When I was in college I lived in a 10x12 room and had a pair of Altec Voice of the Theaters. Not only were they loud, they also took up a good portion of the floor space. To be young again!
I use Dali Zensor 1 paired with Marantz PM5005 in my small living room in Mumbai, India. This entry-level combination is my first hifi purchase and I'm loving it since I got it last year!
Rejin Jose K as of now, my source is an old iPhone SE using 3.5 mm to RCA cable. Getting an Allo Boss 1.2 player when the lockdown ends and shipping begins. Also looking to buy a turntable but that’s after some months.
I have Magnepan MMGs, Schiit Vidar and a small REL sub in a 10’ x 11’ listening room. I do adhere to the 3’ rule. It sounds great. Big and spacious without the need to be played loud. The REL is used at low volume and low crossover and acts almost as the loudness control on old receivers. And the directional nature of the Maggies keeps the bleed through to other rooms at a minimum.
I've recently bought a pair of RP-600Ms for my small apartment living room (~3m x 4.5m), and was surprised that they worked so well, despite slightly compromised positioning and a lot of glass around.
I have the Elac Debut Reference in a 12 x 14 room. They are amazing. They need a decent amp to drive them well, but the sound amazing, they are front ported and you can put them right against the wall and the sound doesn’t change much if at all. I’m using an Emotiva A300 and it does very well
You can fit meaty speakers with large woofers and even subs for full range audio if you know enough about room acoustics and are willing to experiment. I am running EVE SC208 monitors (35Hz -3dB) with dual Martin Logan 1000W 12" subs in a bedroom. The key to reducing bass boominess (reduce decay times) is using multi subs. Multi subs, digital correction, good positioning, and patience go a long way to making small rooms manageable. What I've found though is small speakers paired with subs are more easily managed than floor standers in a small room.
Yes, I have a pair of sealed ancient 4-way with 15" woofers. Mitsubishi tweeters, maybe (?) 4" Pioneer midrange; no brand woofers. Speakers weigh ~ 70 lbs each. Stickers under the plinths say Model 99. I only use them as TV speakers on against the long wall of in my 12 ft x 15 bedroom. I drive them with a slightly under biased First Watt F4 amp fed directly from an Oppo 95 BD player and they sound remarkably dynamic but without boomy bass from 10 ft away.
Currently running in my small listening room: Monitor No. 5 from Blue Planet Audio (Bookshelf speaker with Tang Band full range chassis from a small manufacturer here in Germany that mostly offers parts for diy products) with Marantz PM6006/CD6006 and Pro-ject Pre-Box S2 (used as Dac). Beautiful sound...
Late to the party,but I had some Canton speakers that had pretty good sound(and size) for my needs at the time. Canton GLE-50's. Those and Braun were my faves back then. You can still find them around for a quick-cheap-fix.
I scaled down because of the setup in my 12 7 x 9 5 room. The speakers were 119 pounds the amp 150 pounds. That was a lot of weight to carry up and down the stairs. But my new setup is just right. Sonus Faber minima amator II and the accuphase E-380 along with the esoteric dv-50. The sound is marvelous and I have more space.
I just picked up the Totem Acoustics Arro, and Steve is right once again. What an amazing speaker! Not exactly cheap, but there are no shortcuts to getting down to 40 Hz with a 4 " woofer. These speakers image better than anything I've heard from Tannoy's Revolution line, and the tweeter is a real treat. BTW, they are about 35" high with the included plinths and spikes.
@@literalghost929 I upgraded my amp from a Parasound Hint to a Yamaha A-S1100. The synergy is better. Vocals are quite stunning at times as is acoustic instruments like piano. They image so well, like a stage is in front of you, not 2 speakers. But the Arros are not high decibel speakers, and they need a sub.
Psb Alpha B1’s in my 10x10 room sound great to me. They seem to have dropped off the audiophile map lately after being on Stereophile’ s list of recommended components for several years.
I have had a pair for almost 12 years now, love 'em. I think the reason why they aren't talked about as much is, they have been around for close to 15 years. I think you can buy them new for less than 200 bucks now. Great value, even more so now.
Oh man, the Q acoustics 2020i are brilliant for a small room. Pushing a neutral yet engaging detailed sound, they ring like a bell and give a superb sound stage. They're the Staffordshire bull terrier of bookshelf speakers. Love love love.
Great episode, i like to (most times have to) listen at low volumes, an episode about suggestions of systems that can sound dynamic and detailed at low volumes will be appreciated for appartment listeners
@@MattArmstrongX My Zu Dirty Weekend sounds great at low volume. I'm going to pair it with a two watt Decware tube amp (currently running LFD Zero MkII), combination of which I hear sounds terrific at low volumes.
Hello good afternoon. I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoy your videos. I see videos from different experts but yours are the best without a doubt. Greetings from Mexico City.
Working to a very tight, very small budget I managed to get a pair of Kef coda 70s, a pioneer A8 amp and a Sony PS 4300 turntable. Space is at a premium as it's set up in the bedroom. I paid more for a copy of Into the wild than I did for the system and the Kef's are worth MUCH more than the £30 they cost me. Unfortunately like everyone else I'm always looking for something new (or more likely 2nd hand) that could improve the sound, so now I have much more to consider speaker wise. Love your enthusiasm for the subject.
For the retro-minded British audio enthusiasts: one of the most impressive modest systems I ever heard was based around Acoustic Energy AE1s driven by an Audiolab 8000a - definitely one of those happy matches which amounts to more than the sum of its parts. Low sensitivity and a capable amplifier does seem to be an effective route in these situations. And then there's what I'm still using: Royd Minstrel SEs. Royds of any sort aren't all that common on the used market, for some reason. :-)
Big speakers tend to be rather useless for very small rooms but still can sound very good. I did this for several years. The lowest frequencies, well, other people in the house noticed, but at the room itself they seemed to lack.
As soon as I get some extra time I am going to build a set of the NX Studio's from GR Research ( 899.00 Kit ) which I hear from people I trust are pretty special.
For a small room you forgot the Ohm Walsh 1000 which does best near the rear wall and with it's sit anywhere and hear both speakers perfectly and phenomenal imaging would be perfect for a small room.
I'm surprised Steve didn't mention the Emotiva B1+. He just did a review on them and said how great they were. Although there are hundreds of different bookshelf speakers out there...
@@stevefick3919 I've looked for those, but right now they aren't available from the company...Chinese production problems perhaps due to the Corona virus? Just guessing. But I did get on their mailing list to be informed when they were available again. Was thinking they'd be a good upgrade from my old Polk T-15 speakers, but not as expensive or big as the Klipsch RP-600M speakers.
Linn Kan, hard up against the wall. Perfect for a small room, fast and dynamic and surprising bass in a small room. Must have quality source and amplifier that can provide plenty of current rather than lots of watts per channel.
I'm staying in a small living room apartment having my elac b 6 power by rotel ra 960 bx and a cheap China made dvd player to transport. Sound great to me.
I ran RF82 IIs for years in a 10' x 12' room. I dosagree with large speakers not working in a small space. It worked really well with out "boomy" bass. Pull the speakers out from the wall!
My room is 11ft by 10.5ft but is well damped with soft furnishings and books. I am using Horns FP10 which are a 96db horn loaded two way stand-mount with ten inch woofers. With the right room treatments they are fabulous at a distance of 1.8m.
