to disappear a little better. I've heard the 2.3's which are out of my price range, but have not heard the 22's. I know that they're a three-way and wonder if they might be a bit much for the room size. Finally, I've been trying to gather more information about the Audio Physic Step. I've never heard any of the AP line but am impressed by the favorable press. Anyone have experience with these? I see that they're very inefficient, but that shouldn't be a problem considering the room size and the amount of power that I have at my disposal.

Keep the suggestions coming! Maybe this small room isn't such a bad thing afterall. I'll keep you posted.

avantgarde trios dont screw around with wimppy bookshelf speakers.