I am in a small room in the basement and have a pair of Elac Uni-Fi 5 Floorstanders and an Elac 200 watt sub and it is just amazing. The soundstage is amazing. No boomy bloated bass. Speakers are out 4’ into the room with 12’ x 13’
Steve, Steve, Steve …. luv ya babe. BUT you forgot to mention the small Triangle Titus EZ, which you just recently reviewed. Three weeks ago, I purchased a pair from a great dealer, Big Kids in Greensboro NC, to match up with my Musical Paradise MP 301mkII tube amp….. all for my "small room". In the past few days, these speakers have literally blossomed, bloomed and come to full break-in maturation. All I can say is WOW … what a great sound I now have for a "budget system. The Triangles are superb!
Perfect video for me. I want to get some audiophile grade speakers for my stereo but i’m confined to a small suite room for college! Steve, you’ve inspired me to continue down the path of audio.
That Vinyl Guy The wormhole goes deep analysis paralysis can happen very quickly good luck on your journey. If you want to company outside of the normal check out the small speaker company that sells direct online called ascend acoustics
I'm running Vandersteen 2CEs with a 2wq sub in an 11 x 16 room, and the bass is glorious, tight, and perfect. Midrange is too acute on one channel, and I dial it down -3dB. No problems. ps- I've listened to the Totem Arro and they are really great for small rooms, and beautiful form too. Totem is really underrrated. Model 1 is superb.
Carravagio16 I do run a sub that sits under my desk, but I have it set to a very minimal setting. I can probably do without it but Im too lazy to get down there and disconnect it. For me it meets what I’m looking for. The room does have carpet and with Zu’s you do have to play around with how much gap you have with the floor. I like my blues and my rock to a have a bit of low end punch and jazz and country to be more balanced. It does those just fine for me. I’m never going to claim I have golden ears. I was in the Navy and some of my frequency sensitivity was left on the high seas. But my toe taps often enough for me to be happy.
Carravagio16 I should say I also run the Klipsch RP-600M’s in the living room at a midfield distance and I like them very much. Though they do have baffles on the back so they need a bit of distance from the wall. To me, they are all around great. But admittedly I’m probably going to move up to Fortes or Cornwalls some day. But, like you, I wonder how they’ll sound in the living room. Will they be too big? Right now I’m happy and will $4-6K make me any happier?
I have a 15 x 15 room, walls are concrete. I have a pair of older model Monitor Audio Silver S1 on a Yamaha DSP-AX8. The Bass and sound stage is incredible. Clarity is great too. I set them approximately 2.5 FT from the wall.
I have a 10'x13'room and have tried Celestion Ditton 33, Spendor SP1, Green Mountain Continuum 1.5i, JM Reynaud Offrende and Spatial Audio M-4 speakers, (which our pal Steve enthusiastically reviewed on TH-cam). I currently have Wilson Audio WATT Puppy 7's. The listener has usually been about 7' away from the speakers. All of these speakers have done certain things very well, but most audio gurus would say every pair is too big for the room. The WATT 7's are fed with an Esoteric K-01xd player, an Esoteric C-02 preamp and Buckeye ET 7040 monoblocks. Sometimes parts of the room do audibly vibrate, this can be annoying, but this happens during live performances a lot and I've never heard anyone say that the system produces sludge or exaggerated low frequencies. Conventional wisdom seems to indicate that you can't have good results w/speakers that go below 40Hz or so in a small room. I haven't found this to be true, but would like to know if anyone has recommendations for speakers besides the Totem Arro to get good bass in a small room.
Steve I'm a broken record but a set of entry level open baffles would be amazing in a small room......all the benefits of large floor standing speakers without all the bass issues.
Matthew, can you please suggest a model? Do you mean something like the GR-Research NX-Studio that was on New Record Day? That may be nice with a small sub
@@sc51153826 spatial audio M4 turbo S. Absolutely outstanding speakers that would be a great deal at even double the price they retail for currently!! High Efficiency, super dynamic, holographic, wide open sounding speakers with very natural extended highs, realistic mids and tight accurate bass that is amazingly flexible in any room. Add a good sub and they are true full range monsters!!! Can't recommend then enough!
I used open baffle speakers for around 15 years. When I moved to a smaller house with a small room, my OB's didn't have the magical imaging they had in my former place. Finally had to go to box speakers again. OB's tend to need space to breath, in my experience.
@@gurdyman1 interesting! I've only ever ran OBs in larger rooms. I was just guessing that with their typically non boomy bass profile and flexible room interaction properties they would be a rare large speaker that could work well in smaller rooms. Honestly, this was just a guess though, I've never put it to practice in the real world. I would guess that for large speakers with 12 or even 15 inch drivers they would perform much better than a similarly sized box speaker in a smaller space.
I just had a chance to listen to the Totem Arro speakers and they absolutely blew me away. The huge soundstage, airiness, details...Wow. Absolutely amazing by itself. Did you pair it with a sub? If so, may I ask which one and did you like it?
My room is right on the cusp, 14x11. Running Kappa 7.1's and it sounds fabulous. Walls are super thick too, it's an older brick house. No bloated bass and no turntable feedback.
I bought the Dayton Audio B652-Air's for myself for Christmas. Just on a whim. They are very nice mid/upper speakers. The AMT Tweeter is really nice. They do, however, suffer in the bass somewhat. They have a good sized 6 1/2" woofer, but I think the cabinets aren't deep enough. And being an acoustic suspension speaker, the woofer can't move enough to get some good bass. Mind you I'm only driving them with a 25 watt/channel cheap tube amp! That being said, they are an awesome little speaker for near field listening! Right now on sale at Parts Express for $43.25.
Of course there are always too many brands for Steve to remember. Revel, Bowers & Wikens, Elac, Vandersteen, MartinLogan, KEF, Focal and Paradigm just to name a few that offer modern designs and well engineered, quality built bookshelf speakers. And no mention of the wonders a tube or tube hybrid amp can reveal in a small room, low volume listening environment ? Ah well, speaker recommendations are as subjective as anything can be. The results are so subject to the room and musical taste perhaps the best recommendation is to find an opportunity to audition in your own room.
I have Bowers and Wilkins 686's used as near field monitors just off my desk on stands. Awesome sound with an old school NAD amp and a Schiit Modi 3. Thanks for the video Steve.
Dali Menuets. 4.5inch woofer, designed to close couple to the wall. Bought mine almost ten years ago and to this day have never found anything better in a small room. Paired with a REL T5i and you're done.
For me a great pair will be sealed box, 5” driver. For me the Harbeth P3ESR is superb for small rooms. I’ve used Q Acoustics Concept 20, Klipsch RP600M, KEF LS50 and Sony SS CS5 in small rooms too. They all work fine. Now for my bedroom, it’s the KEF LS50 and a Yamaha RN803, the YPAO room correction helps heck of a lot in controlling the bass. The Harbeth P3ESR is in the living room. They sound just amazing for a simple set up.
Sly foxxx ... Concept 20 is pretty neutral. Easy to listen to. Harbeth P3ESR is in a league of its own with that quality bass and natural sound. KEF LS50 is a great all rounder. Klipsch is ok, just got a smidge of that horn sound, it’s cheap. Sony SS CS5 is the cheapest but it works. If it’s long term investment ... it will be a toss up between the Harbeth and the KEF, depends on your preference of music and sound.
Fat Rat ... no listener fatigue at all. Some say it’s bright but I did not find it to be bright. It’s just got a bit of that cupped-hands-to-your-mouth kinda sound. It’s an ok speaker.
Fat Rat ... no issue with my ears. Still can hear up to 15KHz for a guy just over 50. The P3ESR are still metal dome but they sound smooth for metal dome. They are still from SEAS. I did swap out my original tweeters for silk dome ones from SEAS, it’s just a drop in. Same size and bolt patterns. The ori tweeters start to drop off at 15KHz (not just because of crossover), the replacement drops off at 20KHz. So my P3ESR got a bit of extended highs. I like it. Does not affect the kids much at all. Bet diehard Harbeth fans will be most upset with such a sacrilegious act. 😂🤣
I set up a couple of Triangle Esprit Heyda EZ bookshelf speakers in my daughter's small appartment. Impressed by the performance when driven however they are especially mellow at lower volumes.
My current small room system is a pair of Pioneer SP-BS22-LR's connected to a Pioneer SX-450. This is a very satisfying,15 watts-per-channel system. I even run the BS22's without a subwoofer. The SX-450 has been in my family since dad bought it in, I think, 1978.I recently restored the SX-450 and needed an excuse to have it set up permanently, so the little Andrew Jones speakers fit right in. Now, I also broke all the rules in my other room 25 years ago when shoved a pair of Cerwin-Vega VS-120's into an approximately 11'x12' room.
I’m surprised the KEF LS50 isn’t on this list & I’m wondering why? According to the Audiophiliac’s interview with John Atkinson that’s what he has on his office desk. That seems like a pretty strong endorsement.
Yup, I have KEF LS50 in a relatively small room (11ft X 13ft) and they sound great. Unfortunately, I do have to place them right next to the wall but with bass ports plugged and/or some gentle EQ'ing (miniDSP or just smartphone EQ), I can tame and clean up the bass nicely.
The Totem Signature One works well in my small room of 15x13ft. It helps that I have plenty of clean power to control them, and they tolerate being very close to the rear wall. Totem publish min and max distance from a rear wall recommendations which is pretty useful to give you an idea.
Steve I have a small room 14×12. I have a pair of Magico S1MKII and they do very well in a small room with a 7"woofer. They are a sealed speaker which helps greatly with placement and smaller rooms. I would also suggest maybe the Magico A1. A sealed bookshelf that beats almost everything in its price range. It is not cheap at $7k it is their entry level but could be an endgame speaker for many folks.
0:24 Guilty as charged. I just bought a pair of Klipsch RF 82 II to use in a 13 ft by 11 ft room. I still haven´t heard them though, because i don´t have an amp yet. But i also bought a subwoofer, so i believe i won´t have so much bass problems as i would have if i would use only the speakers.
The discontinued Design 5 (D5) from Peachtree Audio is an excellent sounding small room (10' x 15') 'ish loudspeaker. The better the electronics behind them, the better they sound. I really enjoy them. 🎵
Steve, You didn't mention the speaker pictured in the promo picture, the Revel M-16. Another speaker you often talk about is the KEF LS50. This is of interest to me. BTW Hard to place the LRS in a small room.
For a low budget good sounding alternative I have 8 Sengled pulse 15 W speaker bulbs in my ceiling coupled w the sengled pulse amp which connects to a powered sub and is fully app controllable .When they came out they were about 200 for a master / satellite pair now they're available for about 30 or less . Good sound with stealthiness and dual functionality and since they are down firing from the ceiling carpet or rugs tame reflections.
In my small room I find speakers with fewer drivers work well, concentric drivers in particular (Kef, fyne audio, SourcePoint etc). The size of those drivers isn’t so much an issue because bigger ones move less to push the same amount of air as a small driver. You could argue less driver excursion is better for smaller spaces. Eg the JBL 4329p suits my small room way more than the kef ls50 wireless ii. Larger drivers also tend to be more efficient (more amp friendly) and more clear at lower volumes, again a benefit to small rooms. Edit: I’m not disagreeing with any of the speakers on this list by the way, they are all great choices. I just thought to give another angle, based on my own experience and discussions I’ve had with others.
A pair of ADC 404 speakers and a 20-50 watt full range amp with tone controls will be more than you'll ever want in a small room. It doesn't matter how old they are or what they look like, as long as their performance is spot on. These speakers are all this and more. Only leaving my presence when the will gets read. Then the kids can fight over them.
I can't argue the point and instead merely point out that I have the Legacy Audio Focus (very large speaker) in my 12 x 14 room with not just OK, but quite good. Most definitely I have none of the bloated bass for which you warn of. So not sure why it doesn't apply in my case, however it simply doesn't. Of course I had to spend much time with placement... both Speakers and Sitting position. I also have several items / furnishings in the room and each placed in the room to HELP. So for instance my dual 6 ft equipment racks are placed in locations which actually HELP. OK, so other than this like I said the results are quite good. I am -3db at 18hz with only a bump in the bass at literally one frequency..., and for this I either live with it (song dependent) or I implement a single Bass attenuation afforded to me by my preamp processor. And so maybe I literally have a SINGLE position where both my Speakers and my Seating can be placed so as to not have BAD Bass, however setup as I have things... all is not only well, but quite good in fact.
I wouldn't say big speakers are always a bad choice for small rooms. It depends whether you want to play them at high or low volume. No word heard from Steve about that. At low volume big speakers do sound more complete in small rooms than small speakers do. There are plenty of responsive large speakers available which sound great at low volume in small rooms with no boomy base whatsoever.
Depends on the definition of a small room. For say a 12 foot long room the lowest frequency that it would support is 100 Hz. 12 feet is the wave length of 100 Hz. Anything lower will be problematic as the wavelength cannot develop properly in that room.
I have a 15’ x 15’ room, a pair of Monitor Audio Radius 90, a pair of REL T/Zero subs, a ProJect turntable, some Schiit Audio Modi, Mani and the Loki, and a Linn Classic. My dream speakers are the Totem Arros,, I almost bought a pair, not now but in the future, then I’m set👍🏼
Those Radius 90's look perfect for a room that size, & with independent control over the sub, you can still go very low-down without swamping the room with too-much bass, it's probably the perfect arrangement & the "way to go" for a small room.
Rarely mentioned for small home theater is the Home theater direct series 3 bookshelf.Ribbon tweeter and excellent bass, this also works well with music.
I have the bowers and wilkins 607 in my small room. It has decent bass but i want a little more so got the asw608. Great tiny 8 inch sub, it does not go down to teen hz but its clear, punchy, works well in my room. Im pretty much satisfied for music and satisfied with movies when i increase bass volume and extension. Im set for my system for now and not craving for any upgrade.
Great video Steve, I have just put ATC scm 19 in my room and they are truly outstanding, on very good sand filled stands driven by naim audio electronics. The ATC scm11 are a bit smaller but also very highly regarded in the UK..
Cool video Steve! My Room is only 15ft by 10ft. My setup is Yamaha A-S1100 Amplifier, Dali Rubicon 2s, Audiolab 6000cdt Transport & Arcam irdac ii. These Speaker's are lovely Standmount Speakers! They use a 29mm Silk Dome tweeter! 6.5inch Woodfibre Mid-base Driver!! & they sound smooth & detailed! That Yamaha runs clean power too my Speaker's & they're happy singing along to kinda anything I throw at them!! Anyways, cool video 👍✌
The Pioneer SP-BS22-LR ($129) is still a shockingly good speaker for small rooms or near-field use. Even better, when paired with a small sub for a 2.1 system. I used my Dayton Sub80 ($99) with added 100hz high-pass X-overs added ($30) and the sound is incredible. All that said, I recently acquired a pair of Klipsch KG4s, which is probably overkill for my 11'x14' listening room, but they sound and look magnificent.
For a small space...a more intimate sound....I use a Yaqin MC100-B tube amp, Black Cube phono stage, a TT, and efficient Paradigm Mini Monitors. I was unhappy w most speaker stands, so did a DIY sand filled PVC tube, wood top/bottom sitting on spikes, toed speakers in to sweet spot 8ft from my fav seat.... We r retiring soon, and will relocate to a smaller home, condo, shared wall? home ...most homes we look at, and considering the WAF factor...I may end up w my dedicated music room being an alcove, or shared w a BR/small office. Kinda scares the s**t outta me, because I gotta not only give up my surround sound gear, but eliminate my other big stereo system, speakers SS amp, preamp, sources, lucky i have the smaller speaker system already! Honestly the thought of flipping it all... for a hi end headphone/IEM AMP, DAC, SOURCE/DAP, streamer...because homes i have seen so far in Fl, it may be my dream Eames chair/ottoman (clone, not paying $6k for a nice used one) and a headphone rig in a tiny/small footprint intimate space! P.S.like your idea of Schiit Loki EQ...esp since i may NOT have the option of moving speakers/away from the wall/around or if i want to keep boomy bass under control and keep neighbors friendly (spoiled now in Northeast, big above dbl garage den, my nearest neighbor 200-400ft away bordered by a nature preserve, so i can crank it up w no probs!)
I’ll second your thought of trading over to a fine headphone set up. Not only great for critical listening in a comfy chair alcove, it also allows this when your wife is napping - which happens often among we retirees in FL. 😉
Paul Cragin thx for the advice....downsizing a once beloved long time getting it right stereo system is hard to conceive of... hard pill to swallow..as u say made easier since I love headphones and IEMs
David Greenwood Allow me to be humble now, in light of your collection. My most prized hp is the OPPO PM3 although I spent more on Grado RS1. The Grado fails against the AKG Q701 for an open-back experience. Schiit Asgard 2 class A amp is a pleasure. My DAC is a dinosaur Emotiva XDA-1 which is multibit and is a fine digital volume control, preamp, remote and SIX digi inputs. Why, when digi is now the norm, DACs appear with fewer inputs than cheap receivers is beyond my ken. I aspire to Focal hp, Ether hp, upscaled Schiit amps, DAC. Have fun!
Paul Cragin great collection of audio gear. Schitt is great value gear...may trade up my Magni 3, not sure what yet. Intrigued by the Schitt Equalizer....think that would fine tune headphones that have 1 or 2 frequency graph spots that need i provement, and could turn them into stellar performers, most reviewers already gave up on!
My office setup is for a small 10x10 room with Monitor Audio Bronze 2, SVS SB-1000 sub and a stack of Nuprime DAC-9H and STA-9. The sub crossover is low at 60hz and the volume quite low so it doesn't overpower the room like you mentionned but I still get some nice low and sub bass, the speakers being quite capables in the bass departement. My room is not fully treated but there is a carpet and wall stuff keeping resonnances and stuff under control. A little overkill but I spend a lot of time in my office so I wanted something I could really enjoy.
Well I am experimenting with a Yamaha WXA-50, A pair of Focal chorus 706 for speakersAnd a Yamaha NS-SW200 subwoofer triggered by the AMP thru a mini jack mono cable supplied with the sub) . Since my speakers must be stuck near the corners of the room, and I would have too much bass, I Equalized out the bass (built-in) And transferred the job to the subwoofer, which is further out from the wall. Thanks to its SabreDac (same as Rn803D) little Yamaha amp Does a great job at playing my CDs through the TOSLINK, as well as handling all the digital files (DSD and up to 192/24) and services I run (Deezer Hifi, Qobuz) I only wish it had one extra digital in (coax say)and it were a real Roon endpoint, It is only recognized as an Airplay 1 device. I even connected my 4K TV in through analog input, but it’s digitized again, so if you’re into Vinyl you’d rather go for the WXC-50 (the preamp version) that hasn’t the class D amp, but I wanted it compact. I’m going to experiment with an EMK TOS Splitter that can be used as a “merger” (you watch TV OR listen to CDs). No loss of signal expected here, each source supplies its own light). SubRoom (TV Corner) is 3,75m by 2,5m, but half a side wall is open, so directing the SUB and playing with furniture placement should do it). Should I Move to a larger place, I expect my. System to Grow by virtue of tuning the bass up for the Focal Speakers.
When I was in college I lived in a 10x12 room and had a pair of Altec Voice of the Theaters. Not only were they loud, they also took up a good portion of the floor space. To be young again!
Awesome speakers man!
They would have been tight in your room.
So many great memories with those VOTTs.
I use Dali Zensor 1 paired with Marantz PM5005 in my small living room in Mumbai, India.
This entry-level combination is my first hifi purchase and I'm loving it since I got it last year!
Saket Gyani what music sources do you use?
I am pairing Marantz PM6005 with Monitor Audio BX2. Source Macbook Pro (2015) using audioquest cable
I had a PM 5005. They're nice.
Greer Hunter nice, do you use any CD players along with that?
Rejin Jose K as of now, my source is an old iPhone SE using 3.5 mm to RCA cable.
Getting an Allo Boss 1.2 player when the lockdown ends and shipping begins. Also looking to buy a turntable but that’s after some months.
From the start of this video was thinking the Totem Arro. And then there it is. Your first speaker selection.
I absolutely love my KEF LS50 bookshelf speakers. Paired with a Naim Uniti Atom integrated amp. and a SVS 12" sub. It's absolutely sublime!
I love my ls50s as well and my r300s
I have Magnepan MMGs, Schiit Vidar and a small REL sub in a 10’ x 11’ listening room. I do adhere to the 3’ rule. It sounds great. Big and spacious without the need to be played loud. The REL is used at low volume and low crossover and acts almost as the loudness control on old receivers. And the directional nature of the Maggies keeps the bleed through to other rooms at a minimum.
I've recently bought a pair of RP-600Ms for my small apartment living room (~3m x 4.5m), and was surprised that they worked so well, despite slightly compromised positioning and a lot of glass around.
I have the Elac Debut Reference in a 12 x 14 room. They are amazing. They need a decent amp to drive them well, but the sound amazing, they are front ported and you can put them right against the wall and the sound doesn’t change much if at all. I’m using an Emotiva A300 and it does very well
Same room size, same speakers, NAD 338 with built in Chromecast. Loving them.
Hey guys. I’m thinking about getting the Elacs you guys have. What amplifier would you guys recommend for under a $1,000. Budget
@@felixlaboy1453 That's a good budget. Anything with at least 50 per channel, you have a lot to chose from.
You can fit meaty speakers with large woofers and even subs for full range audio if you know enough about room acoustics and are willing to experiment.
I am running EVE SC208 monitors (35Hz -3dB) with dual Martin Logan 1000W 12" subs in a bedroom. The key to reducing bass boominess (reduce decay times) is using multi subs.
Multi subs, digital correction, good positioning, and patience go a long way to making small rooms manageable.
What I've found though is small speakers paired with subs are more easily managed than floor standers in a small room.
Sealed speakers work really well for small rooms due to combination of gradual rolloff and room gain
Yes, I have a pair of sealed ancient 4-way with 15" woofers. Mitsubishi tweeters, maybe (?) 4" Pioneer midrange; no brand woofers. Speakers weigh ~ 70 lbs each. Stickers under the plinths say Model 99. I only use them as TV speakers on against the long wall of in my 12 ft x 15 bedroom. I drive them with a slightly under biased First Watt F4 amp fed directly from an Oppo 95 BD player and they sound remarkably dynamic but without boomy bass from 10 ft away.
Thanks Steve,very happy listening to my Rega Brio-R (2017) and Dali spektor 2 in a 10w x 14L x 8h living room.
Currently running in my small listening room: Monitor No. 5 from Blue Planet Audio (Bookshelf speaker with Tang Band full range chassis from a small manufacturer here in Germany that mostly offers parts for diy products) with Marantz PM6006/CD6006 and Pro-ject Pre-Box S2 (used as Dac). Beautiful sound...
I'm not much of a bass head, so the level of bass in the klipsch RP 600M is just about perfect for me.
Yes. The RP600M will not overload a room with too much bass.
I’m glad you mentioned active speakers. Focal Alpha 65 with a Neumann Kh 750 sub work great in my one bedroom apartment🤗
Three years ago, in my 9 x 11.5 room, I chose the ATC scm11 and I have never regretted it.
I love "nearfield" listening with these speakers (6 foot).
best there is for the money
What amp are you running?
@@DaveSHarris ... Hegel H160. Happy combo.
Interesting. I've been looking at the Hegel H390. It's my 50th this year and I've been a good boy!
Late to the party,but I had some Canton speakers that had pretty good sound(and size) for my needs at the time. Canton GLE-50's. Those and Braun were my faves back then. You can still find them around for a quick-cheap-fix.
I scaled down because of the setup in my 12 7 x 9 5 room. The speakers were 119 pounds the amp 150 pounds. That was a lot of weight to carry up and down the stairs. But my new setup is just right. Sonus Faber minima amator II and the accuphase E-380 along with the esoteric dv-50. The sound is marvelous and I have more space.
I just picked up the Totem Acoustics Arro, and Steve is right once again. What an amazing speaker! Not exactly cheap, but there are no shortcuts to getting down to 40 Hz with a 4 " woofer. These speakers image better than anything I've heard from Tannoy's Revolution line, and the tweeter is a real treat. BTW, they are about 35" high with the included plinths and spikes.
How do you like them a year later?
@@literalghost929
I upgraded my amp from a Parasound Hint to a Yamaha A-S1100. The synergy is better. Vocals are quite stunning at times as is acoustic instruments like piano. They image so well, like a stage is in front of you, not 2 speakers. But the Arros are not high decibel speakers, and they need a sub.
Psb Alpha B1’s in my 10x10 room sound great to me. They seem to have dropped off the audiophile map lately after being on Stereophile’ s list of recommended components for several years.
I have had a pair for almost 12 years now, love 'em. I think the reason why they aren't talked about as much is, they have been around for close to 15 years. I think you can buy them new for less than 200 bucks now. Great value, even more so now.
Oh man, the Q acoustics 2020i are brilliant for a small room. Pushing a neutral yet engaging detailed sound, they ring like a bell and give a superb sound stage. They're the Staffordshire bull terrier of bookshelf speakers. Love love love.
Im from staffordshire, i can confirm this is true
Rega RS1... Superb in a small room. Lovely mid and highs, great integration between the two. Can be right up to the wall. Second hand $200.
Great episode, i like to (most times have to) listen at low volumes, an episode about suggestions of systems that can sound dynamic and detailed at low volumes will be appreciated for appartment listeners
hi guven....living in a small apartment i have a nad 316bee with paradigm atom se
speakers....love it at low level to normal level...good luck
Check out Steve's videos about Klipsch and Zu speakers. If I recall, he mentions that they sound good even with low volumes.
@@MattArmstrongX My Zu Dirty Weekend sounds great at low volume. I'm going to pair it with a two watt Decware tube amp (currently running LFD Zero MkII), combination of which I hear sounds terrific at low volumes.
My Klipsch R41-PMs were on sale for $200 and sound awesome and has the ultimate flexibility in connectivity.
Wharfedale Denton 80th. or 85th. Anniversary Bookshelf Speakers ... Mmmm, just the best!!!
Hello good afternoon. I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoy your videos. I see videos from different experts but yours are the best without a doubt. Greetings from Mexico City.
Working to a very tight, very small budget I managed to get a pair of Kef coda 70s, a pioneer A8 amp and a Sony PS 4300 turntable. Space is at a premium as it's set up in the bedroom. I paid more for a copy of Into the wild than I did for the system and the Kef's are worth MUCH more than the £30 they cost me. Unfortunately like everyone else I'm always looking for something new (or more likely 2nd hand) that could improve the sound, so now I have much more to consider speaker wise.
Love your enthusiasm for the subject.
For the retro-minded British audio enthusiasts: one of the most impressive modest systems I ever heard was based around Acoustic Energy AE1s driven by an Audiolab 8000a - definitely one of those happy matches which amounts to more than the sum of its parts. Low sensitivity and a capable amplifier does seem to be an effective route in these situations. And then there's what I'm still using: Royd Minstrel SEs. Royds of any sort aren't all that common on the used market, for some reason. :-)
GenWivern2 An awesome speaker I had AE2 should have got the 1
i still use an audiolab 8000 run into 88db two way speakers; sounds pretty good in my smallish room
Big speakers tend to be rather useless for very small rooms but still can sound very good. I did this for several years. The lowest frequencies, well, other people in the house noticed, but at the room itself they seemed to lack.
As soon as I get some extra time I am going to build a set of the NX Studio's from GR Research ( 899.00 Kit ) which I hear from people I trust are pretty special.
For a small room you forgot the Ohm Walsh 1000 which does best near the rear wall and with it's sit anywhere and hear both speakers perfectly and phenomenal imaging would be perfect for a small room.
That would be my choice.
KEF LS50, or Klipsch RP600M, or Emotiva B1+, with Emotiva "a100" amplifier.
I'm surprised Steve didn't mention the Emotiva B1+. He just did a review on them and said how great they were. Although there are hundreds of different bookshelf speakers out there...
we have a pair of polk audio s20 bookshelf's,, we love them, powered by an onkyo 100 watt x 2
@@woofman4796 I have a complete 5.1 system of Signature series with the S20 as mains.. Really like the sound/price ratio.
@@stevefick3919 I've looked for those, but right now they aren't available from the company...Chinese production problems perhaps due to the Corona virus? Just guessing. But I did get on their mailing list to be informed when they were available again. Was thinking they'd be a good upgrade from my old Polk T-15 speakers, but not as expensive or big as the Klipsch RP-600M speakers.
or TAGA Harmony Diamond B-60 v.2 or Platinum B-40 SE v.2 or Platinum S-40 SE
The Technics SB-F1 is a great small-room speaker - they often crop up on eBay at pretty reasonable prices.
Linn Kan, hard up against the wall. Perfect for a small room, fast and dynamic and surprising bass in a small room. Must have quality source and amplifier that can provide plenty of current rather than lots of watts per channel.
I'm staying in a small living room apartment having my elac b 6 power by rotel ra 960 bx and a cheap China made dvd player to transport. Sound great to me.
I ran RF82 IIs for years in a 10' x 12' room. I dosagree with large speakers not working in a small space. It worked really well with out "boomy" bass. Pull the speakers out from the wall!
I inherited my brothers very old school Klipsch LaScala's and a Sansui G-9000 receiver. Talk about large sound. It definitely needs more bass.
My room is 11ft by 10.5ft but is well damped with soft furnishings and books. I am using Horns FP10 which are a 96db horn loaded two way stand-mount with ten inch woofers. With the right room treatments they are fabulous at a distance of 1.8m.
I am in a small room in the basement and have a pair of Elac Uni-Fi 5 Floorstanders and an Elac 200 watt sub and it is just amazing. The soundstage is amazing. No boomy bloated bass. Speakers are out 4’ into the room with 12’ x 13’
Steve, Steve, Steve …. luv ya babe. BUT you forgot to mention the small Triangle Titus EZ, which you just recently reviewed. Three weeks ago, I purchased a pair from a great dealer, Big Kids in Greensboro NC, to match up with my Musical Paradise MP 301mkII tube amp….. all for my "small room". In the past few days, these speakers have literally blossomed, bloomed and come to full break-in maturation. All I can say is WOW … what a great sound I now have for a "budget system. The Triangles are superb!
Thanks Roscoe! We like the triangle line. Glad you like your pair of Titus speakers Mike at Big Kids Toys AV
Perfect video for me. I want to get some audiophile grade speakers for my stereo but i’m confined to a small suite room for college! Steve, you’ve inspired me to continue down the path of audio.
That Vinyl Guy The wormhole goes deep analysis paralysis can happen very quickly good luck on your journey. If you want to company outside of the normal check out the small speaker company that sells direct online called ascend acoustics
I thought for sure you would say the Elac Debut 6.2.
I'm running Vandersteen 2CEs with a 2wq sub in an 11 x 16 room, and the bass is glorious, tight, and perfect. Midrange is too acute on one channel, and I dial it down -3dB. No problems.
ps- I've listened to the Totem Arro and they are really great for small rooms, and beautiful form too. Totem is really underrrated. Model 1 is superb.
Great passive sub for a small room
Dayton Audio MKSX4. Clean, punchy, defined bass that won’t sound boomy.
Agree with the Zu Dirty Weekends. I use them in the bedroom. For me their perfect. I don’t plan on changing them any time soon
Michael Smith how is the lower bass frequencies for that speaker in your room? Do you agree with what Steve said in terms of bass?
Carravagio16 I do run a sub that sits under my desk, but I have it set to a very minimal setting. I can probably do without it but Im too lazy to get down there and disconnect it. For me it meets what I’m looking for. The room does have carpet and with Zu’s you do have to play around with how much gap you have with the floor. I like my blues and my rock to a have a bit of low end punch and jazz and country to be more balanced. It does those just fine for me. I’m never going to claim I have golden ears. I was in the Navy and some of my frequency sensitivity was left on the high seas. But my toe taps often enough for me to be happy.
Carravagio16 I should say I also run the Klipsch RP-600M’s in the living room at a midfield distance and I like them very much. Though they do have baffles on the back so they need a bit of distance from the wall. To me, they are all around great. But admittedly I’m probably going to move up to Fortes or Cornwalls some day. But, like you, I wonder how they’ll sound in the living room. Will they be too big? Right now I’m happy and will $4-6K make me any happier?
I have a 15 x 15 room, walls are concrete. I have a pair of older model Monitor Audio Silver S1 on a Yamaha DSP-AX8. The Bass and sound stage is incredible. Clarity is great too. I set them approximately 2.5 FT from the wall.
I have a 10'x13'room and have tried Celestion Ditton 33, Spendor SP1, Green Mountain Continuum 1.5i, JM Reynaud Offrende and Spatial Audio M-4 speakers, (which our pal Steve enthusiastically reviewed on TH-cam). I currently have Wilson Audio WATT Puppy 7's. The listener has usually been about 7' away from the speakers. All of these speakers have done certain things very well, but most audio gurus would say every pair is too big for the room. The WATT 7's are fed with an Esoteric K-01xd player, an Esoteric C-02 preamp and Buckeye ET 7040 monoblocks. Sometimes parts of the room do audibly vibrate, this can be annoying, but this happens during live performances a lot and I've never heard anyone say that the system produces sludge or exaggerated low frequencies. Conventional wisdom seems to indicate that you can't have good results w/speakers that go below 40Hz or so in a small room. I haven't found this to be true, but would like to know if anyone has recommendations for speakers besides the Totem Arro to get good bass in a small room.
Steve I'm a broken record but a set of entry level open baffles would be amazing in a small room......all the benefits of large floor standing speakers without all the bass issues.
Matthew, can you please suggest a model? Do you mean something like the GR-Research NX-Studio that was on New Record Day? That may be nice with a small sub
@@sc51153826 spatial audio M4 turbo S. Absolutely outstanding speakers that would be a great deal at even double the price they retail for currently!! High Efficiency, super dynamic, holographic, wide open sounding speakers with very natural extended highs, realistic mids and tight accurate bass that is amazingly flexible in any room. Add a good sub and they are true full range monsters!!! Can't recommend then enough!
@@billbones1000 amazing speakers, hope to see them in Hong Kong one day.
I used open baffle speakers for around 15 years. When I moved to a smaller house with a small room, my OB's didn't have the magical imaging they had in my former place. Finally had to go to box speakers again. OB's tend to need space to breath, in my experience.
@@gurdyman1 interesting! I've only ever ran OBs in larger rooms. I was just guessing that with their typically non boomy bass profile and flexible room interaction properties they would be a rare large speaker that could work well in smaller rooms. Honestly, this was just a guess though, I've never put it to practice in the real world. I would guess that for large speakers with 12 or even 15 inch drivers they would perform much better than a similarly sized box speaker in a smaller space.
The Totems remind me of JM Labs (Now Focal) Daline 3.1 I owned back in 2000. Paired with Arcams A65+ integrated amp, they were magical in my condo!
I just had a chance to listen to the Totem Arro speakers and they absolutely blew me away. The huge soundstage, airiness, details...Wow. Absolutely amazing by itself. Did you pair it with a sub? If so, may I ask which one and did you like it?
My room is right on the cusp, 14x11. Running Kappa 7.1's and it sounds fabulous. Walls are super thick too, it's an older brick house. No bloated bass and no turntable feedback.
I bought the Dayton Audio B652-Air's for myself for Christmas. Just on a whim. They are very nice mid/upper speakers. The AMT Tweeter is really nice. They do, however, suffer in the bass somewhat. They have a good sized 6 1/2" woofer, but I think the cabinets aren't deep enough. And being an acoustic suspension speaker, the woofer can't move enough to get some good bass. Mind you I'm only driving them with a 25 watt/channel cheap tube amp!
That being said, they are an awesome little speaker for near field listening! Right now on sale at Parts Express for $43.25.
I found them quite responsive to placement and wound up tilting them up a bit helped also.
Of course there are always too many brands for Steve to remember. Revel, Bowers & Wikens, Elac, Vandersteen, MartinLogan, KEF, Focal and Paradigm just to name a few that offer modern designs and well engineered, quality built bookshelf speakers. And no mention of the wonders a tube or tube hybrid amp can reveal in a small room, low volume listening environment ? Ah well, speaker recommendations are as subjective as anything can be. The results are so subject to the room and musical taste perhaps the best recommendation is to find an opportunity to audition in your own room.
B&W 606 not bad.. detail, dynamic, crisp clarity.. bass also good.. not so deep but nice for ear😁
I have Bowers and Wilkins 686's used as near field monitors just off my desk on stands. Awesome sound with an old school NAD amp and a Schiit Modi 3.
Thanks for the video Steve.
Dali Menuets. 4.5inch woofer, designed to close couple to the wall. Bought mine almost ten years ago and to this day have never found anything better in a small room. Paired with a REL T5i and you're done.
Steve... I've been using PMC db1m hooked up to McIntosh MC30's in a small room for ages... Really agree with your view on small British speakers
The Mcintosh XR50, three-way bookshelf speakers are amazing sounding in a small room.
For me a great pair will be sealed box, 5” driver. For me the Harbeth P3ESR is superb for small rooms. I’ve used Q Acoustics Concept 20, Klipsch RP600M, KEF LS50 and Sony SS CS5 in small rooms too. They all work fine.
Now for my bedroom, it’s the KEF LS50 and a Yamaha RN803, the YPAO room correction helps heck of a lot in controlling the bass.
The Harbeth P3ESR is in the living room. They sound just amazing for a simple set up.
Sly foxxx ... Concept 20 is pretty neutral. Easy to listen to. Harbeth P3ESR is in a league of its own with that quality bass and natural sound. KEF LS50 is a great all rounder. Klipsch is ok, just got a smidge of that horn sound, it’s cheap. Sony SS CS5 is the cheapest but it works. If it’s long term investment ... it will be a toss up between the Harbeth and the KEF, depends on your preference of music and sound.
Fat Rat ... no listener fatigue at all. Some say it’s bright but I did not find it to be bright. It’s just got a bit of that cupped-hands-to-your-mouth kinda sound. It’s an ok speaker.
Fat Rat ... guess some people are more susceptible to the horns. Or perhaps my hearing is shot! 😳
Fat Rat ... no issue with my ears. Still can hear up to 15KHz for a guy just over 50.
The P3ESR are still metal dome but they sound smooth for metal dome. They are still from SEAS. I did swap out my original tweeters for silk dome ones from SEAS, it’s just a drop in. Same size and bolt patterns.
The ori tweeters start to drop off at 15KHz (not just because of crossover), the replacement drops off at 20KHz. So my P3ESR got a bit of extended highs. I like it. Does not affect the kids much at all.
Bet diehard Harbeth fans will be most upset with such a sacrilegious act. 😂🤣
I set up a couple of Triangle Esprit Heyda EZ bookshelf speakers in my daughter's small appartment. Impressed by the performance when driven however they are especially mellow at lower volumes.
The Revel perfoma according to the absolute sound the best monitor at any price.
My current small room system is a pair of Pioneer SP-BS22-LR's connected to a Pioneer SX-450. This is a very satisfying,15 watts-per-channel system. I even run the BS22's without a subwoofer. The SX-450 has been in my family since dad bought it in, I think, 1978.I recently restored the SX-450 and needed an excuse to have it set up permanently, so the little Andrew Jones speakers fit right in.
Now, I also broke all the rules in my other room 25 years ago when shoved a pair of Cerwin-Vega VS-120's into an approximately 11'x12' room.
Those Pioneer SX series receivers were all excellent.
I have the bs-22's in a small room , shoved up against the wall unfortunately. I put socks in the ports. They sound great after audessy adjustment.
I’m surprised the KEF LS50 isn’t on this list & I’m wondering why? According to the Audiophiliac’s interview with John Atkinson that’s what he has on his office desk. That seems like a pretty strong endorsement.
Yup, I have KEF LS50 in a relatively small room (11ft X 13ft) and they sound great. Unfortunately, I do have to place them right next to the wall but with bass ports plugged and/or some gentle EQ'ing (miniDSP or just smartphone EQ), I can tame and clean up the bass nicely.
KEF LSX’s too. Ideal for small to mid-sized rooms 😊
Spendor S6e... Great speaker for a small/mid room... rich bass which is not over powering, beautiful mids.
The Totem Signature One works well in my small room of 15x13ft. It helps that I have plenty of clean power to control them, and they tolerate being very close to the rear wall. Totem publish min and max distance from a rear wall recommendations which is pretty useful to give you an idea.
Steve I have a small room 14×12. I have a pair of Magico S1MKII and they do very well in a small room with a 7"woofer. They are a sealed speaker which helps greatly with placement and smaller rooms.
I would also suggest maybe the Magico A1. A sealed bookshelf that beats almost everything in its price range. It is not cheap at $7k it is their entry level but could be an endgame speaker for many folks.
0:24
Guilty as charged.
I just bought a pair of Klipsch RF 82 II to use in a 13 ft by 11 ft room. I still haven´t heard them though, because i don´t have an amp yet.
But i also bought a subwoofer, so i believe i won´t have so much bass problems as i would have if i would use only the speakers.
I would take into account: Dali Zensor Pico. Very small, but very nice sound, and really cheap.
I'm currently using a pair of Dali Rubicon 2s. Lovely Speaker's. Smooth & Detailed. I'm very happy!! 😁
I'm in a vary small room. I'm a proud owner of Zu DW speakers. Highly recommend them. My room is also dead. But these speakers bring the room to life!
The discontinued Design 5 (D5) from Peachtree Audio is an excellent sounding small room (10' x 15') 'ish loudspeaker. The better the electronics behind them, the better they sound. I really enjoy them. 🎵
Linn Majik 109 with REL T5i subwoofer is doing good work in my 9’ by 15’ study. Very big sound and lots of detail!
Vienna accoustic Beethoven Concert Grand. Killing it in medium size rooms up to 30qm
Dali Spektor 2 are one heck of an option for small/ish rooms, I actually prefer them over the much pricier Evoke 10. I should know, I own them both. 😊
I agree with the exception of speakers where you can eq the bass, Vandersteen and a few others can work very well.
Steve, You didn't mention the speaker pictured in the promo picture, the Revel M-16. Another speaker you often talk about is the KEF LS50. This is of interest to me. BTW Hard to place the LRS in a small room.
Isn't that an Evoke 10?
The Jamo s803's are great for small rooms, very exciting sound (love the tweeters), work in near field and rooms up to 200 sq ft.
peachtree grand integrated and dynaudio excite x12. Mind blowing setup. BIG power into a small speaker at moderate volume. Mega!
For a low budget good sounding alternative I have 8 Sengled pulse 15 W speaker bulbs in my ceiling coupled w the sengled pulse amp which connects to a powered sub and is fully app controllable .When they came out they were about 200 for a master / satellite pair now they're available for about 30 or less . Good sound with stealthiness and dual functionality and since they are down firing from the ceiling carpet or rugs tame reflections.
I have martin logan sl3's in a 15×15 room, and I'm happy. They are rather large, however I'll always ride with the larger displacement over the small.
In my small room I find speakers with fewer drivers work well, concentric drivers in particular (Kef, fyne audio, SourcePoint etc). The size of those drivers isn’t so much an issue because bigger ones move less to push the same amount of air as a small driver. You could argue less driver excursion is better for smaller spaces. Eg the JBL 4329p suits my small room way more than the kef ls50 wireless ii. Larger drivers also tend to be more efficient (more amp friendly) and more clear at lower volumes, again a benefit to small rooms.
Edit: I’m not disagreeing with any of the speakers on this list by the way, they are all great choices. I just thought to give another angle, based on my own experience and discussions I’ve had with others.
I've got a medium size room and went with paradigm 15b. Excellent dynamic speaker that looks great.
A pair of ADC 404 speakers and a 20-50 watt full range amp with tone controls will be more than you'll ever want in a small room. It doesn't matter how old they are or what they look like, as long as their performance is spot on. These speakers are all this and more. Only leaving my presence when the will gets read. Then the kids can fight over them.
I can't argue the point and instead merely point out that I have the Legacy Audio Focus (very large speaker) in my 12 x 14 room with not just OK, but quite good. Most definitely I have none of the bloated bass for which you warn of. So not sure why it doesn't apply in my case, however it simply doesn't. Of course I had to spend much time with placement... both Speakers and Sitting position. I also have several items / furnishings in the room and each placed in the room to HELP. So for instance my dual 6 ft equipment racks are placed in locations which actually HELP. OK, so other than this like I said the results are quite good. I am -3db at 18hz with only a bump in the bass at literally one frequency..., and for this I either live with it (song dependent) or I implement a single Bass attenuation afforded to me by my preamp processor. And so maybe I literally have a SINGLE position where both my Speakers and my Seating can be placed so as to not have BAD Bass, however setup as I have things... all is not only well, but quite good in fact.
I have a pair of Bowers and Wilkins 705 S2's with a Mcintosh MA5300 and am very happy with the sound I get, room is 11'x11"
I wouldn't say big speakers are always a bad choice for small rooms. It depends whether you want to play them at high or low volume. No word heard from Steve about that. At low volume big speakers do sound more complete in small rooms than small speakers do. There are plenty of responsive large speakers available which sound great at low volume in small rooms with no boomy base whatsoever.
Examples please sir
Depends on the definition of a small room. For say a 12 foot long room the lowest frequency that it would support is 100 Hz. 12 feet is the wave length of 100 Hz. Anything lower will be problematic as the wavelength cannot develop properly in that room.
I have a 15’ x 15’ room, a pair of Monitor Audio Radius 90, a pair of REL T/Zero subs, a ProJect turntable, some Schiit Audio Modi, Mani and the Loki, and a Linn Classic. My dream speakers are the Totem Arros,, I almost bought a pair, not now but in the future, then I’m set👍🏼
Those Radius 90's look perfect for a room that size, & with independent control over the sub, you can still go very low-down without swamping the room with too-much bass, it's probably the perfect arrangement & the "way to go" for a small room.
I use the Wharfendal Linton Heritage, they rock in a small room also the Klipsch RP51M, are perfect for a small room
Using the KEF Q 150's and I'm more than happy.
Rarely mentioned for small home theater is the Home theater direct series 3 bookshelf.Ribbon tweeter and excellent bass, this also works well with music.
I have the bowers and wilkins 607 in my small room. It has decent bass but i want a little more so got the asw608. Great tiny 8 inch sub, it does not go down to teen hz but its clear, punchy, works well in my room. Im pretty much satisfied for music and satisfied with movies when i increase bass volume and extension.
Im set for my system for now and not craving for any upgrade.
Great video Steve, I have just put ATC scm 19 in my room and they are truly outstanding, on very good sand filled stands driven by naim audio electronics. The ATC scm11 are a bit smaller but also very highly regarded in the UK..
Atc all the way
Cool video Steve! My Room is only 15ft by 10ft. My setup is Yamaha A-S1100 Amplifier, Dali Rubicon 2s, Audiolab 6000cdt Transport & Arcam irdac ii. These Speaker's are lovely Standmount Speakers! They use a 29mm Silk Dome tweeter! 6.5inch Woodfibre Mid-base Driver!! & they sound smooth & detailed! That Yamaha runs clean power too my Speaker's & they're happy singing along to kinda anything I throw at them!! Anyways, cool video 👍✌
I’m running a pair of kef q 300s bi amped with a Marantz amp and this absolutely rocks
The Pioneer SP-BS22-LR ($129) is still a shockingly good speaker for small rooms or near-field use. Even better, when paired with a small sub for a 2.1 system. I used my Dayton Sub80 ($99) with added 100hz high-pass X-overs added ($30) and the sound is incredible.
All that said, I recently acquired a pair of Klipsch KG4s, which is probably overkill for my 11'x14' listening room, but they sound and look magnificent.
Alternatively, use an AV Receiver with big speakers and room correct up to the Schroedinger frequency. I’m loving that option, so much.
for my small room/living room, I have Denon PMA800NE amp - Heybrook HB1 bookshelf speaker, Fluance RT84 turntable. Good setup for me.
Another great option for a low budget small room speaker is the DIY Overnight Sensation kit...love mine in my pc gaming/office desktop setup
Z reviews are a really good channel for advise on speakers
I have a pair of polk rti 28 bookshelf speakers with a denon amp and a boston cr 400 sub in my room. Amazing match😍👌🏽
For a small space...a more intimate sound....I use a Yaqin MC100-B tube amp, Black Cube phono stage, a TT, and efficient Paradigm Mini Monitors. I was unhappy w most speaker stands, so did a DIY sand filled PVC tube, wood top/bottom sitting on spikes, toed speakers in to sweet spot 8ft from my fav seat....
We r retiring soon, and will relocate to a smaller home, condo, shared wall? home ...most homes we look at, and considering the WAF factor...I may end up w my dedicated music room being an alcove, or shared w a BR/small office. Kinda scares the s**t outta me, because I gotta not only give up my surround sound gear, but eliminate my other big stereo system, speakers SS amp, preamp, sources, lucky i have the smaller speaker system already! Honestly the thought of flipping it all... for a hi end headphone/IEM AMP, DAC, SOURCE/DAP, streamer...because homes i have seen so far in Fl, it may be my dream Eames chair/ottoman (clone, not paying $6k for a nice used one) and a headphone rig in a tiny/small footprint intimate space! P.S.like your idea of Schiit Loki EQ...esp since i may NOT have the option of moving speakers/away from the wall/around or if i want to keep boomy bass under control and keep neighbors friendly (spoiled now in Northeast, big above dbl garage den, my nearest neighbor 200-400ft away bordered by a nature preserve, so i can crank it up w no probs!)
I’ll second your thought of trading over to a fine headphone set up. Not only great for critical listening in a comfy chair alcove, it also allows this when your wife is napping - which happens often among we retirees in FL. 😉
Paul Cragin thx for the advice....downsizing a once beloved long time getting it right stereo system is hard to conceive of... hard pill to swallow..as u say made easier since I love headphones and IEMs
Paul Cragin besides my dream clone Eames chair and ottoman....any recommendations on DACS, amps (tube/SS), streamers, cans or iems??
David Greenwood Allow me to be humble now, in light of your collection. My most prized hp is the OPPO PM3 although I spent more on Grado RS1. The Grado fails against the AKG Q701 for an open-back experience. Schiit Asgard 2 class A amp is a pleasure. My DAC is a dinosaur Emotiva XDA-1 which is multibit and is a fine digital volume control, preamp, remote and SIX digi inputs. Why, when digi is now the norm, DACs appear with fewer inputs than cheap receivers is beyond my ken. I aspire to Focal hp, Ether hp, upscaled Schiit amps, DAC. Have fun!
Paul Cragin great collection of audio gear. Schitt is great value gear...may trade up my Magni 3, not sure what yet. Intrigued by the Schitt Equalizer....think that would fine tune headphones that have 1 or 2 frequency graph spots that need i provement, and could turn them into stellar performers, most reviewers already gave up on!
My office setup is for a small 10x10 room with Monitor Audio Bronze 2, SVS SB-1000 sub and a stack of Nuprime DAC-9H and STA-9. The sub crossover is low at 60hz and the volume quite low so it doesn't overpower the room like you mentionned but I still get some nice low and sub bass, the speakers being quite capables in the bass departement. My room is not fully treated but there is a carpet and wall stuff keeping resonnances and stuff under control. A little overkill but I spend a lot of time in my office so I wanted something I could really enjoy.
Well I am experimenting with a Yamaha WXA-50, A pair of Focal chorus 706 for speakersAnd a Yamaha NS-SW200 subwoofer triggered by the AMP thru a mini jack mono cable supplied with the sub) . Since my speakers must be stuck near the corners of the room, and I would have too much bass, I Equalized out the bass (built-in) And transferred the job to the subwoofer, which is further out from the wall. Thanks to its SabreDac (same as Rn803D) little Yamaha amp Does a great job at playing my CDs through the TOSLINK, as well as handling all the digital files (DSD and up to 192/24) and services I run (Deezer Hifi, Qobuz) I only wish it had one extra digital in (coax say)and it were a real Roon endpoint, It is only recognized as an Airplay 1 device. I even connected my 4K TV in through analog input, but it’s digitized again, so if you’re into Vinyl you’d rather go for the WXC-50 (the preamp version) that hasn’t the class D amp, but I wanted it compact. I’m going to experiment with an EMK TOS Splitter that can be used as a “merger” (you watch TV OR listen to CDs). No loss of signal expected here, each source supplies its own light). SubRoom (TV Corner) is 3,75m by 2,5m, but half a side wall is open, so directing the SUB and playing with furniture placement should do it). Should I Move to a larger place, I expect my. System to Grow by virtue of tuning the bass up for the Focal Speakers.
I’m partial to the b&w pm1’s and 805d3’s
B&W still enchants me too. Still on my CDM1 from 1993 great for classical music.